MLB Player News

Montas was diagnosed Monday with a lat injury and is without a timeline to resume pitching, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Details regarding the severity of Montas' injury remain unknown, but the 31-year-old righty hadn't been throwing in spring training and will remain shut down for "a significant stretch," per Heyman. A firmer timeline for Montas' return should be available once he undergoes further testing, but he looks on track to open the season on the injured list. Montas' injury could improve the odds of both Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill breaking camp as members of the Mets' six-man rotation.

Machado is 100 percent at the beginning of spring training following his first normal offseason in a couple years, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Machado dealt with lingering tennis elbow during the 2023 campaign as well as that offseason and then last winter was recovering from surgery to repair the elbow. This was the first time he was able to have a normal offseason routine since prior to the 2022 season and that year he slashed .298/.366/.531 while finishing runner-up in the National League MVP voting. Machado was still quite productive each of the last two years, but his numbers could be due for an uptick in 2025.

Ashcraft (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Ashcraft closed last season on Triple-A Indianapolis' 7-day injured list due to a forearm injury, but fortunately for the 25-year-old right-hander -- who previously had Tommy John surgery in 2021 -- he appears to have had a normal offseason and is restriction-free during camp. He'll likely be sent back to Indianapolis to begin the 2025 campaign, but health permitting, Ashcraft should make his MLB debut at some point this summer to join an impressive young Pittsburgh pitching corps that already includes Paul Skenes and Jared Jones and could also feature one of baseball's top pitching prospects in Bubba Chandler.

Lowder (elbow) will begin a throwing progression Monday, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Lowder has been shut down in the early days of camp due to right elbow soreness that developed during his throwing sessions in January. The righty said Monday that he feels "great with where I'm at now" and views the brief shutdown period as a blessing in disguise because he was able to fine-tune some of his mechanics. Opening Day availability remains possible for Lowder, but the Reds will proceed cautiously with the young righty.

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Monday that Murphy is dealing with a mild oblique strain and is expected to return to game action in 7-to-10 days, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants had initially labeled Murphy's injury as back spasms, but an MRI detected the oblique strain. Though Melvin is referring to the oblique strain as minor, Murphy still looks set to miss multiple workouts before making his Cactus League debut. The veteran backstop had been limited to just 12 games with the Giants in 2024 due to a sprained MCL in his left knee, but he had received a clean bill of health heading into spring training before the oblique issue cropped up.

Parada improved his diet and his fitness during the offseason and lost 15 pounds, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 11th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, Parada has seen his prospect status tumble quickly as the offensive upside he showed in college at Georgia Tech hasn't materialized in the pros. The 23-year-old slashed a meager .214/.304/.359 with 13 homers in 114 games at Double-A Binghamton last year, and his defensive work behind the plate isn't strong enough to get him to the majors on its own. A more athletic Parada should post better hitting numbers in the high minors, but he's got a long way to go to represent any sort of challenge to Francisco Alvarez on the Mets' roster.

The Diamondbacks designated Martinez for assignment Monday.

Martinez was cast off the 40-man roster with the Diamondbacks needing to clear a spot for newly signed right-hander Kendall Graveman (shoulder). The Diamondbacks had previously claimed Martinez off waivers earlier this offseason after he held a 3.59 ERA and 36:18 K:BB across 52.2 frames for Houston in 2024.

Harper will miss the Phillies' first full-squad workout Monday due to illness, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Trea Turner is also away from the club because his wife recently gave birth. Turner is expected to join workouts Wednesday, and Harper will likely be ready by then, if not before.

The Phillies will give Sosa reps in left field and possibly center field this spring, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Sosa played three innings in left field in 2022 and saw two innings of action in center field in 2023, which is the extent of his outfield experience in the majors. If Sosa -- who will turn 29 in March -- looks comfortable in center field, it would give the Phillies another right-handed hitting option there in addition to Johan Rojas.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson is considering batting Schwarber third or fourth this season, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Schwarber has batted leadoff in 85 percent of his plate appearances since joining the Phillies, but Thompson is mulling a change atop his batting order. If Thomson opts to mix things up, he's expected to hit Trea Turner leadoff and Bryce Harper second, with Schwarber and Alec Bohm occupying the next two spots in some order. The potential change would ding Schwarber's runs projection a bit but boost his RBI potential. He's reached the century mark in both categories in each of the last two regular seasons. Schwarber is once again slated to see most of his playing time at designated hitter in 2025, though he's expected to work out at first base three times per week during spring training to make himself available as an option at the position if Harper requires a day off or misses time, according to Seidman.