MLB Player News

Song was a fourth-round pick for the Red Sox back in 2019 and impressed with two earned runs allowed on 10 hits in 17 innings with 19 strikeouts and five walks in his seven-start pro debut. He was then called to complete his four-year Naval flight school commitment. Early in the summer of 2022, he applied for a waiver from the Navy and was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft while he waited for word. Unfortunately, he then missed most of the 2023 season with a back injury and had Tommy John surgery in 2024, so it’s been a long road back for the now 27-year-old. He has thrown under 60 minor league innings, but the Red Sox will likely be aggressive with his assignment and see how quickly he can ascend through the organization.

The 24-year-old right-hander continues to progress in his recovery from a Grade 1 hamstring strain. When asked on Thursday about the possibility of Kerkering being ready in time for Opening Day, Phillies’ skipper Rob Thomson replied “possibly”. It sounds like barring any setbacks, the Phillies could have one of their main bullpen arms ready to go on March 26.

He struck out four, but continued to struggle with decreased velocity, telling beat writers that he “doesn’t have an explanation” for it but isn’t “concerned” at this point. Manaea’s fastball averaged just 89 mph and topped out at 90.4. He also managed just two whiffs on 37 fastballs and sweepers. Manaea may or may not turn this around at some point, but it’s hard to advocate for anybody to stream him with these underlying metrics.

The run was a solo shot by Jorge Polanco. McGreevy’s velocity was well down as he utilized seven distinct kinds of pitches and had a 19 percent whiff rate. He profiles as a usable streamer in deeper leagues to start the season, but there’s no massive strikeout upside or anything here.

He somehow managed to not drive in or score a run despite the two-hit attack, as well as another walk. Gorman has an .879 OPS this spring and figures to be the starting third baseman and hit somewhere in the middle of the order for the Cardinals. All-or-nothing power remains both the ceiling and floor for Gorman.

Bohm hit a 424-foot bomb off CJ Van Eyk’s cutter. He’s not exciting, of course, but Bohm should have plenty of RBI opportunities behind Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Trea Turner. That and a reasonable batting average should keep him as a top-12 option at the keystone this season.

Varsho ripped a Chase Stuggart cutter into the gap. He’s up to a 1.147 OPS in big-league camp. There’s plenty of power upside in Varsho’s bat, just don’t expect his .393 spring batting average to translate against big league pitching.

Nothing all that concerning underneath the hood, Luzardo’s sinker was averaging 95.7 mph and he found four whiffs and 13 called strikes with his two main pitches today. He remains a fine No. 2/No. 3 starter bet in mixed leagues.

McKinstry hit out a Will Warren sweeper to raise his spring OPS to .929 in 17 at-bats. He figures to be a super-sub again and should see plenty of time at both third base and shortstop, as he did in 2025.

Dominguez was one of three Yankees to take Justin Verlander deep on Thursday, walloping a four-seamer some 431 feet. The Martian is up to a 1.010 OPS in spring ball with three homers and two steals, but doesn’t seem assured of major league playing time at this point with Randal Grichuk’s lefty-mashing skill set likely parking Dominguez in Triple A.

He struck out just two, but also allowed only two hits and breezed through the game with just 64 pitches thrown. The fastball sat at 93.9 mph and he managed to get whiffs on 42 percent of swings against it. Warren now sits at a 1.65 ERA in four starts in big-league camp. He’ll have some early season runway before Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon return to the rotation, but we’re not overly optimistic he’ll be more than a streaming option unless we see continued steps forward with the arsenal.