MLB Player News

Thomas will get some extra time off to rest and recover after making an early exit from Friday’s game with mild plantar fascia symptoms. The 29-year-old outfielder is presumably day-to-day heading into Sunday’s series finale. It’ll be Nolan Jones shifting over to cover center field with rookie Johnathan Rodríguez entering the lineup in right field.

Campbell will compete for a spot in Arizona’s bullpen next spring after getting lit up to the tune of an inflated 11.30 ERA (6.36 FIP) across 14 1/43 innings over 14 appearances for the Red Sox over the past two seasons. The 28-year-old righty was a notable relief prospect a couple years ago with the Mariners but hasn’t quite panned out at the highest level.

Castellano was shipped back to the Phillies last spring after the Twins made him the ninth overall pick in the offseason Rule 5 Draft. The 24-year-old reliever posted a pedestrian 5.14 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 24.2 percent strikeout rate over 35 innings over 20 appearances for Double-A Reading last season. He’s a low-risk dice roll for Colorado’s new-look front office.

Simon fortifies Pittsburgh’s bench depth heading into next season after being non-tendered last month. The 25-year-old former prospect hit .234/.299/.273 with seven RBI and one steal in 27 games this past season between the Pirates and Marlins. He figures to have a decent shot at making the club’s season-opening roster in a versatile utility role.

Perdomo represents a worthwhile low-risk flyer for the Angels after making four relief appearances this past season for the division-rival Athletics. The hard-throwing 31-year-old lefty has compiled a robust 34.2 percent strikeout rate across 52 innings over 56 career appearances in the big leagues since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Rivero is back in the fold as emergency catching depth for the Halos after getting into 11 games this past season, his first stint back in the majors since the 2022 campaign.

Muñoz sticks around with the Reds as extra relief depth after being non-tendered last month by the club. The 25-year-old was scooped up off waivers from the division-rival Cardinals earlier this offseason after posting an underwhelming 6.73 ERA over 93 2/3 innings across 27 appearances (17 starts) in the big leagues since the start of 2024.

Banfield returns as extra catching depth at Triple-A Louisville after going 1-for-10 over seven games this past season in his first opportunity at the highest level. He projects as an emergency backup at this stage of his development and can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes.

Contreras will enter Athletics camp vying for a spot in their bullpen after making 14 relief appearances for the Astros over the past two seasons, finishing with a lackluster 7.50 ERA (4.15 FIP) and 19/10 K/BB ratio across 18 innings. The 29-year-old righty has a lengthy track record of missing bats in the upper minors and represents a low-risk lottery ticket.

It seems like an odd way to put it. López, who missed almost all of 2025 following shoulder surgery, has a 2.11 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearance for the Braves, so if the team thinks he can stay healthy in the rotation, he obviously deserves to be there. But it’s quite possible the Braves believe they’d get more out of him as a reliever and are trying to soften the blow. For the moment, the Braves have Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach guaranteed rotation spots if healthy. That would leave two openings for López, Grant Holmes, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, Osvaldo Bido, Joey Wentz and José Suarez. Of that group, only Waldrep has options remaining.

Acuña has led off in 84% of his career starts, but Brian Snitker had him hitting third for much of last year and even dropped him as low as seventh while he was slumping in September. We’re guessing he’ll go back into the leadoff spot under Weiss, but if not, he would likely bat third behind Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson. Acuña is currently playing winter ball in Venezuela and has gone 9-for-29 with two homers and six steals in eight games.