MLB Player News

This is the same injury that sidelined Eflin from June 29 through July 23. It would not be a surprise to see this keep him on the IL for another three or four weeks, which means he would only be an option in September if some team trades for him.

It was mentioned as a possibility yesterday, it graduated to “happening” today. Lindor is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season based on the timeline shared yesterday, but as we mentioned then, hamate bone injuries can negatively affect power output for months to come. His fantasy stock has definitely taken a bit of a downturn based on this news despite the fact that he might not miss any action.

It was a fun five days on the active roster. We’ll see if any other team wants to take a gander on Rortvedt’s one-year, $1.25 million contract on waivers. If not, he’ll likely remain with the Dodgers.

Phillips was non-tendered in November but returns at the precipice of Spring Training. He pitched in just seven games for the Dodgers last year, with a 0.00 ERA and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. The contract says Phillips should have a shot at a roster spot when healthy, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to be out until July. The Dodgers now have Edwin Diaz on hand, so despite how well Phillips has pitched, he has no closer appeal without a Diaz injury even once healthy.

He’ll be “a little behind” but it’s not expected to prevent him from being ready for Opening Day at this point. Jhoan Duran projects as Philadelphia’s closer and Kerkering only figures to have spot opportunities to close when healthy, so there’s not much reason to roster him in shallow leagues.

Alvarez hasn’t shown a lot of potential at the plate, but being able to serve as a viable third catcher would help his chances of making it as a bench player. The 22-year-old has hit .216/.277/.298 in 240 plate appearances since debuting with the Braves in 2024. As things stand now, it’s probably between him, Brett Wisely and Kyle Farmer for the last spot on Atlanta’s bench.

The Padres and Adam appear to disagree, as Adam said that “in my mind” he will be ready for Opening Day. Stammen continued by saying “We’re going to decide what’s best for him. And hopefully we’re on the same page together. We may have a different opinion at times, but we’ve got the best interest in him, not only for this season but for the rest of his career.” It appears as if Adam’s Opening Day status is in some question. Luckily Mason Miller seems well-locked into the closer’s role so it shouldn’t make much difference in leagues that don’t count holds.

Assuming that holds up, Stephenson could figure into the Angels closing plans. Stephenson did not pitch in 2024 and managed just 12 appearances in 2025, where he had a 2.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 10 innings off a return from the 60-day injured list. He was re-shelved in September. Stephenson is fragile enough that we probably shouldn’t invest a high-round pick in him, but he has the stuff to close if his arm is up to the task.

Jiménez already missed all of last season following knee surgery, and he needed a cleanup procedure in November. He was very good when last seen, amassing a 2.62 ERA over 68 2/3 innings as a setup man in 2024, but it’s unclear what he’ll have to offer this season as he enters the final year of a three-year, $26 million pact.

This confirms some speculation last week from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. While the Paul Goldschmidt reunion looked like something tough for Rice after Goldy played against left-handers last year, this is a terrific update for Rice’s fantasy value. He may even be able to maintain catcher eligibility for 2027 if he gets into enough games at the position, giving him some extra keeper league value going forward.

He added that Cole could graduate to game action by the end of spring training. The word over the offseason was that Cole was likely to be out until late May or early June, and this update seems to jive well with that timetable. Cole figures to rejoin the Yankees at midseason as long as his rehab and ramp-up go well.