MLB Player News

As currently constructed, the Dodgers’ roster has a surprising amount of holes, including shortstop and center field. Ardaya adds that it’s possible offseason additions Jason Heyward, Bradley Zimmer or Steven Duggar factor into the center field mix, but Thompson and Outman appear to be the likely favorites to platoon there this season. Barring a late-offseason addition, Outman would be the most intriguing from a fantasy perspective. The 25-year-old prospect has some serious contact issues, but displayed some serious offensive upside last year between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .294/.392/.586 with 31 homers and 13 stolen bases in 559 plate appearances.

Vogt, who led Cleveland to a 92-win season in his managerial debut, received 27 of 30 first-place votes to take home the hardware just two years after his final season of his playing career. Royals skipper Matt Quatraro came in second and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch finished third in balloting.

Murphy, who helped spearhead a dramatic second-half turnaround to lead Milwaukee back to the postseason in his managerial debut, takes home the honors after receiving 27 of 30 first-place votes in balloting. Padres skipper Mike Shildt came in second and Mets rookie manager Carlos Mendoza finished third in balloting.

Among the most intriguing fantasy prospects added to 40-man rosters ahead of next month’s Rule 5 Draft, Veen caught fire in the late stages of last season, putting himself on the precipice of finally reaching the big leagues. The 22-year-old outfielder, who was selected ninth overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, batted .258/.346/.459 with 11 homers and 21 steals in 270 plate appearances last season across four minor-league levels. Veen’s power/speed combo at Coors Field is a recipe for five-category fantasy success, if everything comes together.

Dreyer is the lone prospect added to the defending World Series champions’ 40-man roster ahead of next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 25-year-old southpaw finished last year with a stellar 2.20 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 72/12 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings (46 appearances) between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The move is now official. Alzolay opened last year as Chicago’s closer, but lost his grip on the role and eventually wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. The 29-year-old former stopper is likely to miss most of, if not all, of the upcoming season. There’s most likely an organization out there willing to bring him in for his rehabilitation process and roll the dice on him returning to form.

TINSTAAPP. The unquestioned top pitching prospect in Boston’s system for the last several years, Mata never quite broke through as injuries have derailed his career. The 25-year-old righty has yet to arrive in the big leagues and missed all of last year due to a right shoulder issue.

No real surprises here for the Phillies as they’ll protect three of their better pitching prospects from selection in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Abel’s stock has tumbled considerably in the last year or two, but he’s still on the doorstep of the majors and could be an option for Philadelphia, if he manages to turn things around.

McMillon was claimed off waivers earlier this month from the division-rival Marlins and will remain with Philadelphia as extra relief depth after passing through waivers unclaimed.

The surprise here is that all three are ranked outside MLB Pipeline’s top 30 in Detroit’s system at the moment. They’ll all be guarded from selection in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

It’s a bit of housekeeping for Detroit as they manage to clear three spots on their 40-man roster to shield some of their better prospects from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.