MLB Player News

Hernandez went unclaimed on waivers and has been removed from the Nationals’ 40-man roster to make room for several of the club’s minor league prospects that need to be protected from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Riley told reporters afterwards that he felt great and should be able to return to game action in the next couple days. The 27-year-old third baseman underwent a CT scan and an MRI on Friday that didn’t reveal anything serious after he was hit by a pitch on the right hand during Friday’s spring training contest. It’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s already resumed hitting and it doesn’t appear that he’s in any danger of missing Opening Day.

Perkins suffered a fractured right shin last month and is expected to be sidelined until at least early May. It’s an encouraging sign that he’s been cleared to resume some light activity, but he’s still at least a few weeks off from getting back into game action.

Nikhazy was hit hard this spring in a handful of Cactus League outings and will head to the upper minors to open the year. The 25-year-old lefty was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster last November.

Rangers executive Chris Young outlined a rough timetable for Gray’s potential return, noting that the veteran right-hander is facing a “lengthy absence,” after suffering a fractured wrist when he was hit by a line drive during Friday’s spring start. The 33-year-old will require several weeks to ramp-up prior to his season debut, which puts his likely return sometime in the late-May or early-June range, barring any setbacks. His extended absence creates an opportunity for Kumar Rocker, who has been a bit wild this spring, to break camp in Texas’ starting rotation.

Rangers executive Chris Young told reporters Saturday that Bradford will be shut down for at least the next month due to elbow soreness before he resumes a throwing program. The 27-year-old southpaw will require several weeks to build up his arm strength and pitch count, which puts his likely debut sometime in the mid-to-late May range, even in a best-case scenario. His lengthy absence creates an opportunity for top prospect Jack Leiter, who has been absolutely electric this spring, to show he belongs at the highest level.

Trevino was hit by a foul tip on the right thumb during Friday’s spring training game and the Reds don’t want to take any chances here, especially with starter Tyler Stephenson ticketed for the injured list with a low-grade oblique strain. There should be an update on his status at some point later this weekend.

It’ll be Grant McCray taking over in center field. It sounds like merely a precautionary move, but fantasy managers should monitor Lee’s status in the coming days since back issues can be tricky matters, especially this close to Opening Day.

Nimmo said Friday that he expects to be ready to DH on Opening Day before adding that he believes the lingering soreness in his right knee is related to meniscus and cartilage issues, possibly related to an ACL surgery he underwent roughly 15 years ago. He received a gel injection earlier this month to address the issue and will continue to manage the issue throughout the year. At this point, it’s unclear when he’ll be ready to play left field again, but it might not be for a couple weeks, if not longer.

It’s a tough break for fantasy managers looking forward to seeing arguably the most exciting young power prospect in baseball on a big-time stage. The 20-year-old slugger, who checked in as the 12th-ranked prospect (74th overall) in Rotoworld’s latest dynasty rankings update, will open the regular season in the upper minors. He has a chance to reach the big leagues by the end of the year after posting an .890 OPS with 23 homers in 116 games last year across four minor-league levels to finish at Triple-A Sacramento.

Witt gave fantasy managers a serious scare earlier this week when he immediately exited Thursday’s spring game after being drilled on the left forearm by a 96-mph fastball. X-rays came back negative for any fractures and the 24-year-old fantasy superstar will make his return to Kansas City’s lineup on Saturday afternoon. He’ll be the first or second player, alongside Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, selected in nearly every fantasy draft this spring.