MLB Player News

Flowers will be on the taxi squad for now, but he could soon be added to the Braves’ active roster with Travis d’Arnaud facing a lengthy absence due to a torn thumb ligament that required surgery. Flowers, 35, batted .217/.325/.348 with one home run and five RBI over 22 games (80 plate appearances) for Atlanta last year.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson expressed optimism that Robles is ultimately going to be fine, but he’ll undergo some additional imaging for precautionary reasons to rule out anything serious. We’re not quite out of the woods just yet, but it’s an encouraging update for fantasy managers following Robles’ early exit from Saturday’s contest after being hit by a pitch on the right hand. The 27-year-old is poised to open the regular season as Seattle’s primary leadoff hitter. There should be an update on his status later this weekend.

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.