MLB Player News

Rodriguez walked four, bringing his spring total to 10 bases on balls in 12 2/3 innings. Still, his stuff has been a little better than expected since being acquired from the Orioles. He was regularly sitting 95 mph in the early innings today, topping out at 96.5 mph, before fading in the fourth and fifth. The control issues aren’t ideal, and the Angels do have the option of sending him down for the start of the season. Still, they wouldn’t seem to have five better starters than him.

Delay was competing for a backup spot, but is behind both Connor Wong and Matt Thaiss at this point. The Red Sox will see if they can keep the 31-year-old in the organization as minor league depth.

Cabrera had a solid spring, allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings while striking out five and walking two. The 29-year-old did not make the Opening Day roster, but we’d imagine the Phillies will try to keep him in the organization.

Liam Hendriks had an opt-out in his contract and presumably informed the Twins that he would like to exercise that. The veteran allowed three runs on nine hits in seven innings this spring, while striking out five and walking five. His four-seam fastball averaged just 93.9 mph on Thursday against the Red Sox, and he gave up two hard-hit balls in one inning of work. With Hendriks no longer on the roster, the Twins could split the ninth inning between Cole Sands and Taylor Rogers, depending on the handedness of the hitters due up in the ninth.

Obviously, Joel Sherman is not a member of the Mets’ front office, so he does not have an official say, but he has been covering the Mets for long enough that it’s worth noting when he makes a declarative statement like this. It doesn’t hurt that Benge has hit .406/.472/.500 in 11 games this spring, and the Mets don’t have another candidate to really push him for the starting right field job aside from Mike Tauchman. While many fantasy managers are focused on Kevin McGonigle and Konnor Griffin, Benge also should likely be drafted in a similar range after hitting .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs and 22 steals across 116 minor league games last season.

Culpepper is the Twins’ second-ranked prospect and the 52nd-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He reached Double-A last season and slashed .289/.375/.469 with 20 home runs and 25 steals in 113 games between High-A and Double-A. There’s a good chance that he could be in Triple-A by the beginning of the summer if he starts this season in the same way he finished last season.

Mendoza said Alvarez will “go through a workout today and swing the bat, and if all goes well, the plan is still for him to be back in the starting lineup tomorrow.” Looks like the Mets and fantasy managers avoided any real trouble here.

That makes it seem likely that we won’t see Walls with the Rays until sometime in early May. That should give Carson Williams a chance to cement himself as the team’s shortstop for 2026, but considering they had sent him to Triple-A earlier in the week, fantasy managers may want to take a wait-and-see approach here.

Larnach was scratched from Sunday’s game due to soreness in his left side, but it never seemed like a major concern. If he is able to play without issue on Friday, then he seems all but a lock to make the Opening Day roster.

Martin suffered a concussion during Monday’s game against the Pirates, so it’s encouraging news that he’s already cleared to begin baseball activities. It may still be tough for him to be ready in a week for Opening Day, but there’s certainly a chance.

Manzardo was batting eighth tonight with the lefty on the mound, but he gave the Guardians a little bit more of a reason to keep him in the lineup against southpaws. While he’s hitting just .140 overall this spring, there’s no question that he’ll open up as a starter against right-handers. It’s just a matter of whether he’s platooned or not. Starting against lefties would probably lead to a weaker batter average, but it still could make the difference in whether or not he’s worth playing in mixed leagues.