MLB Player News

The deal does not include an invite to spring training. Mercedes, 25, had an ugly 4.95 ERA and 52/23 K/BB ratio over 60 innings this past season between Double- and Triple-A. He’s just bullpen depth in the minors.

Torkelson checked out fine after being hit by a pitch during a simulated game earlier this week in Tigers camp. There was some initial concern when the incident occurred but it seems like the power-hitting first baseman managed to avoid serious injury. He’s a strong corner infield option for fantasy purposes in drafts this spring following an impressive 31-homer rebound campaign last year.

The latest cutdown from Orioles camp reduces their flock to 53 players. Noda is the most prominent inclusion based on his big-league experience while Walker was the one with the most likely path to a spot on Baltimore’s season-opening roster as a left-handed relief option.

It’s possible Mountcastle will undergo additional imaging to rule out anything signifiant but initial tests didn’t reveal anything serious. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz told reporters the 29-year-old first baseman is dealing with some soreness after being hit by a pitch during Wednesday’s spring contest. It doesn’t sound like he’s facing an extended absence. He’s going to have a reduced role during the regular season with Pete Alonso taking over at first base and former top prospect Coby Mayo looking like he’s going to make the club thanks to a strong spring performance.

Imai was up to 96.7 mph with his fastball today after averaging 94.9 mph in his first two spring outings, so that’s really encouraging. He’s pitched six scoreless innings and amassed a 7/1 K/BB ratio to begin the spring. It’s still not much of a sample, but it’s nice to see him avoiding walks, given that they used to be a big problem for him in Japan.

The run came on Heriberto Hernández’s homer in Arrighetti’s final inning of work. Arrighetti came into the day having given up five runs in five innings this spring. It looks like it could come down to him and Ryan Weiss for the final spot in Houston’s expected six-man rotation.

Meyer’s slider today got him three strikeouts and a weak grounder the one time it was put into play. Meyer has a 12/1 K/BB and has yet to allow a run in seven innings this spring, so he’s probably going to start moving up draft boards. In part due to injuries, Meyer, who turns 27 on Thursday, still hasn’t converted his plus stuff into any real major league success, having posted a 5.29 ERA in 25 starts to date, and Miami isn’t a great situation for pitchers. Still, there’s the chance of some modest mixed-league value here.

He’s 4-for-13 with two homers this spring. If Jeremy Peña opens up on the IL, the Astros’ infield logjam is temporarily solved with Paredes at third and Carlos Correa at short, although that’s certainly not the way Houston wanted it fixed. Paredes projects as the Astros’ second-best hitter and really ought to be a regular regardless.

Morel is hardly alone in struggling for the Marlins, who managed just two hits today against the Astros. The team’s 54 runs this spring are 16 fewer than any other club has scored. Six teams have at least doubled that total. Still, Morel obviously needs to hit in order to justify a starting job at first base. The Marlins could use Griffin Conine there, potentially opening up more time for Graham Pauley.

Cole’s homer was drilled 109 mph out to left, but that wasn’t his hardest-hit ball of the day; he had a 114-mph grounder that went for a double play. Cole is only 3-for-19 this spring, but two-thirds of his 12 balls in play have been hit hard, and he’s collected five walks and four steals. He remains in the running to start in either left or right for Houston at the beginning of the season.

Baldwin was a bit of a deep league sleeper in fantasy baseball after putting up impressive Triple-A numbers and hitting 11 home runs in 328 plate appearances with the White Sox in 2025. Venable said that Baldwin is “kind of day to day right now, will be evaluated,” so perhaps this is not a long-term concern, but we likely won’t know until the weekend or next week.