MLB Player News

Schanuel spent time this offseason on activities aimed at improving his bat speed, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Schanuel participated in drills that included swinging bats of different weights in an effort to develop more velocity in his swing. The first baseman ranked in the second percentile last season for bat speed, in the fourth percentile for hard-hit rate and in the seventh percentile for average exit velocity, all of which contributed to him hitting a modest 13 home runs with a .112 ISO over 606 plate appearances. Schanuel did exhibit some impressive metrics as a batter -- he ranked in the 96th percentile for whiff rate and in the 93rd percentile for squared-up rate -- so if he's successful in unleashing more power, his fantasy stock could get a significant bump.

The A's are open to Soderstrom serving as their backup catcher this season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Soderstrom has progressively seen his playing time behind the plate dwindle as his professional career has progressed, and he appeared there only once in 61 big-league games last season. He's projected to serve as the A's primary first baseman to begin the season, though the team is considering him as the backup to Shea Langeliers to maximize their roster flexibility. While Soderstrom won't enter the season with catcher eligibility in most formats, his potential to pick it up during the campaign would be a significant boost to his fantasy appeal.

With Parker Meadows (biceps) and Matt Vierling (shoulder) both banged up in camp, Perez could see more playing time in center field to start the year, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Meadows is simply dealing with some inflammation, so he seemingly should be able to return to start the regular season, though the Tigers may be cautious with him. Vierling, meanwhile, is having his shoulder injury evaluated and more details should emerge in the next few days. Depending on the availability of either player, Perez stands to see more playing time in center field in the early going. The 25-year-old slashed .242/.300/.383 across 112 regular-season games last year during his MLB debut. Perez is also an option to see regular playing time in right field, especially when Meadows and Vierling are healthy and patrolling center.

Flaherty allowed one run on a hit and two walks across two innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Flaherty, who signed with Detroit on a two-year, $35 million deal earlier this month, made his spring debut and looked good during his short stint on the mound. The righty has a rotation spot locked up and should serve as the team's No. 2 starter behind ace Tarik Skubal. Flaherty started last year with the Tigers before getting traded to the Dodgers, whom he helped lead to a World Series title. Overall, Flaherty posted a 3.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 194 strikeouts over 162 innings in the 2024 regular season, and he projects as a solid fantasy option in 2025.

Manning allowed one run on four hits and two walks across 2.2 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out two.

Manning still dealt with plenty of traffic but pitched better than his first spring appearance Saturday, when he walked four batters and allowed three runs across 1.1 innings. The 27-year-old is stretching out a bit so far in Grapefruit League play, though he could be getting ready for a long-relief role as opposed to a spot in Detroit's rotation, as the Tigers have a handful of other options to start.

Torkelson went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

It was the first spring home run for Torkelson, who has gone 3-for-10 in the early going with a robust .900 OPS. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick has struggled with consistency in the majors and has seemingly lost his grip on an everyday role with the Tigers, though he could still make the team as a bench player. Given Torkelson's raw power, he is a potentially intriguing fantasy option if he ever sees regular playing time in 2025.

Walcott (arm) went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Walcott experienced soreness in his arm earlier in the week but recovered enough to enter Thursday's game as the designated hitter. He went on to tally his first Cactus League homer and is expected to be able to return to defensive work in the next few days.

Benintendi was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of his right hand Thursday and will be out 4-to-6 weeks.

Benintendi was hit in the hand by a pitch during the first inning of Thursday's Cactus League contest against the Guardians and immediately left the game. There are four weeks remaining until Opening Day, which gives the 30-year-old outfielder a slim chance at being active for the start of the regular season, though it is more likely he will make his 2025 debut in April. In the meantime, Austin Slater figures to take over as Chicago's primary left fielder.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Henderson's (side) removal from Thursday's game versus the Blue Jays was precautionary, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Henderson's lower right side was a bit sore as a result of landing on the ground after catching a Bo Bichette line drive. However, there are no plans for Henderson to undergo an MRI and the Orioles expect him to be fine. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Cole is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League start Friday versus the Blue Jays, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The 34-year-old ace is in a much better spot on the health front this spring compared to last, when he struggled to bounce back from his initial throwing sessions in camp and was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his right elbow. The injury prevented him from making his 2024 debut until the second half of June, and he was limited to just 124 total innings between the regular season and playoffs, which was his lowest cumulative total since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign (91.1 innings). Though the Yankees are coming off a run to the World Series, Cole said earlier this month that he was able to begin his offseason program earlier than previous winters, so he hasn't required as much of an aggressive ramp-up period this spring. He'll likely cover 1-to-2 innings Friday and is expected to gradually build up his workload as he prepares for a likely starting assignment in the Yankees' March 27 Opening Day game against the Brewers.