MLB Player News

Kelly’s velocity was down only about one mph from last year, so that’s good in his first outing back from his back issue. Still, he indicated afterwards that he’s probably IL bound to start the year. It should be a short stay, and Kelly could still be of use in deeper mixed leagues come mid-April.

The 34-year-old southpaw had asked for his release from the Phillies on Saturday. Instead, he has been informed that he has made the team’s Opening Day bullpen and been signed to a one-year deal. Mayza posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 10/2 K/BB ratio over 8 1/3 innings during Grapefruit League action. He’ll function in a middle relief role.

The Jays have finished the spring with either Clement of Nathan Lukes hitting in that second spot in the order between George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., which could be indicative of how they’ll line up once the regular season begins. Those lineups have had Daulton Varsho batting in the sixth slot with Kazuma Okamoto batting seventh.

The Phillies have one of the deepest and most talented bullpens in all of baseball, so it was always going to be tough for Shugart to crack the Opening Day roster. De La Cruz’s chances of earning a spot took a big hit when the Phillies announced that Justin Crawford had made the team. Both players will start out the year as extra depth at the Triple-A level.

What looks like the only exception is that it’s Ben Rortvedt behind the dish instead of Francisco Alvarez. Carson Benge is starting in right field and batting eighth for the Mets. He has been battling Mike Tauchman for the starting gig there throughout the spring, though Tauchman left Saturday’s game with a knee injury and is heading for an MRI. The 23-year-old outfielder has certainly earned the job this spring, hitting .368 (14-for-38) with zero homers, five RBI and one stolen base. Here’s the full lineup that you’ll see from the Mets on Sunday: Francisco Lindor SS, Juan Soto LF, Bo Bichette 3B, Jorge Polanco 1B, Luis Robert Jr. CF, Brett Baty DH, Marcus Semien 2B, Benge RF, Rortvedt C.

The 34-year-old hurler has yet to allow a run over 5 1/3 innings during Grapefruit League play with the Twins — and didn’t allow a run during his time with Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic either. He had been scheduled to pitch for the Twins on Sunday. Let’s see if this is a leverage ploy to get added to the Twins’ roster or if he has another opportunity lined up.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the new contract guarantees Sánchez $107 million through 2032, which includes his $3.5 million salary for the 2026 season. His current deal was for four years and $22.5 million and ran through the 2028 season with team options for 2029 and 2030. The new agreement will start in 2027 and run through the 2032 season while including a club option for 2033. It makes plenty of sense that the Phillies would want to lock up one of the best left-handed arms in the game for as long as possible.

Fascinating is that Stewart has now hit cleanup ahead of Eugenio Suárez in back-to-back games. We figured it’d take at least a couple of months for that to happen, but he truly does seem like the best choice. He’s hit .357/.471/.667 this spring after crushing it in the minors and in his brief major league audition in September. He might well prove to the biggest bargain in this year’s drafts.

Abbott gave up a two-run homer in the second and then two more runs after being pulled in the fourth, which he would have been out of already if not for a Sal Stewart error. He came back out for the fifth and gave up one more run after a leadoff double, though he retired three straight afterwards. In all, it was a better night than the line suggests. Abbott ends the spring with a 12.74 ERA. He’s not someone we recommend, but that’s because he’s an extreme flyball pitcher with a middling strikeout rate in a tough ballpark for pitchers; it doesn’t have anything to do with the poor spring.

Pereira has been limited to seven games this spring by some oblique tightness, but he’s hit .285/.400/.619 in his 25 plate appearances. With Brooks Baldwin probably joining Kyle Teel on the IL to begin the year, Pereira seems assured a roster spot, though he still might behind Luisangel Acuña on the depth chart in center.

Montgomery is hitting .180/.212/.360 with 18 strikeouts in 52 plate appearances this spring. The White Sox certainly have to roll with him as a regular after his performance in the second half of last year, but it seems like a bad sign that manager Will Venable has him batting second regularly. The power production will be there, but the over/under for his OBP this year is right around .300.