MLB Player News

Perlaza is back stateside following his release last month from the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization following an impressive 24-homer campaign overseas. The 26-year-old outfielder put up some big numbers at the Triple-A level back in 2023 with the Cubs organization when he launched 23 homers and stole 13 bases in 121 contests. He’s merely extra organizational depth for the Padres at this stage of his career, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him break through and reach the big leagues at some point next year.

For reasons that weren’t exactly clear, the Orioles were especially quick to rule out Holliday for Opening Day as a result of the injury he suffered while hitting last Thursday. It sounds like they expect him to miss much of April, which should lead to Blaze Alexander starting at second or perhaps Coby Mayo playing third while Jordan Westburg slides over to second.

Gambadoro notes that all is quiet on the free agent market for Gallen at the moment, which is a bit surprising considering how quickly the rest of the remaining starting pitchers have signed deals with spring camps opening around the league. The Cubs were linked to him in mid-January, but those talks seem to have fizzled. The 30-year-old hurler is the top remaining pitcher out there on the open market, so any team still looking to make a splash addition to their rotation should be interested.

The Phillies had been trying to trade the 33-year-old outfielder in order to get some cost savings on the $20 million that he’s owed for 2026, but finding no takers it sounds like they’ll just part ways instead. Castellanos hit .250/.294/.400 with 17 homers, 72 RBI and four stolen bases in 589 plate appearances during the 2025 season. It shouldn’t take him long to find work elsewhere, especially with the Phillies picking up the tab on his salary.

The 31-year-old right-hander continues to progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he’s expected to be out until at least July, which means that this move was inevitable. He should be able to provide an already stacked Dodgers’ bullpen with a boost for the second half of the 2026 season.

It seemed like an inevitability that Hernández would once again wind up back with the Dodgers. The 34-year-old utilityman is set to serve in his customary bench role and will be deployed primarily against left-handed pitchers. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Schlittler also noted that he has “felt a tweak here and there”, though it’s not believed to be anything too serious. It puts the 25-year-old hurler a bit behind the other pitchers in camp as he’ll avoid throwing off of a mound for the time being, though he will continue to throw. At this point, his status for the start of the regular season is not in jeopardy.

Still just 29-years-old, Hiura has bounced around between four different organizations over the past three seasons. He spent most of the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Albuquerque for the Rockies where he slashed a solid .272/.369/.507 with 21 homers and 67 RBI in 445 plate appearances. He’ll add quality depth for the Dodgers.

The 27-year-old right-hander underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder back in October. He’s expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season while recovering from the procedure. Moving him to the 60-day injured list frees up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for the addition of Mitch Spence on Thursday.

Causey, 23, was a fifth-round selection by the Royals from the 2024 draft class. He posted a stellar 1.72 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 75/18 K/BB ratio over 73 1/3 innings in 48 appearances between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2025. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him debut out of the A’s bullpen at some point during the 2026 season.

Spence had been designated for assignment by the Athletics earlier in the week. The 27-year-old right-hander struggled to a 5.10 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 66/22 K/BB ratio over 84 2/3 innings in 32 appearances (eight starts) with the A’s in 2025. He adds quality depth for the Royals.