MLB Player News
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Yohel Pozo C | STL
Cardinals' Yohel Pozo: Sent to minor-league camp
The Cardinals reassigned Pozo to minor-league camp Monday.
Pozo received a late invitation to big-league camp but never made much of a push for a spot on the Opening Day roster with the Cardinals likely to begin the season with Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera as their catching tandem. The 27-year-old Pozo hasn't seen MLB action since 2021 with the Rangers and will likely spend the majority of the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Memphis.
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Joey Meneses DH | NYM
Mets' Joey Meneses: Dispatched to minor-league camp
The Mets reassigned Meneses to minor-league camp Monday.
Meneses has produced at a near-league-average level at the plate over parts of three seasons in the majors with the Nationals, slashing .274/.322/.408 with a 101 wRC+ across 1,210 plate appearances. The 32-year-old's power production dropped considerably in 2024, however, with Meneses slugging just three home runs in 313 plate appearances before the Nationals demoted him to Triple-A last July and kept him in the minors for the remainder of the season. He caught on with the Mets on a minor-league deal in the offseason, but Meneses' declining production and lack of defensive flexibility made it unlikely that he would win a bench role on the Opening Day roster. Meneses will likely open the season at Triple-A Syracuse, and it may take a Pete Alonso injury in order for him to get a look with the big club.
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Willing to move back to OF if asked
Harper said recently that he would be willing to move back to right field if the Phillies were able to acquire an impact first baseman at the trade deadline, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported this week that Harper told the Phillies over the offseason he would be open to shifting to the outfield if the club could acquire a marquee first baseman. That never came close to happening, but the offer remains on the table should an opportunity present itself. Harper has turned himself into an excellent defensive first baseman and will, in all likelihood, remain at that position over the long haul, but having the flexibility and willingness to move back to right field could come in handy, both for the Phillies and for anyone with fantasy shares in the 32-year-old star.
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Luken Baker DH | ARI
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Showing increased bat speed
Baker has shown increased bat speed this spring and has hit a team-leading three home runs in 11 Grapefruit League games, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Baker made it a point over the offseason to increase his bat speed, and it sits at 79 mph this spring, up 5.1 mph over his 73.9 mph average from 2024. The 79 mph average would have ranked second in all of baseball last season, behind only Giancarlo Stanton (81.2 mph). Baker should open the season as a starter versus left-handed pitching, being used both at designated hitter and first base. If he can carry over the increased bat speed into the season, it's possible he works his way into some playing time against righties.
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mets' Luis Torrens: Smacks first spring homer
Torrens went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
The 28-year-old took Sonny Gray deep the other way in the second inning for his first long ball of the spring. Torrens is set to open the season as the Mets' starting catcher with Francisco Alvarez (hand) on the shelf until at least late April, but there's little reason to expect him to make an impact with regular playing time -- his .229/.292/.373 slash line over 130 regular-season plate appearances in 2024 was very similar to his .227/.289/.356 career line.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: At-bats, steals likely down in 2025
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this spring that he doesn't think Ohtani will receive as many plate appearances or steal as many bases this season, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Roberts noted that, from a "performance per plate appearance" perspective, he expects the reigning National League MVP to be just as productive. However, because Ohtani is pitching this season, the manager plans to play him a bit less at designated hitter, and he does not anticipate Ohtani being as aggressive on the bases because "he does need to pitch and (save) his legs." Ohtani stole 59 bases in 2024 after stealing a total of 57 over the previous three seasons. While Ohtani is probably not going to fall back to his previous levels, it does sound like fantasy managers should not be expecting him to run wild in 2025. Ohtani, who is coming back from left shoulder surgery, will be ready to DH during the Dodgers' March 18-19 series in Tokyo versus the Cubs and is expected to join the rotation sometime in May.
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mets' Luis Torrens: Chance as primary backstop
Torrens is expected to start the season as the Mets' No. 1 catcher after Francisco Alvarez was diagnosed with a hand fracture Sunday, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.
Alvarez is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing surgery Monday, creating a hole behind the plate for the Mets. Barring an outside addition, Torrens will be the primary beneficiary of the injury after he posted a .229/.292/.373 slash line over 48 regular-season games in Queens last year. Jakson Reetz and Chris Williams are the top internal options to fill the backup job, but neither player is on the 40-man roster.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Slowing down pitching rehab
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Thursday that Ohtani will not face hitters as a pitcher leading up to the season-opening series in Japan so that he can ramp up his preparations as a hitter, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ohtani threw his last bullpen Feb. 25. He has continued to playing catch, but the organization is giving him a pause from ramping up his pitching so he can intensify his hitting. Roberts also talked about May as a potential time for Ohtani's return to pitching but added that they "just don't know" when the NL MVP will be able to take the mound, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.
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Luken Baker DH | ARI
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Team rejected overseas overtures
The Cardinals declined overtures from teams overseas this offseason that wanted to acquire Baker's rights, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Goold says the Cardinals see Baker as being able to contribute as a right-handed batter off the bench and decided to keep him in that role instead. Baker will turn 28 soon and has topped 30 home runs each of the last two seasons at Triple-A Memphis, so there's nothing left for him to prove in the minors. However, it would probably take an injury or two for him to see regular at-bats with the Cardinals this season.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Homers in first spring at-bat
Ohtani (shoulder/elbow) went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Friday.
Ohtani didn't take long to remind the baseball world about his 2024 MVP season, as he hit an opposite-field home run on the sixth pitch he saw during his first at-bat this spring. The two-way star's subsequent plate appearances were less dramatic, as he popped out in the second inning and struck out in the fifth. Ohtani is expected to begin the regular season strictly in a hitting role, but manager Dave Roberts said in early February that he expects Ohtani to be pitching in big-league games by May.