MLB Player News

With a .415 average, a walkoff homer against the Marlins and seven steals in 41 at-bats, Ciriaco has made quite an impression on the Red Sox and now seems well positioned to claim a bench spot. He’s a long shot to have any fantasy value, but since he is a better defender than Mike Aviles, he shouldn’t be written off completely.

Stewart pulled his hamstring in his outing last Saturday in the Grapefruit League, and while he was able to pitch in a minor league game this weekend, the right-hander won’t be ready for the start of the season. Assuming no setbacks, Stewart could be an option for the Minnesota bullpen by the end of April.

Maybe not the extension that Blue Jays fans were hoping to see, but still an important player to lock up. Kirk will remain with the Blue Jays through 2030 and then enter free agency, as there are no options attached to the deal. If not for the extension, he would have hit free agency after the 2026 season. The 26-year-old hasn’t been great with the bat over the last two years, but he’s well-regarded behind the plate and his ability to work with pitchers.

Ornelas was unable to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old performed well in El Paso last year, and he’ll repeat the level — at least to begin the 2025 campaign — again.

Sullivan is off the 40-man roster to make room for Mason McCoy. Sullivan will now hit the waiver wire, and someone looking for a bench backstop could be interested in a trade or claim. This also likely means Martin Maldonado has won the backup catching role.

McCoy was signed as a non-roster invite this winter, but the 29-year-old did enough in the Cactus League to earn a bench spot to begin the season. It’s very unlikely he’ll have enough playing time to earn any kind of fantasy relevancy, and just as unlikely that he’ll hit enough even if he did.

Neither Cook or Yorke did enough to earn a spot on the Pittsburgh bench, but both could be up-and-down options for the Pirates depending on how others perform and/or injuries. Yorke is still worth keeping an eye on in keeper leagues.

Davis will begin the season in Triple-A, which isn’t a huge surprise. The 25-year-old instead will head to Indianapolis and get regular playing time rather than backing up Joey Bart. That being said, Davis doesn’t look like he’s ever going to live up to the hype that made him the first-overall pick back in 2021.

Palacios is off the 40-man roster to make room for Hunter Stratton. The 29-year-old could see interest on the waiver wire, but if he goes unclaimed, there’s a good chance he’ll report to Triple-A Indianapolis to provide outfield depth.

Stratton was signed to a minor league contract with an invite to big-league camp, and now he’ll be a part of the Pittsburgh bullpen. He’ll likely pitch in the mid-to-late innings to begin the 2025 campaign.

Toglia was likely to be the Rockies’ first baseman no matter what he did this spring, but he’s locked things down with a .273/.365/.582 line in 63 plate appearances. He’s not going to hit for that kind of average during the regular season, but he should make a run at 30 homers and amass some mixed-league value.