MLB Player News

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis adds that Burns will receive a $9.25 million signing bonus as the second-overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, narrowly surpasses the record-setting $9.2 million figure current All-Star Paul Skenes received last year from the Pirates as the top-overall selection. The 21-year-old right-hander projects as an impact fantasy contributor in the near future as he boasts a triple-digit fastball and arguably the best slider in the entire draft class. It’s easy to envision him blossoming into an upper-echelon fantasy starter down the road given his impressive stuff. He’ll be worth monitoring closely over the next few months as he kicks off his professional career.

We have to admit, we’re a bit confused. On Monday, Woodruff gave an interview where he said that he wasn’t sure if he would be ready for Opening Day. Perhaps he meant that literally, and the Brewers are suggesting he’ll start one of the other games to begin the season? All we know for sure is that Woodruff will throw a live batting practice session on March 1 and then begin his game progression. If all goes well, it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to be ready for Opening Day, but considering he ended last season with a lat injury and began last season by recovering from shoulder capsule surgery, there is plenty of risk here.

Garabito had surgery on his right foot last week and will be out for about four months, so this is just a procedural move. The 30-year-old was hoping to make his return to MLB action after pitching to a 2.64 ERA and an 84/37 K/BB in 78 1/3 innings in the Korean Baseball Organization last season.

Lux is apparently “fine,” but it’s never great to be so sore after just a few days of work. It’s likely nothing to worry about, and Lux should be the regular second baseman for the Rays in 2026; however, he has three straight seasons with at least 470 plate appearances and has not produced much fantasy value, so it’s hard to get overly excited.

It’s still early in spring training, so there is no real cause for concern with Simpson being sidelined. However, his main attribute is speed, so any lingering hamstring soreness would be a major wrench in his value to both the Rays and fantasy managers. The Rays also added Cedric Mullins, Jacob Melton, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Jake Fraley this offseason, so Simpson is not guaranteed a spot in this outfield.

The fact that Wolcott was able to avoid a full Tommy John surgery is good news. He will reportedly be able to start hitting in five or six months, which means he could be back in the cage in August. The Rangers would obviously love to get the 19-year-old top prospect a few minor league at-bats to end the season, but perhaps he can play in the Arizona Fall League and then be fully ready to go in 2027.

Joyce had shoulder surgery last season, but his throwing program is reportedly “going well.” The 25-year-old will obviously have to progress to adding breaking balls into his bullpens and then face hitters in live batting practice, and then get into spring training games, so a few steps are remaining in his progression. It would be a shock if he were a high-leverage reliever to start the season, but there’s a chance he takes over the closer role for the Angels in the middle of the year.

The left-hander had an MRI that came back clean, but the Blue Jays will “back off” his throwing for a week. Despite the clear MRI, the soreness is obviously concerning given Tiedemann’s long history with injuries. We hope the 23-year-old gets back onto the mound soon, but his career arc is shaping up to be one of the major “what ifs” in recen years.

The comment was made by Matt Hague during the broadcast of Monday’s spring training game. Cruz hit just .102/.224/.176 in 125 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers last season, so it’s certainly an issue that Cruz needs to address. Cruz hit .224/.226/.400 against lefties in 2024, so even if Cruz were able to get back to that level, he could remain a full-time player and a major value in fantasy drafts.

The contract includes a team option for $30 million in 2028. Sale was going to be a free agent after this season, so this extension now means the 36-year-old will remain in Atlanta for the next two years. Sale has been tremendous when he’s been on the mound for the entirety of his career. After throwing 177 2/3 innings in his first season in Atlanta, he was limited to just 125 2/3 last season due to injury. While he has all the talent to be a fantasy ace, he’s best relied on as an SP2 due to his potential innings concerns.

Mervis made the most of his opportunity off the bench, drawing a walk, swiping a base, and later scorching a game-tying two-run double to right-center in the eighth inning. The 27-year-old former top first-base prospect never found sustained footing in a pair of brief stints with the Cubs and struggled to a .175 average with seven homers over 42 games for the Marlins last season. A strong spring could put him in the mix for a spot on Washington’s Opening Day roster, but from a fantasy standpoint, the bar is steep – especially in an era where the first-base pool is deeper than it used to be.