MLB Player News

The deal includes $500K in performance bonuses in each season. It’s another solid move for the Pirates, who also acquired Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum just last week. The 32-year-old O’Hearn rejuvenated his career in Baltimore over the last three years and hit .281/.366/.427 in 144 games for the Orioles and Padres last year while clubbing 17 home runs. He does struggle against lefties, so the Pirates will likely need to platoon him with somebody like Jhostynxon Garcia or Nick Yorke, but O’Hearn should be the regular starter against right-handed pitching and hit in the middle of what is becoming a deeper lineup in Pittsburgh.

Tatis returns to right field after logging a pair of starts at second base over the weekend against the Rockies. The 27-year-old superstar picking up second base eligibility would be a big deal for fantasy managers as he would instantly become the top option at one of the weaker position groups. It’s a storyline to monitor as the year progresses.

Waldron would be taking the place of Nick Pivetta (elbow) later this week against the Angels. The 29-year-old righty is currently on the injured list due to a well-publicized glute infection from back in spring training. It’s a strong matchup but he’s not worth the risk as a streaming option in fantasy leagues.

It’s going to be awhile before Casas is ready to make his season debut since he’ll ostensibly be shut down until he’s fully healthy before needing a full spring training style build up. The 26-year-old first baseman suffered the injury earlier this month while rehabbing from last year’s knee surgery.

There was some excitement earlier in the day when it was reported on social media that Brian Bannister, the White Sox’s senior pitching advisor, said that the team would be stretching Grant Taylor out in his role as opener. However, what Bannister said is that he was open to Taylor becoming a more traditional starter if he was able. However, Bannister also said that, when Taylor was previously working as a starter, his body would not respond well when he pitched more than three innings. Getz seemed to second this idea with his comment. As of now, it seems that the White Sox will look to get Taylor multiple inning appearances whenever he pitches, but those appearances don’t figure to be as a traditional starter. He still has fantasy value as a reliever who could pitch 100 innings this year and rack up a handful of strikeouts, but there should not be an expectation that he will join the rotation this year.

The bigger concern here is that Imai told reporters through an interpreter on Tuesday that he hasn’t been able to adjust to an American lifestyle in terms of baseball and outside of baseball citing travel and team meals as specific aspects of the transition he’s been struggling with. It’s not great. The 27-year-old starter is clearly going to need some extended time away from the club to focus on getting right both physically and mentally. At this point, it’s challenging to envision him making a significant fantasy impact this season based on his comments and on-field performance.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Crawford won’t be sent for an MRI and they’re optimistic he’ll be ready to return to minor league games next week. The 30-year-old is likely ticketed for a swingman role once he’s ready to return. He missed all of last year with knee and wrist issues.

No surprise here. Pérez went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend. He could wind up back with Atlanta on a new deal, but he’ll head to the open market for now. The 35-year-old southpaw’s path to starts with the Braves is pretty much nonexistent with Spencer Strider (oblique) only a couple weeks away and top prospect Didier Fuentes just about ready to ascend to the big leagues.

Warren gets the call to replace an injured Joey Gerber (blister) in New York’s bullpen. The 30-year-old righty, who has made 43 appearances in the big leagues since 2021, will operate in middle relief for the Mets.

Gerber was called up over the weekend to fortify New York’s bullpen and heads to the shelf after making one relief appearance where he struck out five over two scoreless frames. He should be ready to return in late April.

Grove winds up with Tampa Bay after being cut loose from the Dodgers’ roster last November. The 29-year-old righty missed all of last year recovering from shoulder surgery after making 64 appearances (20 starts) for Los Angeles from 2022-2024. He’ll bolster the Rays’ rotation mix once he’s ready to return to the majors, but that probably won’t be for awhile until he’s gotten his feet back under him at the Triple-A level.