MLB Player News

Meckler had an outside chance at making the club’s 27-man Opening Day roster, but he still showed promise during his time at spring camp. In his 13 games, the 23-year-old slashed .423/.483/.577 with two doubles, one triple and nine RBI. He’ll continue to develop at the Triple-A level where he posted a .965 OPS across 24 games last season. Whisenhunt is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and figures to make an impact for fantasy managers down the road.

The Cubs signed Austin to a one-year contract back in December, and he was one of the favorites to land a bench spot on the Opening Day roster. It’s unclear what happened, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell simply noted that Austin would be out for months. That could open the door for both Michael Conforto and Chas McCormick to make the Cubs, with Matt Shaw perhaps getting some starts at first base against lefties to begin the season. Of course, Cubs 1B prospect Jonathan Long also hit .305/.404/.479 with 20 home runs in 140 Triple-A games last year and hits right-handed.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that an MRI showed “no UCL concerns,” but forearm inflammation is never a great sign. The Cubs are hopeful that Wick’s return timeline is “days down, not weeks,” but it’s unclear right now. The 26-year-old was battling to be the Cubs’ sixth starter with Justin Steele (elbow) out to begin the season.

The concern level is reportedly low, and Crawford dealt with a shoulder injury in spring training last year, but then hit .289/.423/.378 in 29 games in March and April. We’re not overly worried, but we’re also not overly interested for fantasy purposes.

Cabrera is going through drills and appears to be moving well, but has not practiced sliding yet and has not appeared in any spring games. Cabrera is set to begin the season as a utility player off the bench, so if he were to start the year on the injured list, that would open up a chance for Amed Rosario to see more playing time and Paul DeJong, Zack Short, Braden Shewmake, or Jorbit Vivas, who all have no minor league options, to make the Yankees Opening Day roster

The 25-year-old has not gotten a start yet in spring training, and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said they were going to play it “pretty conservative,” with Melton. After signing Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, Melton doesn’t have a spot in the rotation anyway, so it makes sense to play it slow with Melton, who looked good in his first MLB season in 2025. If Melton is healthy, he figures to make an impact in Detroit’s rotation at some point during the season.

This isn’t a surprise after Gonzalez hurt his shoulder at the end of last season and spent the offseason recovering. With Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer seemingly locked into the starting second base and third base jobs, the Red Sox are looking to land on a utility infielder for a bench role. So far, Andruw Monasterio looks like the primary option until Gonzalez can work himself back into games.

Lindor just had his stitches removed after having hamate bone surgery, so he will now begin his hitting progression again. The Mets always believed that Lindor would be ready for Opening Day, and that seems likely if his wrist responds well to the ramp up. His power may take a couple of months to fully come back, however.

Southard was with the Angels last year, pitching to a 3.68 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 70/22 K/BB ratio in 66 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. He should hang around as organizational depth.

Cora said Sandoval’s fastball was 94-95 mph and, overall, the left-hander “threw the ball well.” Sandoval missed all of last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but he is in contention for the final spot in the Red Sox rotation. Since Sandoval has no minor league options remaining, the Red Sox either need to keep him on their roster or trade him; it’s highly unlikely they would cut someone they signed to a two-year, $18.25 million contract before last season. If he keeps pitching this well in spring, there’s a good chance the 29-year-old will be in somebody’s rotation on Opening Day.

White spent last season pitching for the Lancaster Stormers of the independent Atlantic League after being cut loose by the Tigers in July. The 27-year-old made 33 relief appearances for the Tigers back in 2023, registering a serviceable 5.09 ERA — 4.43 xERA — and 44/15 K/BB ratio across 40 2/3 innings. He’ll open the year at Triple-A Tacoma as extra relief depth for the Mariners.