MLB Player News

Coleman passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment earlier this week in a move to free up a 40-man roster spot for top prospect Zach Dezenzo. He’ll presumably be able to latch on somewhere else as organizational relief depth.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds that it’s unclear how close the two sides are to getting an agreement across the finish line. The Athletics made a significant financial commitment last month when they signed Brent Rooker to a five-year, $60 million extension and appear to be making a similar effort here to lock up one of their potential franchise cornerstones. The 24-year-old burgeoning fantasy stalwart made some mechanical tweaks to his swing and hit .291 with 20 homers and 15 steals over his final 84 contests after being recalled on June 18. He’s still going to strike out roughly a quarter of the time, but near-elite batted ball metrics, including a 47.7 percent hard-hit rate, point to a rising star just beginning his takeoff sequence.

Stripling was hit hard last year with the Athletics, struggling to a bloated 6.01 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 49/22 K/BB ratio across 85 1/3 innings (22 appearances, 14 starts). However, there’s a glimmer of optimism in his underlying data, most notably a respectable 3.89 FIP and an impossibly low 54.8 percent strand rate, which suggests he still has something left in the tank. The 35-year-old figures to operate in a versatile swingman-type role for Kansas City, if he makes their season-opening roster. He’s a non-factor for fantasy purposes given his lackluster strikeout rates, but he represents a quality depth addition for the Royals.

The Astros are proceeding full-steam ahead with the Altuve in left field experiment, which will enable them to move Yordan Alvarez to a full-time DH role. The 34-year-old veteran has played second base exclusively since 2011, but figures to be able to make the transition pretty seamlessly. Barring an unexpected reversal, it’ll likely be some combination of Brendan Rodgers, Mauricio Dubón, Shay Whitcomb and possibly even top prospect Brice Matthews battling it out this spring for the starting second base role.

Frasso appears to be fully healthy entering spring training after missing last year following shoulder and hip surgeries. The 26-year-old righty has minor-league options remaining and figures to require some additional time at Triple-A Oklahoma City to get back up to speed following the lengthy layoff, but he could factor into the Dodgers’ pitching mix at some point in the next few months.

Not great. There hasn’t been a ton of clarity regarding an official diagnosis from the Yankees besides Stanton telling reporters that he’s dealing with a high degree of pain in both of his elbows. The 35-year-old has been plagued by physical issues throughout his career, but the fact that he hasn’t been able to swing a bat in nearly a month isn’t encouraging, especially with Opening Day on the horizon. There should be a clearer timeline from the Yankees at some point soon, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Stanton required a season-opening trip to the injured list.

Steele will follow Opening Day starter Shota Imanaga and will have the distinction of facing off against Roki Sasaki when the pitching phenom makes his highly-anticipated major-league debut in the Tokyo Dome. The 29-year-old lefty made only 24 starts last year due to injury, but should be a borderline top 40 range starting pitcher in fantasy drafts this spring.

Nothing has been finalized at this early stage of spring training, but Mendoza’s latest musing re-affirms the widely-held belief that Lindor will remain in the leadoff spot, which he did 109 times last season. Soto’s on-base and power skills make the most sense in the second spot, which should provide middle-of-the-order run producers Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos with plenty of RBI opportunities with a pair of NL MVP candidates setting the table.

Overton didn’t pitch in the big leagues last year after posting a respectable 4.85 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 38/23 K/BB ratio across 59 1/3 innings (18 appearances, 10 starts) from 2021-2023 between the Reds, Pirates and Blue Jays. The 31-year-old righty has some starting experience and has also pitched in relief, so he brings some added versatility to the Mets’ organizational depth at Triple-A Syracuse.

Allan was widely considered one of — if not the — best pitching prospects in the New York system, but he hasn’t been able to pitch since 2019 because of injury issues, including Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old certainly has upside, and it wouldn’t be crazy — if maybe not probable — if he gave the Mets some innings at some point in 2025. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues can ignore Allan, but he’s a sneaky add for dynasty formats.

Thorpe threw a 20-pitch bullpen, and while he wasn’t close to full throttle — he was throwing 84-85 mph with his fastball — the important thing is he’s back on the mound and feeling well. The 24-year-old is behind the other White Sox starters, but has plenty of time to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign.