MLB Player News

Dubin will be shut down after being diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It's not known how long the shutdown period will last, but it would appear unlikely that Dubin will be ready in time for Opening Day. The right-handed reliever held a 4.17 ERA and 49:26 K:BB over 45.1 regular-season innings for Houston in 2024.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Altuve will make his Grapefruit League debut in left field later this week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve's workouts so far in camp have focused on left field, and that's the position he'll man in his first game this spring. As long as he proves to be adequate defensively, it seems as though Houston plans to play him there often, if not on a full-time basis. Altuve has never played the outfield either at the major- or minor-league level.

Isaac will undergo a precautionary MRI on his left elbow, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Traditionally a first baseman, Isaac is being worked out in the outfield some this spring and the Rays believe that added stress on his throwing arm is what has caused some soreness. The club is optimistic, however, that Isaac won't miss "too much time," per manager Kevin Cash. Isaac is likely to open the 2025 season at Double-A Montgomery.

Rortvedt will be held out of action for a few days with right shoulder soreness, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

The Rays do not seem worried that it could be a long-term issue for the catcher. Rortvedt is projected to open the season as the backup behind Danny Jansen.

Duran (calf) will start in left field and bat leadoff in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Duran had to be scratched from Sunday's contest due to calf soreness and Monday's game was rained out, but he's back in there Tuesday after recovering from the minor injury. Fantasy managers should feel free to draft Duran as they normally would.

Gray threw two scoreless innings, striking out one in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Texas plated nine runs in the top of the first, making it a pressure-free day for Gray, who set down all six batters faced. He threw mostly fastballs and sliders among his 26 pitches while mixing in one curveball, a pitch he threw just 74 times in 2024. He told MLB.com that he's working on throwing the curve for strikes so that it can be a useful pitch instead of having batters lay off it and wait for a fastball.

Mateo swung a bat Monday for the first time since left elbow surgery, hitting balls off a tee, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mateo feels good about where he's at in the rehab process and will continue to ramp up his hitting progression. The Orioles have already ruled the utility player out for Opening Day, although it's not yet clear when he might be ready to make his season debut.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Monday that he views Vargas as the team's primary option at third base, James Fegan of Sox Machine reports.

Vargas is working out a bit at first base this spring, too, and he has plenty of past experience at second base and in left field. However, it sounds like he will focus on the hot corner in 2025. Vargas has managed just a .175/.273/.312 batting line at the major-league level and slashed just .104/.217/.170 in 42 games with the White Sox last season after being acquired via trade. However, he turned just 25 this offseason and is a former top prospect, so expect the White Sox to give him plenty of leash to see if he can hit his stride.

Pederson started at first base and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Most of Pederson's contributions came during the Rangers' nine-run first inning. Batting second in the lineup, he walked and scored Texas' second run then finished the scoring with his home run. The Rangers made it a goal to infuse power to the lineup in the offseason and added Pederson (23 homers in 2024) and Jake Burger (29 homers). Pederson should mostly serve as the DH against right-handers but could also spell Burger at first base.

Young averaged 95 mph with his four-seamer (touched 97 mph) in his first Grapefruit League outing Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASN reports.

Young isn't a serious threat to make the big club out of camp, barring injuries ahead of him, but he made a strong statement in his first appearance of the spring after averaging 92-93 mph with his fastball in 2024. The results were good too, as he tossed two scoreless innings against the Phillies in Clearwater. His two strikeouts were both called strikes on 95-mph fastballs. Young came into the year relevant because of his proximity to the big leagues, but if his fastball has jumped a grade, that would obviously improve his long-term upside. The 26-year-old righty also worked on his slider and changeup this offseason after logging a 3.44 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 96 strikeouts in 89 innings at Triple-A last year.