Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

MLB Player News

Rotoworld

  • MIN Starting Pitcher #78
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Simeon Woods Richardson departed with a 2-1 lead after throwing 4 2/3 innings against the Guardians on Thursday.
    Woods Richardson bounced back to get two outs after a leadoff walk in the fifth, but the Twins still pulled him for lefty Cole Irvin with Kyle Manzardo, who was 2-for-2 with a homer, coming up. It sort of worked; Manzardo got an infield single, but Irvin was able to retire José Ramírez to end the threat. Irvin, though, did go on to allow the tying run in the sixth. This makes five straight starts in which Woods Richardson has been pulled before completing five innings. Still, he does get the Marlins in his final outing, making him a viable option in mixed leagues.
  • KC Starting Pitcher #36
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Royals signed RHP Ross Stripling to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
    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.
  • HOU Second Baseman #27
    Jose Altuve will play left field during Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener.
    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.
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #79
    Nick Frasso (shoulder, hip) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday.
    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.
  • NYY Right Fielder #27
    Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday that he’s not sure when Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) will resume baseball activities.
    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.
  • CHC Starting Pitcher #35
    Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Justin Steele is in line to start Game 2 of the Tokyo Series on March 19 against the Dodgers.
    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.
  • NYM Shortstop #12
    Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that he’s leaning towards Francisco Lindor batting leadoff with Juan Soto hitting second.
    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.
  • NYM Relief Pitcher #71
    Mets signed RHP Connor Overton to a minor league contract.
    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.
  • NYM Starting Pitcher #77
    Matt Allan (elbow) is expected to open the 2025 season with a minor-league affiliate.
    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.
  • CWS Starting Pitcher #33
    White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters that Drew Thorpe (elbow) felt good after his bullpen session Tuesday.
    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.
  • BOS Third Baseman #11
    Rafael Devers is still doing separate workouts in both the infield and cage as he works to rebuild his shoulder strength.
    Much has been made of Devers having no interest in being the designated hitter after the team signed Alex Bregman, but as Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic points out, it’s been lost in the shuffle that Devers was dealing with shoulder issues during the 2024 campaign. McCaffrey notes that the team expects Devers to be ready for full-time work soon, but it’s something to keep an eye on going forward. Devers will be locked in as an excellent fantasy third baseman regardless for 2025, but adding another position like first base obviously wouldn’t hurt his value at all.