MLB Player News

Markakis was on the bench for the last two games with the Dodgers starting lefties, but he’s back in there with Dustin May on the mound. That means Austin Riley will move from left field back to third base. The Braves’ full lineup looks like this: Ronald Acuna RF, Freddie Freeman 1B, Marcell Ozuna DH, Travis d’Arnaud C, Ozzie Albies 2B, Dansby Swanson SS, Riley 3B, Markakis LF, Cristian Pache CF.

Ríos fortifies Chicago’s bullpen depth entering spring training after making just a handful of appearances in the Mets’ system last year. The well-traveled 32-year-old veteran last appeared in the majors back in 2023 but he’s made 92 career appearances at the highest level dating back to 2017. He’s merely an emergency depth addition at this stage of his journeyman odyssey.

“It’s kind of the first offseason I’ve had to actually train and not be rehabbing,” McLain said Friday. “It feels like a fresh start.” The 26-year-old former top prospect struggled in his return from shoulder surgery last season, striking out at a near-30 percent clip while producing a pedestrian 40.7 percent hard-hit rate that ranked 153rd out of 251 qualified hitters. McLain still offers an enticing power/speed foundation for fantasy purposes, and the combination of added muscle and being further removed from surgery offers a plausible path to more consistent hard contact.

Robertson spent last season at the Triple-A level between the Astros and Royals, posting a pedestrian 5.10 FIP and 23.3 percent strikeout rate across 52 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old hurler made 27 relief appearances in the big leagues between the Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals and Blue Jays from 2023-2024. He’s back with the Dodgers again after being selected by the club in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Song suffered the injury during a recent batting practice session and will be shut down from baseball activities until mid-February, which coincides with the Padres kicking off spring training in Arizona. The 29-year-old Korean infielder is expected to occupy a versatile multi-position role in his San Diego debut and offers some appeal in deeper fantasy formats. He’s expected to be a full go early in camp, but the recurring nature of oblique injuries makes this a developing situation worth monitoring for fantasy managers.

The Orioles have their five starters after adding Shane Baz and Zach Eflin, but it seems they’re still hoping for more depth beyond Tyler Wells and Cade Povich. Verlander, who finished strong in his age-42 season, would presumably want to be promised a rotation spot wherever he landed.

The gold standard there is the 10-year, $225 million deal that Joey Votto signed 14 years ago. The proposal was somewhere in between there and the 11-year, $288.8 million contract that Bobby Witt Jr. signed with the Royals two years ago. Like Witt then, De La Cruz currently has two years of service time. He’s slated to be eligible for free agency after the 2029 season.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says it’s a $14 million deal. It’s not surprising that Caratini is quickly following J.T. Realmuto off the board, but this is an unexpected fit, given the Twins’ budget issues and their already having a starting catcher in Ryan Jeffers. Caratini deserves to be a starter, but he could help just about anyone starting 70 games behind the plate and another 20 or 30 at DH and first base. That’s probably what he’ll do in Minnesota, unless the team now pivots to trading Jeffers. The Astros had interest in bringing Caratini back, and it was also thought that the Red Sox might jump in, given that they had interest in Realmuto.

It’s the second time in two weeks that the 24-year-old shortstop has changed teams through waivers. The Rays claimed him from the Pirates on January 8, then designated him for assignment just a few days later to make room for Brett Wisely. He’ll now join the Mets. Cheng slashed an underwhelming .209/.307/.271 with just one home run and 18 stolen bases across 107 games at Triple-A Indianapolis during the 2025 season.

The Rays tried to sneak the hard-throwing right-hander through waivers earlier in the week but the Marlins were ready to bounce. The 30-year-old hurler struggled to a 5.87 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and a 68/35 K/BB ratio over 79 2/3 innings with the Athletics during the 2025 campaign, but he’s just one year removed from a very strong season overall. It’s likely that he’ll operate in a swingman role for the Marlins in 2026.

The 28-year-old saw most of his action with the Reds in left field or as a designated hitter in 2025 while playing a bit at second base and third base. It sounds like he’ll step in as the Rays’ regular second baseman, filling the void left by Brandon Lowe. Neander also noted that he’s fully confident in what Lux can provide both at the plate and in the field. Even if he’s slated for full-time action, it’s difficult to envision Lux having much fantasy value in 2026.