MLB Player News

Schmidt is roughly eight weeks removed from suffering a lat strain that sent him to the injured list back in late May and is going to need at least a couple additional weeks of rehab outings before returning to New York’s starting rotation mix. The positive news here is that he’s close to facing hitters again and should make it back at some point in mid-to-late August.

Bader is back in San Francisco’s lineup after missing time recently with left hamstring tightness. The 31-year-old corner outfielder should be a full-go for Wednesday’s primetime season opener against the Yankees at Oracle Park.

Cousins will be sidelined until the late stages of the upcoming season while continuing his rehabilitation from last June’s Tommy John surgery. The 31-year-old reliever didn’t pitch at all for the Yankees last season after compiling a strong 2.37 ERA across 38 innings back in 2024. He’s a strong zero-risk lottery ticket for the Dodgers as late-season bullpen depth in the event that his stuff bounces back to pre-surgery levels.

Carlson winds up with a spot on Chicago’s season-opening roster with Seiya Suzuki (knee) requiring a trip to the injured list. The 27-year-old former top prospect has bounced around the past couple seasons. He hit .203 with six homers in 83 games for the Orioles last year.

Austin is facing a multi-month absence after undergoing right knee surgery last month. The 34-year-old power-hitting veteran figures to be an option for Chicago again at some point in the second half of the year.

As expected, Rodriguez will open the regular season on the shelf after experiencing arm fatigue during the late stages of spring training. The 26-year-old former top pitching prospect was plagued by injuries during his Orioles tenure and it’s a troubling sign that his Angels run is starting to have the same vibes. It’ll be Ryan Johnson and Jack Kochanowicz taking the final spots in Los Angeles’ rotation to kick off the season.

No official injury designation yet from the Angels. Manoah failed to make Los Angeles’ season-opening rotation after posting a bloated 9.39 ERA across 15 1/3 innings during Cactus League action. It’s fair to assume that the 28-year-old is completely finished as a fantasy-relevant option but the Angels are probably going to let him try to work things out in the minors over the next couple weeks.

Joyce is working his way back from last year’s shoulder surgery and won’t be an option for the Angels at the start of the regular season. The hard-throwing 25-year-old righty has the raw stuff necessary to pitch in the ninth inning at some point down the road.

No official injury designation from the Angels. However, Grissom has been dealing with a hand issue recently. His departure means it’ll be Adam Frazier and Oswald Peraza splitting time at second base to open the season.

Slusser adds that Matos will not make San Francisco’s season-opening roster and needs to pass through waivers since he is out of minor-league options. It’ll be Jared Oliva securing a spot on the Giants’ season-opening roster in his place. It’s possible he’ll go unclaimed on waivers and remain with the organization as extra depth.

Williams takes over as Tampa Bay’s starting shortstop with Taylor Walls (oblique) hitting the injured list. The 22-year-old top prospect is an excellent defender and boasts enough power/speed combo potential to be intriguing fantasy-wise. Strikeouts remain the biggest obstacle to sustained relevance for Williams as he struck out a staggering 41.5 percent of the time in 32 games as a rookie last year. He’s unlikely to solve the contact issues that have followed him throughout his rise to the majors, but even a small step forward would make a difference.