MLB Player News

Freeman (ankle) began a running progression Thursday and is on track to make his Cactus League debut next week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The 35-year-old has been a bit behind his fellow Dodger position players following December surgery to remove loose bodies in his right ankle. However, it would appear Freeman is close to being fully cleared for all activities, and the team remains confident he will be ready to go for a season-opening two-game series against the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19.

Tellez signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Tellez had a disappointing 2024 season with the Pirates as he posted a .691 OPS across 421 plate appearances -- his second consecutive campaign with an OPS under .700. His fit on Seattle's roster is unclear given that both he and Luke Raley bat from the left side, though Tellez could also get some at-bats at designated hitter if he manages to crack the roster.

Goldschmidt is scheduled to start Friday in the Yankees' Grapefruit League opener versus the Rays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

He'll be making his Yankees debut after he wrapped up a six-year stint in St. Louis by signing a one-year, $12.5 million contract with New York in December. The 37-year-old has seen his production tail off dramatically following his MVP-winning 2022 campaign, but the .716 OPS he provided for St. Louis in 2024 represents a notable upgrade from what the Yankees received from the trio of Anthony Rizzo (.636), Ben Rice (.613) and DJ LeMahieu (.528), who combined to make more than 90 percent of the starts at first base a season ago.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Thursday that Steer (shoulder) will start throwing "fairly soon," Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard reports.

Steer has been slow-played early on in camp due to right shoulder soreness, which is an issue that dates back to the end of last season. He is expected to be limited to serving at designated hitter at the beginning of the spring training schedule. and it's not clear when he might be ready to play the field. At this point, Steer's Opening Day readiness does not seem to be in doubt.

Schanuel (lower leg) is expected to be included in the Angels lineup for Saturday's Cactus League opener versus the Mariners, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Schanuel missed the final four games of the 2024 season due to a bruised right lower leg, but the injury isn't believed to be anything that delayed his offseason workout program. The 23-year-old is projected to serve as the Angels' primary first baseman in 2025, but his lack of raw power renders him a low-end fantasy option at the position.

Toglia is on track to open the upcoming season as the Rockies' everyday first baseman, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports. "'I'm an everyday player, I want to play every day'...there's a mindset. He has the mindset," manager Bud Black said of Toglia. "The defensive side is real. He's a really good defender. In time he's going to get his due, both inside the game and outside the game. But that takes time."

After winning a spot on the Opening Day roster coming out of camp last spring, Toglia served as a part-time player for the Rockies to begin the season. He split time between first base and right field before he was sent down to the minors April 24 after batting just .106 with 20 strikeouts over his first 15 games. Upon returning to the majors June 6, however, Toglia proceeded to start the Rockies' final 101 games, with the last 90 coming at first base. He hit just .233 following the call-up, but he showcased power (21 home runs) and made a surprising impact on the basepaths with 10 steals. Toglia's high strikeout rate (32.2 percent in 2024) will likely continue to make him a batting-average risk during the upcoming campaign, but after building up his job security with his strong finish to last season, the 26-year-old should be able to pile up plenty of useful counting stats.

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.

Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Casas will start against lefties and righties in 2025, Christoper Smith of Mass Live reports.

Casas dealt with a nagging rib injury in 2024 and played just 63 games. He finished up the campaign regularly sitting against left-handers and batting down the order. A career line of .227/.350/.422 against southpaws makes him a candidate for a platoon, but Cora will apparently give Casas a chance against all opposing starters. The 25-year-old first baseman said he had a "really good offseason" in terms of conditioning and wants to move back to the middle of the order.

Solano has yet to report to spring camp due to visa issues, though the team hopes he will arrive by Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The Mariners' Cactus League schedule begins Friday, so Solano should still be available for Seattle's entire slate of exhibition games as long as he arrives by then. The 37-year-old slashed .286/.343/.417 with eight homers and 35 RBI across 309 regular-season plate appearances with the Padres last year, and he's expected to begin 2025 in the short side of a platoon at first base with Luke Raley.

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.