MLB Player News
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Surgery likely to delay pitching
Ohtani's left shoulder surgery is likely to delay his pitching debut for the Dodgers, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Ohtani underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, an injury he suffered during Game 2 of the World Series. While the expectation is that he will be ready to serve as a designated hitter during spring training and Opening Day, the timetable for Ohtani's first start on the mound for the Dodgers looks cloudy. The team elected to pause Ohtani's throwing program during the playoffs as he comes back from Tommy John surgery so as to not overtax him, and now the shoulder surgery will further delay his throwing program indefinitely. The Dodgers have a two-game series versus the Cubs in Japan from March 18-19 and then have their domestic opener against the Tigers on March 27. GM Brandon Gomes this week didn't rule out Ohtani being ready to pitch by the domestic opener, but Gomes "did not cast an optimistic picture of that possibility," per Harris. Ohtani was going to have workload restrictions in place on the mound in his first year back from Tommy John surgery anyway, so in that respect the delay isn't a huge deal. However, the situation creates an air of uncertainty with the two-way superstar's status. More clarity on Ohtani's situation should be available later in the offseason and into spring training.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Undergoes surgery on shoulder
Ohtani underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Ohtani's injury, which he suffered in Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26, was initially described as a slight dislocation of his left shoulder. The labrum tear was a result of the dislocation, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. After suffering the injury, the NL MVP frontrunner recorded just one hit across 11 at-bats in the final three games of the series. The Dodgers expect he will be ready for spring training.
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Bligh Madris DH | DET
Tigers' Bligh Madris: Outrighted by Detroit
The Tigers outrighted Madris on Monday after he cleared waivers.
Madris spent most of the 2024 regular season in Triple-A Toledo, during which he slashed .222/.323/.444 with 21 stolen bases, 19 home runs and 60 RBI across 424 plate appearances. He made 21 appearances for the Tigers and he finished with a batting line of .269/.324/.358 with one home run and five RBI over 74 plate appearances.
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David Fry C | CLE
Guardians' David Fry: Undergoes UCL surgery on elbow
Fry underwent surgery Monday to repair the UCL in his right elbow, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Fry initially injured his elbow in June but played through it for the rest of the season, although he was limited to designated hitter duty almost exclusively. He is expected to be ready to DH again in 6-to-8 months, but it will be 12 months before he's able to play the field again. Fry batted .263/.356/.448 with 14 homers during the regular season for the Guardians.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | ATL
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Option officially picked up
Atlanta exercised Ozuna's $16 million club option for 2025, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
The transaction was a given after Ozuna batted .302/.378/.546 with 39 home runs and 104 RBI in 2024. He is a full-time designated hitter at this point in his career, having not played a single inning in the outfield this season, but Ozuna should be a middle-of-the-order force again in 2025 in what will be his age-34 season.
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Gary Sanchez C | BAL
Gary Sanchez: Crew declines option
The Brewers declined Sanchez's $11 million mutual option for 2025 on Saturday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Sanchez slashed .220/.307/.392 across 280 plate appearances in 2024 while serving as Milwaukee's backup catcher behind William Contreras. Rather than keeping Sanchez in town for another year on an $8 million raise, the Brewers will move on from the 31-year old backstop and perhaps look to Eric Haase to fill his place. Meanwhile, Sanchez's power bat may draw attention from several teams this offseason.
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Joc Pederson DH | ARI
Joc Pederson: Becomes free agent
Pederson declined his $14 million mutual option with the Diamondbacks for 2025 on Saturday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
After setting career highs with a .275 batting average, .393 OBP and .908 OPS, Pederson will accept a $3 million buyout from Arizona and likely look to secure a multi-year contract in free agency.
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Eloy Jimenez DH | BAL
Eloy Jimenez: O's decline option
The Orioles declined Jimenez's $16.5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
This past season was Jimenez's worst at the plate in his six-year career, as he slashed just .238/.289/.336 over 324 plate appearances between the White Sox and Orioles. Because of his poor performance, it makes sense that Baltimore would rather pay the 27-year-old's $3 million buyout than give him $16.5 million to join the team's already-crowded lineup.
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Nick Martini LF | CIN
Nick Martini: Reaches free agency
Martini elected free agency Friday.
He was removed from the Reds' 40-man roster and will test out free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to the minors. Martini slashed .212/.272/.370 over 52 games with Cincinnati this season.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: In Game 3 lineup Monday
Ohtani (shoulder) will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff Monday in Game 3 of the World Series versus the Yankees, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani was forced to depart Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday due to a left shoulder subluxation suffered on a slide into second base. However, an MRI confirmed that he doesn't have any structural damage and he was able to go through 80 percent of his daily routine Sunday without issue. Ohtani will not be allowed to attempt any stolen bases Monday and perhaps not for the remainder of the series, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go at the plate as the Dodgers try to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.