MLB Player News

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Horwitz had sutures removed from his surgically repaired right wrist earlier this week and remains on track to return to game action in 6-to-8 weeks, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

After getting the sutures removed, Horwitz has been cleared to resume swinging the bat with his left hand in addition to fielding groundballs. Before getting surgery, Horwitz looked on track to open the season as the Pirates' everyday first baseman, but his likely absence to begin the campaign could pave the way for Jared Triolo or Billy Cook to make starts at the position until Horwitz is ready to go.

Turner agreed to terms Tuesday with the Cubs on a one-year, $6 million contract, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

The 40-year-old Turner will join the eighth organization of his career in 2025 after he slashed .259/.354/.383 with 11 home runs over 139 games between the Blue Jays and Mariners last season. Mooney relays that it's "unclear to what extent" the Cubs might consider Turner as an option at third base, where top prospect Matt Shaw (oblique) is the favorite to win the job. The Cubs' plan for now seems to be for Turner to see most of his playing time on the short side of a platoon at first base with Michael Busch, while also getting occasional starts at designated hitter.

The Padres signed Gurriel to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Gurriel will make $1.25 million if he's in the majors, with an additional $1 million possible in incentives. The 40-year-old got into 18 regular-season games down the stretch with the Royals in 2024, putting up a .635 OPS with zero home runs. If he makes the team, Gurriel could potentially see some action at designated hitter, or at first base if the Padres use Luis Arraez at DH.

Lowe will make $10.3 million in 2025 after losing his arbitration hearing against the Nationals on Saturday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Lowe will receive $800,000 less than what he filed for, but it still represents a $2.8 million raise from last season. The 29-year-old slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBI across 565 plate appearances last season with the Rangers. He was traded in December to Washington, where he should continue to see regular opportunities at first base.

Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Thursday that Wade could bat leadoff this season, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

If it happens, it would likely be only against right-handers, as Wilmer Flores (knee) is expected to fill the short side of a platoon at first base with Wade. If Wade does indeed hit leadoff versus righties, Jung Hoo Lee would be used in the three hole. Melvin also noted Thursday that Wade could see some action in the outfield this season in addition to first base. The 31-year-old has primarily been a first baseman over the last two seasons but made five starts in the outfield last year.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that Hall will get additional reps at first base following the injury to Spencer Horwitz (thumb), Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Hall was signed to a minor-league contract with a spring training invite back in December. The 29-year-old has a .700 OPS with 10 home runs over 198 career plate appearances at the major-league level but spent all of 2024 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization. The Pirates' plan is to fill the void left by Horwitz internally, and while Jared Triolo and Billy Cook are probably the favorites to emerge at first base, Hall now has a fighting chance to make the Opening Day roster.

Horwitz said Wednesday that the surgery he underwent last week was to repair the extensor tendon in his right thumb, John Perrotto of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports. He's expected to face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks.

The left-handed-hitting Horwitz's procedure was designed to address chronic symptoms with his wrist, but the surgery itself was actually performed on the thumb of his throwing hand. In any case, Horwitz's projected 6-to-8-week recovery timeline could keep him out of action for most or all of spring training and force him to open the season on the injured list. If Horwitz is shelved to begin the campaign, Pittsburgh could turn to Jared Triolo, Billy Cook or Bryan Reynolds to pick up starts at first base early on.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that he'd like to see Encarnacion-Strand play third base during spring training, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Encarnacion-Strand was expected to be the team's primary first baseman in 2024, but hand and wrist injuries limited him to 29 games. He started seven games at third base for the Reds in 2023, and the hot corner was a regular spot for Encarnacion-Strand in the minors and college. Francona indicated that several infielders will "move around" at the beginning of spring training before the manager settles on a position for players like Encarnacion-Strand, Gavin Lux and Jeimer Candelario.

Horwitz will miss time during spring training due to a right wrist injury, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Horwitz was traded from Toronto to Cleveland and then Pittsburgh back in December and was expected to begin 2025 as the Pirates' primary first baseman. However, he suffered a wrist injury in the offseason that required surgery and has yet to shed his cast. There's no telling if the infielder's absence will extend into the regular season, but if he ends up beginning the season on the injured list, Jared Triolo would likely be the next man up to start at first.

Steer could be limited to designated-hitter duty at the beginning of the spring training schedule due to shoulder soreness, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Steer battled some shoulder soreness late last season and apparently still isn't quite over the issue. It does not seem to be something to get overly worried about at this juncture, but that could change if the soreness continues to linger. It's not clear when exactly Steer's shoulder began bothering him last season, but he slashed only .165/.268/.294 in September.