MLB Player News

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe has reported that the Red Sox have interviewed at least eight first-round candidates, including Levine, but that they’ve moved on to the second round of their hiring process to find their next head of baseball operations. Speier adds that multiple sources believe Cubs assistant general manager Craig Breslow has made it to the second round. No other candidates are known at this juncture.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that his level of concern is minimal after Kelly was scratched from facing hitters in a scheduled live batting practice session. The 37-year-old veteran will undergo some testing out of an abundance of caution to rule out any structural damage. There should be an update on his status at some point next week. He doesn’t appear to be in danger of missing next month’s Opening Day start, even if he temporarily scales back his throwing program.

Suwinski is a worthwhile lottery ticket for the Dodgers player development machine since he’s just a couple years removed from a 26-homer campaign at the highest level. The 27-year-old will need to improve his plate discipline to return to fantasy relevance but Los Angeles represents a fascinating landing spot if injuries ever opened up an opportunity. He’ll slot in behind Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages as quality organizational depth.

The deal, which includes an additional $2 million in playing time incentives, is now official. Urías heads to St. Louis as a natural southpaw-mashing platoon partner at the hot corner for left-handed slugger Nolan Gorman. The 31-year-old veteran batted .241/.292/.384 with 11 homers and three steals in 391 plate appearances between the Astros and Orioles last year. He remained effective against left-handed pitching, posting a solid .743 OPS. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes.

Kent has been removed from the club’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran infielder Ramón Urías just a few days after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers. The 27-year-old reliever made 12 appearances for the Guardians last season and should attract some interest as quality middle relief depth.

Yepez qualifies as an interesting zero-risk depth addition for the Blue Jays to stash at Triple-A Buffalo as emergency depth. The 28-year-old former prospect struggled last year in the minors after failing to make Washington’s season-opening roster. He’s unlikely to get a look with the Blue Jays unless he starts tearing the cover off the ball for an extended stretch. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Stevenson got into five games this past season for the Phillies and has hit .178/.276/.238 with zero homers and one steal in 52 major-league contests since 2022. The 29-year-old journeyman will serve as emergency depth for the Tigers at Triple-A Toledo to open the season.

It doesn’t sound like a serious concern. However, at this early junction in camp, the Twins weren’t going to take any risks with their staff ace, even if he experienced even minor discomfort while warming up — especially after losing Pablo López to Tommy John surgery earlier this week. Even minor back discomfort can linger if not managed properly, so this decision appears to be precautionary in nature. It’s unclear whether he’ll undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue. There should be additional updates on his status in the coming days.

Shaw’s path to regular at-bats in Chicago moving forward will be in a versatile super-utility role following the club’s decision to sign third baseman Alex Bregman an keep speedy second baseman Nico Hoerner. The 24-year-old former top prospect was a colossal fantasy disappointment last season but he’s talented enough to thrive in a more limited role and rebuild some of his long-term value.

Stewart’s playing-time storyline feels less like a minor subplot and more like a central theme this spring, as Cincinnati simply may not have everyday at-bats available for him alongside Eugenio Suárez and Spencer Steer. The Reds also have veteran Nathaniel Lowe in camp as another first base option. The 22-year-old power-hitting prospect is expected to focus primarily on first base during camp as he competes for a starting role at the cold corner. His occasional appearances at second base appear to be less about a permanent positional shift and more about expanding his defensive résumé.

Jacob Young is also day-to-day with right wrist soreness after being hit by a pitch earlier this week. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern for either at this early stage of spring training but they’re both out of the Nationals lineups for Saturday’s split-squad contests.