GLENDALE, Ariz. — Edgar Quero knows he is feeling good at the plate when he’s locked in on the fastball.
“When I’m hitting the fastball firm, that’s how I feel like that I’m good,” the catcher said Monday morning at Camelback Ranch. “Right now, I’m feeling good.”
Quero connected on a fastball Sunday during a first-inning at-bat against Chicago Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, hitting a home run to left-center field. Quero had two hits in the 5-1 victory against the Cubs at Sloan Park.
“Edgar, for me, has picked up right where he left off as far as his quality of at-bats at the plate,” manager Will Venable said Monday afternoon. “He’s done a great job with the framing and the defensive things we’ve asked him to do. It really starts with the offseason he had. He was here at the complex a bunch, putting in a ton of work on his physical composition, his skill set — just put in a lot of work across the board.
“Really proud of him and it’s showing up in game.”
Quero has had a sizzling start to the spring, going 9-for-17 (.529) with a double and a home run in his first five games.
“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Quero said. “Taking good ABs, trying to hit the ball hard.”
Quero has been especially effective with runners on base. He entered Monday tied for the major-league lead with nine RBIs in spring training games.
“With guys in scoring position, my mind changes a little bit,” Quero said. “I feel like I’m more aggressive. I’m the hitter that I like hitting with people on base. Maybe that changes my mind a little bit. Feel pretty good.
“More aggressive, trying to do more damage, too. I know, my mindset changes a little bit. I like when people are on base.”
Quero, who turns 23 in April, is seeing some of the work he put in leading up to camp pay off.
“I made a lot of changes (at the plate) in the offseason, especially with my hips,” Quero said. “That helped me to be more square to hit the ball, especially the fastball. My bat speed is a little up right now, that’s why I’m making better contact, trying to hit the ball more hard, too.”
Venable said Quero is “a lot stronger.”
“I think that he’s put in a ton of work, lower half, upper half, just being stronger,” Venable said.
Venable jokingly added, “He’ll tell you he’s faster. Not sure how true that is. But we are going to find out.”
Quero had a .268/.333/.356 slash line with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 111 games as a rookie last season.
“It was an OK year for me, especially knowing myself, that I could do a little bit more,” Quero said of his 2025. “I’m ready for this season, I think I can do a little better.”
He said seeing some of the early results in Cactus League action has been “amazing.”
“I feel pretty good because it was a pretty good offseason for me, working hard,” Quero said. “Especially in the framing part, too, the defense is pretty good right now. I feel so happy for that. Just keep working hard.”
Venable added, “it’s always nice when these guys make adjustments and they get results. That doesn’t always happen. As far as creating buy-in on what it is that he’s doing, the work he’s putting in, to be able to get those results, just reinforces those things and reinforces the fact that he’s going about his process the right way.”
Quero, Kyle Teel and Korey Lee have been rotating behind the plate this spring. Teel recently joined Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic.
“I think it really is going to take care of itself,” Venable said of the playing time. “We know that we like (left-handed hitting) Kyle catching and hitting against righties. We know that Edgar (a switch hitter) can DH. We’ll have a couple of guys who will fill that DH spot versus right-handed pitching. We like Edgar catching against the lefties. It doesn’t have to be a straight platoon. We don’t view it like that.
“We just know of the demand of the catching position, there will be lots of opportunities for them behind the plate. We have the DH spot to filter guys through as well. It’s not really an area where we are concerned about at-bats. We know we have two guys, and three (with) Korey, who we really like. It will all take care of itself.”
Injury updates
Luisangel Acuña returned to the lineup Monday, batting second and playing center field.
It was the infielder/outfielder’s first game since Wednesday, when he exited with a cut above his left eyebrow after sliding safely into second base during a steal attempt. He later received four stitches.
Outfielder Andrew Benintendi (right side soreness) will likely be back on Thursday. He was scratched from the lineup ahead of Friday’s split-squad game against the Texas Rangers and has been recovering since.
“He’s swinging today, running around today,” Venable said of Benintendi. “He could probably play if it wasn’t March 2. A couple of more days and get him back out there.”