MLB Player News

Most seem to expect the Blue Jays to be among the high bidders for Soto. It’d be a surprise if the Red Sox were competitive, given their reticence in recent years, but if they were even going to break the bank, this would be the occasion.

Vierling is a bit of a forgotten man in Detroit because he missed most of last season with an injury, but he’s gone 8-for-15 this spring with no strikeouts and an over 60 percent hard-hit rate. His home run was a 358-foot bomb that let the bat at 100.8 mph, and he also added a 111 mph RBI single and a 105.5 mph RBI double. He will almost assuredly start against all left-handed pitching this season, but there’s a chance that he works himself into a bigger role if Colt Keith or one of the starting corner outfielders struggles at the plate.

Lowe was diagnosed with an oblique injury on the final day of February, but Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said the team was just being extra cautious with Lowe, given his previous oblique injuries. The 28-year-old should likely progress to hitting in the cage and then off live batting practice before returning to spring games. He seems on track for Opening Day.

Red Sox rather ruled the day in this one; Ranger Suárez started and got the win for Venezuela, allowing one run in two innings, and Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Marlins utilityman Javier Sanoja hit the lone homer. Venezuela has Israel and Nicaragua next on the schedule before the showdown with the Dominican Republic to end pool play. The Netherlands are probably going to need to upset the D.R. if they’re going to have a chance of advancing.

Stephenson hovered around 94-95 mph with his four-seam fastball, which is fine. He sat 97 in his breakout season with the Rays, but Stephenson is still working his way back to 100 percent. He will likely progress to a spring training game soon and remains optimistic that he could be ready for Opening Day, where he would serve as the Angels’ closer to begin the year.

Lile came into today 0-for-12 with a walk and five strikeouts in five spring training games, but he did go 2-for-2 in an exhibition game against Venezuela. Everything is a super small sample size at this point in the season, but this was also Lile’s first hard-hit ball of the spring. The 23-year-old had a really nice rookie season last year, but his 2025 performance did come out of nowhere a bit after hitting .262/.347/.388 in 130 minor league games in 2024. He will be the starting left fielder to begin the season, but with James Wood, Dylan Crews, Jacob Young, and Robert Hassell III all MLB-ready as well, Lile will need to produce to hold onto his spot.

Burrows has yet to allow a run in 8 2/3 innings this spring, and he posted an impressive 32 percent whiff rate and 33 percent CSW in this one. He threw 61 percent strikes overall and got four whiffs on seven swings against his revamped slider. The pitch is over two mph harder this year, with the idea of allowing it to be a more dynamic whiff pitch. He’s also relying on the sinker to righties far more than his four-seamer, which is a nice change for him. Burrows has all the makings of a breakout this year.

Now, we should note that the only two regular Astros hitters in the lineup were Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, but this was still a good effort from Cavalli, who threw 65 percent strikes while posting a 24 percent whiff rate and 33 percent CSW. The command for Cavalli will be huge because he has plus raw stuff. He did struggle to locate and get chases on his curve today, but Cavalli has also seemingly split his slider into two pitches now, with a sweeper and a harder cutter. So far this spring, the 27-year-old has struck out seven and walked one in six innings. He could be worth a late round dart throw in drafts but don’t expect many wins on the Nationals.

Campbell took a first-inning sweeper from Justin Verlander and hit it 394 feet at 101.9 mph off the bat for a home run. It’s been a slow spring for the 23-year-old, but he drastically overhauled his swing mechanics and stance in the offseason, and those things take time to click. He will most likely begin the season at Triple-A and continue to refine his new mechanics, but he still remains a high upside prospect and a potential buy in dynasty formats.

The big hit was a two-run home run allowed to Kristian Campbell in the top of the first inning. Verlander sat 94 mph on his fastball, which is basically where he was at last season, and also registered a 39 percent whiff rate. He gave up just the one hard-hit baseball and threw 64 percent strikes, so this was an encouraging outing overall.

Early also posted a 29 percent whiff rate and 31 percent CSW while showing off his advanced six-pitch mix. The 24-year-old started last year in Double-A and made just six starts in Triple-A, so the Red Sox are hesitant to push him for a full MLB season if they don’t need to. The organization would also gain an extra year of control over Early if he remains in the minor leagues for the early portion of the season, so, with Johan Oviedo and Patrick Sandoval also capable of being the fifth starting pitcher, it seems highly likely that Early will begin the year in Triple-A.