MLB Player News

Kurtz got the A’s on the board in the sixth inning of this one with a 393-foot (102.2 mph EV) solo shot off of Framber Valdez, pulling his squad to within eight runs at 9-1. He then clobbered a 389-foot (105.0 mph EV) two-run blast off of Enyel De Los Santos in the eighth inning for good measure. He’s not just a lock to take home American League Rookie of the Year honors, he’s having the best offensive season of any first baseman in Major League Baseball and should also receive some down-ballot MVP votes. He’s slashing a robust .293/.387/.623 with 35 homers and 84 RBI in just 477 plate appearances. He’s also tied for the MLB lead with 18 opposite-field home runs on the season. An unbelievable debut campaign for the 22-year-old slugger.

Meyer was a popular late-round fantasy sleeper last spring and showed some flashes of big-time upside — most notably a 14-strikeout gem against the Reds last April — before struggling in his final few outings and undergoing season-ending hip surgery in mid-June. The mercurial 26-year-old former top prospect is tentatively penciled into Miami’s rotation mix with Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers no longer in the picture and shouldn’t have any limitation during his ramp-up process this spring. He’s a name to monitor closely during Grapefruit League outings, especially in deeper mixed leagues, given his strikeout upside. However, omnipresent health and performance question marks limit his appeal to a late-round dart throw at this stage of his career.

Rice is likely to come off the board as a top-five catcher in fantasy drafts this spring, but he’s rapidly becoming one of the more polarizing hitters in the entire fantasy landscape. He ranked among the league’s upper echelon in average exit velocity (95th percentile), barrel rate (92nd percentile) and hard-hit percentage (97th percentile) during last year’s 26-homer breakthrough campaign. The soon-to-be 27-year-old slugger appears poised to catch more often than originally anticipated with the Yankees bringing back veteran lefty-masher Paul Goldschmidt to handle the cold corner against southpaws. Kirshner notes that Rice, who is currently viewed as the club’s third backstop, could potentially move into the backup catcher role behind starter Austin Wells in addition to serving as their primary first baseman against right-handed pitching to free up a roster spot for someone like Jasson Domínguez. The added playing time opportunity comes paired with the inherent injury risk that has always followed catchers behind the plate.

Gore was part of three World Series championship teams as a pinch-running specialist — Royals (2015), Dodgers (2020) and Braves (2021) — despite totaling just 85 plate appearances across 112 major-league games from 2014-2022. The elite speedster swiped 43 bases during that span and added five more steals in 11 postseason appearances. The raw numbers don’t jump off the page, but Gore’s career will be remembered as one of the more unique statistical outliers of the modern era. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones at this time.

Capel ascended to the big leagues with the Cardinals back in 2022 and has appeared in 59 games at the highest level between three different organizations. The 28-year-old outfielder, who last appeared in the majors back in 2024, strengthens Colorado’s depth chart behind Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck, Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Tyler Freeman entering spring training. He’s a long shot to make the Rockies’ season-opening roster.

Bellozo augments Colorado’s pitching depth entering spring training but history suggests his soft-tossing movement-oriented approach is unlikely to find success at high-octane Coors Field. The 26-year-old projects as a versatile swingman for the Rockies after occupying a similar role for the Marlins over the past two seasons, posting a pedestrian 4.20 ERA – 5.12 xERA – and 98/44 K/BB ratio across 150 innings over 45 appearances (19 starts) during that span. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Pratto fortifies Texas’ infield depth after hitting .196/.289/.331 with nine homers and eight steals in 114 games at the Triple-A level last season. The 27-year-old got into 145 games for the Royals from 2022-2024, slashing .216/.295/.364 with 14 big flies and one steal over 527 plate appearances. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

McCann’s arrival bolsters Colorado’s catching depth chart behind fantasy stalwart Hunter Goodman. He’ll compete with youngster Braxton Fulford and utility specialist Brett Sullivan for the backup role in spring training. The 28-year-old backstop spent last season with a stint in the independent Mexican League after being cut loose by the Athletics at the end of spring training. He batted .236/.318/.371 with five homers and 15 RBI in 157 plate appearances during the 2024 campaign.

Pennington was cut loose last month after spending all of last season in Baltimore’s system. The 27-year-old southpaw made 16 relief appearances between the Rangers and Royals back in 2024.

Hurtubise provides Milwaukee with emergency bench depth behind Jake Bauers and Blake Perkins heading into spring training and is most likely ticketed for Triple-A Nashville. The 28-year-old has gotten into 41 contests at the highest level over the past two seasons, hitting .167 (11-for-66 with four RBI and two steals in 83 plate appearances. He’s merely organizational depth at this point of his career.

There’s no shortage of versatile utility specialists lurking around the fringes of Houston’s big-league roster with Winkler becoming the latest addition. The 27-year-old got into 14 games for the Marlins last year, going 4-for-16 at the dish with a pair of doubles and one stolen base. He struck out at a nearly 30 percent clip at the Triple-A level last year but managed to post a respectable 632 OPS with six homers and 25 thefts across 281 plate appearances. He represents quality emergency depth for the Astros entering next season.