MLB Player News

Collier received an invite to major-league spring training, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Collier, who turned 20 during the offseason, batted .248/.355/.443 with 20 home runs and 74 RBI over 119 games at High-A Dayton in 2024. There was variance in his monthly splits, and the left-handed batter had trouble against southpaws (.174/.283/.312), but Collier showed his raw power and ability to homer to all fields.

Stewart (wrist) will be part of major-league camp in spring training, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Stewart, the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, batted .279/.391/.454 with eight home runs and 46 RBI over 80 games at High-A Dayton in 2024. A July wrist injury prematurely ended his season. An advanced approach at the dish is Stewart's calling card; he has nearly as many walks (138) as strikeouts (139) and owns a 15.7 career strikeout rate during his stay in the minors. Stewart split his time evenly between second and third base at Dayton and is expected to open this season at Double-A Chattanooga.

Perez (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, working in his changeup along with fastballs, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The young right-hander is aiming to rejoin the Marlins' rotation around the All-Star break after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024. "I'll say I feel very good right now," Perez said after Friday's session. "I will say 75 percent, just to put it out there in a number. But we're doing very well, just getting better." Perez began playing catch last September, and so far his recovery is proceeding as planned. In his absence, Valente Bellozo, Max Meyer and Adam Mazur are the leading candidates to fill out the back of Miami's rotation.

Heyward agreed to terms on a contract with the Padres on Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Heyward got off to a rough start with the Dodgers last season, slashing just .208/.289/.393 across 197 plate appearances before being released by the team in late August. He was able to latch on with Houston and ended the regular season on a relatively positive note, going 12-for-55 with four homers and nine RBI over 24 regular-season games. Now in San Diego, the 35-year-old will likely form a platoon in left field with Connor Joe, who also signed a one-year pact with the Padres on Friday.

Joe signed a contract with the Padres on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Joe was non-tendered by the Pirates in November after spending the last two seasons in Pittsburgh. He appeared in 256 regular-season games for the Pirates and slashed .238/.330/.396 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI over that span. The 32-year-old Joe should see some playing time in the outfield and at first base for the Padres in 2025.

Williams cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old infielder was booted off the Pirates' 40-man roster Monday to make room for Tim Mayza, but Williams went unclaimed off waivers and will remain in the organization. He slashed .311/.384/.396 with 13 RBI across 186 plate appearances in Triple-A last season, but he owns just a .529 OPS over his major-league career.

Edwards said Friday that his goal is to steal 60 bases this season, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.

Edwards pilfered 31 bags while being caught only four times over 70 games with the Marlins in 2024, so it's not unreasonable to think he could get to 60 stolen bases in 2025 if he has a full, healthy season. The 25-year-old speedster is light on power but should be an asset in the steals and batting average categories in 2025.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Friday that Nardi (elbow) will be behind at the start of spring training after something flared up over the offseason, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

McCullough didn't disclose the nature of the injury, but it's probably safe to assume it's related to the left elbow injury that caused Nardi to miss the final five-plus weeks of the 2024 season. The skipper noted that the team is still waiting for further clarity on the severity of Nardi's injury. If healthy, Nardi could be in the mix for saves in 2025. He held a 5.07 ERA but a 70:18 K:BB over 49.2 innings last season.

The Giants have extended Eldridge an invitation to big-league camp during spring training, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants' top prospect, Eldridge stormed through four levels in the minors in 2024 in his first full professional season, slashing .292/.374/.516 with 23 home runs. Eldridge is only 20, but the first baseman could push to make his major-league debut at some point during the 2025 season.

The Giants re-signed Del Pozo to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Del Pozo inked a minor-league deal with the Giants last June as he continued his rehab from Tommy John surgery but never pitched in a game in 2024. He appears healthy now and will look to return to the majors for the first time since 2021, although an initial assignment to Triple-A Sacramento is likely.