MLB Player News

Bibee signed a five-year contract extension before the start, and celebrated it by pitching in an exhibition game. He’ll probably do something fun after. Bibee is set to start Opening Day against the Royals on Thursday.

With Mike Trout moving to right field in 2025, it was thought that Moniak would share center field duties with Jo Adell; however, he hit just .173/.224/.346 this spring, and the Angels decided to move on. Doing so now means that the Angels owe him $333,333, which is just one-sixth of the $2 million salary he won in an arbitration hearing over the winter. The move also means that Matthew Lugo has made the team with one of the final bench spots. The 24-year-old will be making his MLB debut when he gets into a game and hit .287/.376/.578 in the minors last season with 17 home runs and 16 steals in 79 games. His defensive versatility could make him an intriguing add in AL-only formats if he can carve out consistent playing time.

It seemed like things were trending this way when both Jon Gray (broken wrist) and Cody Bradford (elbow) were placed on the injured list, but the Rangers also signed Patrick Corbin last week, so there was some hesitation. Rocker and Jack Leiter will both begin the season in the rotation and have a chance to carve out full-time roles if they pitch well to begin the season. Rocker will open the season with a home start in Cincinnati, which will be a tough one to stream, while Leiter will face the Red Sox at home in his first start.

The 22-year-old has struggled this spring, going just 6-for-39 (.154) with 15 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances. Carter struggled both on the field and with injuries last season and had just 162 plate appearances in the big leagues. The Rangers will likely start him in Triple-A Round Rock with Leody Taveras manning center field and Kevin Pillar making the team as the fourth outfielder. Taveras has enough power and speed to be viable in deeper fantasy leagues since he hits in a strong Rangers lineup.

None of the aforementioned players were favorites to break camp with the team; however, Castro could see at-bats this season as a depth piece, and Clarke will likely get innings out of the bullpen at some point during the season when injuries strike.

Wiemer had a decent spring, going 10-for-38 (.263) with two home runs and three steals in 44 plate appearances; however, he also struck out 15 times and walked just six. The 26-year-old has flashed intriguing power and speed since he debuted with the Brewers in 2023, but he has always struck out a bit too much to stick on an MLB roster.

Biggio is not officially on the 40-man roster yet, but he is starting at first base during the Royals’ spring training game on Tuesday and has the positional versatility that the team seems to covet in a bench spot. Biggio hit just .194/.457/.355 this spring and has not been even a solid fantasy producer since 2019, so he will likely help the Royals more than fantasy managers in 2025.

The 26-year-old had a solid spring, going 13-for-34 (.382) with five RBI in 44 plate appearances. Loftin was good for the Royals at Triple-A last season, but he doesn’t provide as much defensive versatility as Cavan Biggio, who made the team, and doesn’t have the power/speed to move the needle much for fantasy managers.

The 32-year-old was a non-roster invitee to spring training but was good in his outings, registering a 2.79 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 9 2/3 innings while striking out 11. That performance could help him latch on elsewhere.

Pasquantino was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain on Monday but has claimed that he is planning to play on Opening Day on Thursday. However, Grade 1 strains often take 1-2 weeks to fully heal, and Pasquantino has said the final decision will come down to the team’s medical staff. It would seem to make no sense for the Royals to rush him back on the field, especially since they can back-date a 10-day IL stint three days, which would mean Pasquantino would only miss the first six games of the season. That feels like the most likely outcome with Mark Canha filling in for that first week.

The Rangers are facing left-hander Kris Bubic and are putting out what looks to be an Opening Day lineup, with Josh Smith filling in at shortstop for Corey Seager, who is nursing a calf injury. With Evan Carter not in the lineup, Leody Taveras will play center field and Kevin Pillar will be the designated hitter. With Opening Day just two days away, this is a bit of a signal that Carter is not locked into everyday at-bats in Texas and will be in a bit of a timeshare with Taveras to start the season.