MLB Player News

Butler is said to be dealing with a virus that’s been going around the Oakland clubhouse. Manager Mark Kotsay is hopeful Butler can bounce back for Wednesday’s game, according to Martin J Gallegos of MLB.com.

Díaz will presumably split the catching duties next season with Luis Campusano in San Diego. The 34-year-old veteran backstop hit six homers last year in 96 games between the Padres and Rockies. He’s a complete non-factor for fantasy purposes outside of extremely deep two-catcher formats and even that might be a stretch.

Berti augments Chicago’s infield depth heading into next season as an experienced utility infielder with the speed to make an impact on the bases when he gets an opportunity to contribute. The 35-year-old was hurt most of last year with the Yankees as a lingering calf issue limited him to just 25 games before being non-tendered back in late November. There’s a chance he opens next season as the Cubs’ starting third baseman if top prospect Matt Shaw fails to lock down the role in camp.

Vazquez has been removed from Chicago’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran utility infielder Jon Berti. The 25-year-old got into 11 contests last season for the Cubs in his first taste of the majors, going 1-for-12 with one RBI. He’ll remain with the organization as extra infield depth if he winds up clearing waivers.

Pozo was with the Braves briefly earlier this offseason prior to being released and will head to spring training with the Cardinals as extra organizational catching depth. The 27-year-old backstop got into 21 contests for the Athletics back in 2021, batting .284 (21-for-74) with one homer and nine RBI. He’s spent the past two seasons at Triple-A Las Vegas as emergency catching depth for Oakland.

No surprise here. The “Big Three” prospects in Boston’s system will be in big-league camp at the outset of spring training with Anthony and Campbell having the best shot of breaking camp in the majors and project as immediate five-category contributors for fantasy purposes. The pair rocketed through the Red Sox’ system last year and enter the 2025 season among the top prospects in the entire fantasy landscape. They’re both worthy of speculative late-round selections in all fantasy drafts, especially if they start making noise in Grapefruit League contests.

Jay will test the open market instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma. The 30-year-old southpaw was removed from Seattle’s 40-man roster last week after the club acquired reliever Will Klein from the Athletics. He made five relief appearances last season between the Brewers and Mets.

Boone also added that he envisions Cody Bellinger in center field with top prospect Jasson Domínguez in left field. Chisholm played third base last season for New York after coming over from the Marlins at the trade deadline, but he obviously has plenty of experience at the keystone from earlier in his career with Miami. He’s the logical solution for the Yankees following the departure of Gleyber Torres to Detroit and the club’s decision to ship Caleb Durbin to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams trade. The electrifying 26-year-old is one of the more dynamic power-speed combo contributors in the fantasy landscape and slots in as a top five option at second base.

That seemed pretty obvious, but a little clarity never hurts anyone. Bellinger was traded to the Yankees from the Cubs for Cody Poteet back in December, and the 29-year-old will handle the middle of the outfield with Jasson Dominguez ticketed for left field. Bellinger is also more than capable at first base, but there’s considerably more value with him patrolling things in the grass than in the dirt.

Ultimately Sasaki decided against the procedure, and the right-hander mentioned that his making his leap to the majors before he could test free agency was influenced by a potential health scare. Sasaki has never worked more than 129 1/3 innings as a professional and there’s obvious health risks with any pitcher — particularly one who throws as hard as he does — but fantasy managers can’t ignore the potential reward, either.

No relation. Castillo spent the last two years in Japan with Orix, and he forged a 3.01 ERA over 143 innings in his two years with the Buffaloes. A strong showing in Peoria this spring could see him compete for a roster spot, but more than likely he’ll be heading to Tacoma to begin 2025.