MLB Player News

Bader will start in left field and bat ninth in Thursday's season opener versus the Cardinals.

Bader appeared ticketed for fourth-outfielder duties with the Twins heading into spring training, but he seems to be a beneficiary of the injuries to infielders Royce Lewis (hamstring) and Brooks Lee (back). With Lewis and Lee on the injured list, Jose Miranda is expected to see the majority of the starts at third base to begin the season, making corner outfielders Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner candidates to see more time at designated hitter and thereby opening up a spot in the outfield for Bader. The 30-year-old brings most of his real-life value as a defender, but he proved to be a decent fantasy asset in 2024 despite often hitting at the bottom of the Mets' batting order. In 143 games last season, Bader totaled 12 home runs, 17 steals, 57 runs and 51 RBI.

Julien is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in St. Louis, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The Cardinals are starting a righty in Sonny Gray, but the left-handed hitting Julien finds himself on the bench for the opener. The Twins are going with Willi Castro at second base, Trevor Larnach in the designated-hitter spot and Harrison Bader in left field.

The Twins don't include Misiewicz on their 26-man active roster ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Cardinals.

The 30-year-old southpaw is expected to report to Triple-A St. Paul after falling short in his bid for a spot on the Twins' Opening Day roster. Misiewicz has previously made 131 appearances in the big leagues over the past five seasons across stints with the Mariners, Royals, Diamondbacks, Tigers and Yankees, logging a 4.67 ERA in 115.2 innings.

The Twins didn't include Ford on their 26-man active roster ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the Cardinals.

While attending camp as a non-roster invitee, Ford faced long odds to win a spot on the Opening Day roster, and he didn't do himself any favors by going 4-for-32 (.125 average) during Grapefruit League play. Assuming his minor-league contract doesn't contain an opt-out clause that would allow him to pursue free agency, the 32-year-old first baseman will likely report to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season.

The Red Sox plan to assign Mayer to Triple-A Worcester prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Though manager Alex Cora didn't dismiss the possibility of Mayer breaking camp with the big club even in the latter stages of spring training, the 22-year-old infielder always appeared likely to begin the season at Triple-A. Mayer will be joined at Worcester by another elite prospect in outfielder Roman Anthony, while second baseman Kristian Campbell will be the first of the Red Sox's "Big Three" prospects to reach the big leagues. Though Mayer impressed with a .983 OPS in Grapefruit League play, the Red Sox will likely want the shortstop to find some success at the Triple-A level early on in the season before giving him the call to the majors. Mayer could also get some more exposure to second base and third base at Worcester in an effort to increase his versatility and potentially expedite his arrival to the majors.

The Twins placed Stewart (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Stewart departed his final Grapefruit League appearance March 15 with a left hamstring strain, he's since returned to action, most recently throwing 20 pitches in a minor-league game Saturday. He could return from the injured list in the first half of April.

The Red Sox plan to assign Anthony to Triple-A Worcester prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Though Boston has yet to make any formal transaction with Anthony after he took part in big-league camp and posted a .715 OPS in Grapefruit League play, the 20-year-old's chances of making the Opening Day roster likely evaporated after Wilyer Abreu was able to overcome a gastrointestinal issue before the end of spring training. Anthony will thus head back to Triple-A, but he might not have to wait long to make his MLB debut if he continues to mash at Worcester like he did following his promotion from Double-A Portland last August. Over his 164 plate appearances with Worcester to close out the 2024 minor-league season, Anthony slashed .344/.463/.519 with three home runs and five stolen bases.

According to Angels' manager Ron Washington, Neto (shoulder) isn't ready for game action and has "no date" for his return, per MLB.com.

Neto hasn't necessarily had a setback -- it's long been expected that he'd open the season on the injured list -- but fantasy managers who are stashing the talented young shortstop will need to wait a bit longer to learn of a clear timeline for his return. It remains in play for Neto to return to big-league action at some point in April, especially since he was recently described as being "ahead of schedule" in his rehab from last November's right shoulder surgery, though Washington added that the 24-year-old will see some work in minor-league rehab games before making his season debut for the Angels. While Neto remains out, Kevin Newman, Tim Anderson, Nicky Lopez and Kyren Paris could all log time at shortstop for the Halos.

Casas (hand) is expected to be ready to play Thursday against the Rangers, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

X-rays were negative after Casas attempted to field a bad hop with his bare hand Monday. Manager Alex Cora noted after Tuesday's exhibition that Casas was sore but feeling "a lot better," while the decision to hold him out Tuesday was described as precautionary. With that, Casas appears to be in line to bat cleanup against right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on Opening Day, though fantasy managers may want to confirm his status before first pitch.

The Angels optioned Lugo to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

The Angels' recent history of aggressively promoting prospects coupled with the release of Mickey Moniak on Tuesday fueled speculation that Lugo might break camp with the big club, but Los Angeles instead elected to carry Kyren Paris as a fourth outfielder on the Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old Lugo shouldn't have to wait long to make his MLB debut, especially if he continues to produce well at the plate with Salt Lake early on in the season after he held his own during spring training. Though he struck out at 29.5 percent clip and had a 3.3 percent walk rate over 61 plate appearances in the Cactus League, Lugo hit .293 with seven extra-base hits (four doubles, three triples) and two stolen bases.