MLB Player News

The Twins retained a bunch of mediocrities on the position player side of their 40-man roster after the season, but one guy they gave up on was Miranda, who was rather productive in hitting .284/.322/.441 in 429 major league plate appearances in 2024. The 27-year-old went on to clear outright waivers and is now a free agent. He’ll probably have to settle for a minor league deal, but an impressive showing in Puerto Rico might lead to greater interest.

Nelson will follow Opening Day starter Zac Gallen with Eduardo Rodriguez closing out a three-game series against the Dodgers. It’ll be Michael Soroka and Brandon Pfaadt kicking off their ensuing series against the Tigers. Lovullo confirmed that veteran Merrill Kelly (back) will open the season on the injured list but could return at some point in early April.

Brasier has been granted his release to pursue opportunities elsewhere after failing to make Texas’ season-opening bullpen as a non-roster invitee. The 38-year-old veteran right-hander gave up seven runs (six earned) over 7 1/3 innings this spring.

It appears to be a precautionary exit after Burrows was struck in the sixth inning by a 91.9 mph ground ball from Mets infielder Jorge Polanco in the lower left leg. The 26-year-old righty was at 77 pitches (54 strikes) already and left the contest after allowing one run on seven hits with two strikeouts. He was charged with two additional runs following his departure. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point after he undergoes further evaluation.

Riley took Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet deep to lead off the second inning with a mammoth blast that traveled 399 feet and left his bat at 109.6 mph. He also drove in another run with a third-inning double that capped off a three-run outburst for the Braves against Crochet in the frame. He wasn’t done yet, tacking on another two-run double in the fifth, just for good measure. The 28-year-old slugger looks like an obvious rebound candidate for fantasy purposes after being limited by injuries to fewer than 110 games in each of the past two seasons. He’s put together a fantastic spring, batting .405 (15-for-37) with five homers and one steal in 15 games.

Sale brought a little extra against his former team, routinely hitting the mid-to-upper 90’s with his fastball, needing an efficient 86 pitches (55 strikes) to complete six frames. The 36-year-old fantasy ace opens the regular season with a favorable home matchup against the Royals on Thursday evening. He’ll be a top-10 range fantasy starter in all drafts this spring.

Crochet surrendered six hits, including a towering solo homer to Braves slugger Austin Riley in his final spring training outing. Most of the damage came during the third inning when he coughed up three consecutive run-scoring hits with two outs in the frame. He finishes with a bloated 7.36 ERA and lackluster 8/3 K/BB ratio over 14 2/3 innings this spring. There’s zero reason for fantasy managers to be concerned based on last year’s performance. The 26-year-old ace gets the ball on Thursday against the Reds in a tough road matchup at Great American Ball Park to open the season.

Cruz took Blue Jays reliever Jorge Alcala deep in the sixth inning for his second big fly of the spring. He singled and swiped second base, his fifth steal of the spring, earlier in the contest with Toronto ace Kevin Gausman on the hill. The 27-year-old center fielder has put together a strong spring, hitting .417 (10-for-24) through nine games.

Skenes scattered one hit and three walks, requiring 65 pitches (36 strikes) to navigate four shutout frames in his final spring tune-up. The 23-year-old reigning NL Cy Young Award winner kicks off the season on Thursday with a challenging road tilt against the Mets at Citi Field. He’s one of the top three pitchers off the board in the first or second round of every fantasy draft this spring.

Gausman reeled off three scoreless frames before surrendering a go-ahead sacrifice fly to Bryan Reynolds. He also coughed up a solo homer to Spencer Horwitz in the ensuing frame. He finished with two strikeouts, issued two walks and threw 71 pitches (46 strikes) in his final spring outing. The 35-year-old veteran gets the ball on Friday against the Athletics for his first Opening Day start with the Blue Jays. He’s a top-30 range fantasy starter in all drafts this spring.

Cavalli scattered three hits and notched one strikeout, throwing 71 pitches (47 strikes) in his final spring outing. The 27-year-old former top prospect gets the ball for Washington’s season opener on Thursday afternoon against the Cubs at Wrigley Field after finishing spring training by allowing just one run (zero earned) along with a 10/2 K/BB ratio over 14 innings of work. He’s a worthwhile late-round lottery ticket in all fantasy formats based on his spring performance and prospect pedigree.