MLB Player News

López ended up missing a little over the 15 required days while dealing with a groin strain. The 31-year-old should be a mid-to-late inning option for Chicago for the final few weeks.

The deal was rumored over the weekend and is now official. It’s a major league contract for Urías, who has no minor league options left, which means that he is going to make the opening day roster. Even though Urías will provide support for Zack Gelof in case the youngster struggles again in 2025, there is a chance that Urías could also beat out Gio Urshela for the starting third base job. Both of those veterans can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers, so it’s likely that one of them is the starter with the other serving as a utility infielder off the bench.

The Royals are also using Jonathan India and Michael Massey in the outfield during spring to try to increase their roster flexibility. Pratto is out of minor league options, so the Royals would have to subject him to waivers if he doesn’t make the opening day roster. As a result, they’re trying to find multiple ways to ensure he can be useful to the team if he starts the season as a bench bat. He should remain off fantasy radars for now.

Sborz underwent shoulder surgery at the end of November and was already expected to be out for the first three months of the season. The Rangers needed a spot on the 40-man roster after signing Luke Jackson, so Sborz was moved to the IL to create that space.

Jackson will be heading back to the organization that drafted him with the 45th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. The 33-year-old has a 3.94 career ERA in 358 1/3 innings but is coming off of a season in which he posted a 5.09 ERA and 59/26 K/BB ratio in 53 innings split between the Giants and Braves. The Rangers desperately need help in the late innings, and Jackson was great for Atlanta in 2021 and the Giants in 2023, so perhaps he could emerge as part of the mix in Texas with Chris Martin and Robert Garcia. Josh Sborz was placed on the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.

The White Sox needed a spot on their 40-man roster for recently-claimed reliever Owen White, so they moved Bush to the IL. Earlier this month, the White Sox announced that the 25-year-old would undergo Tommy John surgery and be out for the entire 2025 season.

White has been waived by both the Reds and Yankees this off-season and now lands on his fourth team in the new year after being traded from the Rangers to the Reds in January. White split 2024 between the rotation and the bullpen for Triple-A Round Rock and recorded a 5.64 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 87/48 K/BB ratio in 99 innings. He had previously been a fringe prospect with a five-pitch mix, so there’s a chance the White Sox will give him some starts at the big-league level to see if they can recapture some of that prior level of intrigue. Ky Bush was placed on the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.

It’s a brutal blow for both Montas and the Mets. Montas will head to New York for a PRP injection now and hope the injury heals with time. Given Montas’ injury history, it would be likely that the Mets play it safe and shut him down closer to that eight-week mark, which means Montas won’t begin throwing again until the middle of April. It will take him time to ramp back up from that point, and the Mets will then want him to face live hitters in the minors for a few starts since he will have missed all of spring training. As a result, it would be safe to assume that we won’t see Montas on the mound for the Mets until June.

Sánchez was dealing with inflammation in his left elbow, but he’s now full-go as a hitter and is in the final stages of his throwing program, so he should be back at 100 percent soon. The 27-year-old has long been a strong-side platoon player for the Marlins, but he started to get at-bats against left-handed pitchers after the trade deadline in 2024, which means he could be a mostly full-time player this season. If that’s the case, he’s going way too late in drafts right now.

Neto had shoulder surgery back in November, and the details of his recovery have been vague. Even now, the Angels have said he’s throwing sooner than they anticipated but “there is still no firm timetable for him.” While throwing is obviously a good sign, he’s not yet throwing at full speed. Neto will also need to strengthen his shoulder enough to swing and then have to get his timing back before the Angels will even put him into a game. He could still be out for multiple months at this point.

The 34-year-old has played for nine seasons as a reliever and mostly recently recorded a 4.36 ERA with the Nationals in 2024. He figures to serve as organizational depth in the bullpen.