MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Casas will be the everyday first baseman, including against left-handers, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He will play. He's going to play against lefties and righties," Cora said. "We're not going to platoon at first base."

This appears to be the next step in the evolution for Casas, who sometimes sat against particularly tough lefties over his first two seasons. Casas was in the starting lineup the last two times Boston faced an ace left-hander this spring -- last Saturday against Chris Sale and Tuesday versus Max Fried. Casas had two hits off Sale, including a monster opposite-field home run, before Fried struck him out twice. The 25-year-old first baseman is batting .167 (12-for-30) with two home runs, four RBI, six walks and 13 strikeouts through 12 Cactus League games.

Tiger (elbow) will miss the 2025 season after undergoing internal brace surgery in September, MLB Pipeline reports.

Tiger has a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and slider and also throws a decent splitter. He will head into his age-25 season in 2026 with just 46 pro innings under his belt and zero experience above High-A.

Hendriks has fallen behind Aroldis Chapman in the battle to come Boston's closer, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive.com report.

Hendriks had location issues during his first few Cactus League appearances but most recently threw a scoreless inning last Saturday. Per the report, the reliever corrected the command issues, but the quality of Chapman's stuff has put him over the top in the competition. Justin Slaten is also in the mix but appears destined for a setup role.

The Red Sox optioned Winckowski to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Winckowski has had a rough spring, permitting 12 runs with a 4:6 K:BB over seven innings. He should still spend plenty of time in the majors in 2025, but for now he'll try to get straightened out at Worcester.

The Red Sox optioned Guerrero to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Guerrero struck out 10 over 5.2 innings this spring but also walked nine and surrendered six runs. The 24-year-old was terrific during a cup of coffee in the majors last season -- allowing just one unearned run over 10 innings -- and should get another opportunity in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Mahle allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings in Tuesday's start against the Guardians.

Mahle was back in a major-league setting, making his fourth Cactus League start, after spending time with minor leaguers following a minor forearm issue. While Mahle worked his way back from forearm soreness, the Texas pitching staff was hit hard by injuries to Cody Bradford (elbow) and Jon Gray (wrist). That means Mahle becomes an even more important piece in the rotation. The right-hander looks ready for the regular season with a 3.21 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 14 Cactus League innings.

Brito started at second base and went 2-for-4 with with a solo home run in Tuesday's spring game against the Rangers.

Four of Brito's six Cactus League hits have left the park, giving him a lopsided spring line of .176/.222/.529 through 13 games. He's one of a host of players competing for the open job at second base. Brito's defense and speed are mediocre, which means his power will need to carry him past those shortcomings.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that it's very unlikely Devers will play third base before the end of spring training, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Cora still hasn't officially announced that Alex Bregman will be his third baseman and Devers will be his designated hitter this season, but that will be the setup for the foreseeable future with Devers unable to play the field. Devers has just two games under his belt this spring, as he's been working on getting his timing down at the plate following last season's shoulder issues.

Freeman started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's spring game against Texas.

Freeman, who launched his second Cactus League homer in the sixth inning, is thriving in a super-utility role. He's appeared in 13 games and has starts at second base (three), shortstop (one), third base (one), center field (four), right field (three) and DH (one). While second base gives him the best chance for a starting gig, Freeman's versatility will keep him in the majors in 2025. He's hitting .313/.421/.656 with six extra-base hits, five RBI, five runs and a stolen base this spring.

Ortiz allowed four runs on two hits and six walks while striking out two over four innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Rangers.

It was another rocky outing for Ortiz, who made his fifth Cactus League start. The free passes continued a trend that has seen him walk 11 batters over his last 10.1 spring innings and 12 overall in 14.2 innings. Unsurprisingly, the walks have wreaked havoc on his spring ERA (11.66). Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt told Tim Stebbins of MLB.com that the right-hander's stuff plays when he's in the zone, but Ortiz needs to work on being more consistent with his delivery. "Because when we see him in the zone, we see what he can do. And that's to be an elite pitcher," Vogt said. Ortiz is short on experience in the majors, having appeared in 59 games (34 starts) since his debut in 2022. He'll continue to work with pitching coach Carl Willis to bring out the 2024 version of Ortiz, who posted a 3.32 ERA in 37 games (15 starts) for Pittsburgh.