MLB Player News

It’s unclear if this was a true benching or if the Giants were just pulling Luciano for defense at second base, which is something that would make sense but also hasn’t generally happened previously. Fitzgerald, who was playing short, ranged way past second base to try to unnecessarily call Luciano off the easy popup in the seventh. The modest collision resulted in the ball bouncing away from both. Neither player showed any interest in going after the ball following the drop, and the two argued in the dugout afterwards, though things didn’t seem to get physical. If it was a benching, then both players would seem to have deserved one.

Painter averaged 96.3 mph on his fastball, topping out at 98.8 mph, while striking out two and only handing out one free pass. The 21-year-old top pitching prospect has looked extremely sharp this fall in his return to game action after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters last month that he thinks Painter will be pitching at the big-league level at some point in 2025. There’s a strong possibility he arrives in the majors in the early-to-midseason range once he’s sufficiently built up his stamina and workload.

Seattle is merely being cautious with one of their top prospects with only a handful of games left in the AFL campaign. The 19-year-old phenom got off to a sizzling-hot start in Arizona and finishes with a robust .370/.435/.537 triple-slash line with nine doubles, 10 RBI and eight stolen bases across 13 games. He’s a borderline top 15 prospect from a dynasty standpoint heading into next season.

It’s a two-year extension for Shildt, who helped lead San Diego back to the postseason last year in his first season at the helm, finishing the regular season with a strong 93-69 record. The 56-year-old skipper received a two-year deal when he was hired last November to take over after Bob Melvin left for the division-rival Giants.

Pacheco was a notable pitching prospect a couple seasons ago, but injuries have derailed his one-promising career. The 26-year-old righty has made only two appearances in the minor leagues over the last two seasons, but will remain with the Tigers as a long-term development project. If he can stay healthy, and the stuff bounces back, he might have a shot to reach the big leagues down the road.

Bañuelos returns to Baltimore as extra organizational catching depth after getting into one contest last season for the Orioles. The 28-year-old backstop figures to open the year back at Triple-A Norfolk.

Milwaukee has had success with their offseason dart throws in recent years and Nittoli seems like a decent fit after pitching well in nine relief outings last year between the Athletics and Orioles. The 33-year-old righty will compete in spring training for a spot in the Brewers’ season-opening bullpen.

León, who turns 36 years old next spring, continues to hang around on the periphery of the big leagues as emergency catching depth. He didn’t appear in the majors last season, but got into 21 contests for the Rangers during the 2023 campaign. He’s appeared in 554 games at the highest level dating back to 2012. With top prospect Drake Baldwin ready to ascend to Atlanta, León figures to open the year at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Hartlieb heads to New York as extra organizational relief depth following five relief appearances last year for the Rockies. The 30-year-old journeyman holds a lackluster 7.37 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and 76/55 K/BB ratio across 79 1/3 innings (64 appearances) in the majors since 2019.

Ohtani is expected to be ready for spring training, according to a team statement, after requiring offseason surgery stemming from a left shoulder dislocation that he suffered during Game 2 of the World Series. The 30-year-old generational talent is coming off a sublime fantasy season where he capped off his Dodgers debut with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 159 contests. It doesn’t appear that the shoulder procedure will impact his readiness for the outset of next season, but there won’t be much clarity until spring training rolls around. He’ll be a top three overall selection in all fantasy drafts next spring.

Sisco returns to the fold with the Cardinals as emergency catching depth after latching on back in late August following a stint with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. The 29-year-old backstop was one of the top catching prospects in baseball years ago, but never really was able to carve out a role at the highest level. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since back in 2021.