MLB Player News

The deal is now official. Bleday heads to Cincinnati as a relatively low-risk reclamation project after being non-tendered by the Athletics last month with top prospects Denzel Clarke and Colby Thomas taking over in center field with Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler in the corners. The 28-year-old former top-five pick figures to compete with Will Benson in spring training for playing time in a platoon role for the Reds next season. At a bare minimum, he’ll occupy a bench role as an insurance policy behind TJ Friedl in center field. His fantasy appeal is strictly limited to NL-only formats based on his pedestrian plate skills and lack of stolen base upside. He’s an extremely streaky hot-and-cold power hitter that will have stretches of fantasy relevance, especially in Cincinnati’s favorable offensive environment.

Altavilla and Bowman were in Twins camp as non-roster invitees this spring attempting to win spots in the club’s bullpen. Altavilla made 28 appearances for the White Sox last year. Bowman got into 20 contests for the Orioles last season and should be able to latch on somewhere, likely on a minor league pact.

Lodolo resumed throwing on Tuesday when he played catch in front of Reds manager Terry Francona and the team’s training staff; however, Wittenmyer noted that Lodolo “said he didn’t know what plan would be” and that he also “didn’t sound particularly enthused” about how the catch went. The 28-year-old southpaw had a blister issue crop up during his final spring training outing over the weekend, and might not be ready to take the ball at the back-end of Cincinnati’s rotation. It would likely be a brief stint on the injured list with the Reds making that determination before Thursday’s season opener against the Red Sox.

Freeman was set to be a backup outfielder, which means that Troy Johnston will make the team as a backup at both outfield and first base.

Halvorsen allowed 12 runs in five innings this spring and will start the season in the minors. There’s a chance he can work his way back into the closer’s role at some point this season.

We knew the Yankees were going to start the season with a four-man rotation because of the way their off-days were scheduled, so this isn’t a huge surprise. Gil will start in the minors so that he can remain stretched out. He had a fine enough spring, at least not walking many batters, but he is clearly the fifth starter in New York, which will be an issue for Gil when Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole return in April or May.

The Brewers needed a spot on the 40-man roster for newly acquired Jake Woodford, so Badoo will be moved to the 60-day IL after a solid spring.

Cruz was a long shot to win a roster spot, so this isn’t a huge surprise. He hit .279/.411/.456 in 127 minor league games in 2025 with 13 home runs and 17 steals. He can play multiple positions on the diamond and could be an option for the Tigers at some point in the season.

Jung handled himself well this spring, hitting .286/.405/.371 in 42 plate appearances. He also walked six times and struck out five times. He had a solid season at Triple-A in 2025, but he has not shown himself to be an MLB-ready hitter at this stage. Perhaps this year changes that.

It seems that Matt Vierling and Jahmai Jones have made the roster as the backup outfielders. Perez hit .244/.308/.430 in 100 games with the Tigers last year with 13 home runs and eight RBI. His lack of defensive versatility hurt him here, but if the Tigers need a strict outfielder during the season, Perez should get the call.

McGarry was selected by the Nationals in the Rule 5 draft in December and needed to make the Opening Day roster to remain in the Nationals’ organization. However, he struck out six and walked five in 5 2/3 innings this spring and will now return to the Phillies’ minor league system.