MLB Player News

The White Sox reassigned Lipcius to minor-league camp Monday.

Lipcius was one of 11 players cut Monday as the White Sox reduced their group at big-league camp to 42 players. The 26-year-old infielder previously played in 13 games in the majors with the Tigers in 2023 and posted an .809 OPS over 636 plate appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Dodgers organization in 2024, but he went just 3-for-22 in Cactus League play this spring to take him out of contention for an Opening Day roster spot with Chicago.

The White Sox reassigned Quero to minor-league camp Monday.

Quero went just 4-for-16 with a walk over nine Cactus League games, but even if he had obliterated pitching in the spring, the White Sox still might have had him open the season at Triple-A Charlotte to delay the start of his MLB service clock. Korey Lee appears to be the leading candidate to begin the season as Chicago's No. 1 backstop, but it may just be a matter of time before Quero or fellow catching prospect Kyle Teel supplants him. In the meantime, Quero and Teel are likely to begin the season at Triple-a Charlotte, where both should be able to pick up everyday at-bats while rotating between catcher and designated hitter.

The White Sox reassigned Heasley to minor-league camp Monday.

Heasley, 28, attended camp as a non-roster invitee after he had previously turned in a 5.89 ERA and 89:55 K:BB in 139 career innings in the big leagues over parts of the last four seasons. Though he was sharp over his four Cactus League appearances in allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out three over four scoreless frames, Heasley will need to distinguish himself over a larger sample at Triple-A Charlotte before he gets a look with the White Sox.

The White Sox reassigned Dunn to minor-league camp Monday.

Dunn previously made 32 big-league starts from 2019 through 2022 with the Mariners and Reds, but he faced long odds to break camp with the White Sox after missing most of the last two seasons due to shoulder problems. The 29-year-old righty has stayed healthy in camp and has been effective over his four Cactus League appearances, allowing just one earned run on three hits and four walks while striking out two over eight innings. If Dunn can carry that success over to Triple-A Charlotte to begin the season, he could put himself in consideration for a promotion to the big club.

The White Sox reassigned Teel to minor-league camp Monday.

Though Teel and Edgar Quero are two of the more highly regarded catching prospects not just in the White Sox organization but in all of baseball, the duo will likely split time behind the plate and at designated hitter at Triple-A Charlotte to begin the season before making their respective MLB debuts later on in 2025. The White Sox appear set to proceed with Korey Lee as their No. 1 catcher, but after he posted a .591 OPS over 394 plate appearances in 2024, he likely won't be tough to dislodge atop the depth chart once the organization is confident Teel and/or Quero are big-league ready. As a member of the Red Sox organization last season, Teel slashed .288/.386/.433 with 13 home runs and 12 steals over 112 games at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Hamilton (infection) will throw a live batting practice session Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Hamilton has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game because of an infection, but if he gets through Monday's session without any issues he should be cleared for games later this week. The Yankees remain hopeful that Hamilton will be ready in time for Opening Day.

The White Sox optioned Fletcher to Triple-A Charlotte on Monday.

Even with Chicago's outfield depth being tested so far this spring with Andrew Benintendi (hand) and Austin Slater (oblique) likely set to begin the season on the injured list, Fletcher was unable to distinguish himself in the competition for a roster spot. After producing a lowly .508 OPS in 240 plate appearances with the White Sox in 2024, Fletcher continued to struggle in Cactus League play this spring, going just 4-for-33 with nine strikeouts. The 27-year-old should get the chance to play on an everyday basis at Charlotte to begin the season.

The Twins announced Monday that Lewis has been ruled out for Opening Day after an MRI confirmed that he sustained a moderate left hamstring strain during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Minnesota has yet to establish a firm timeline for Lewis' return, but since moderate hamstring strains typically entail a multi-week recovery, the 25-year-old third baseman is a safe bet to begin the season on the injured list. On a positive note, Lewis told Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune that the soft-tissue injury is "not even close" to being as severe as the quadricep injury he sustained Opening Day of last season, which resulted in him being sidelined for just over two months. Brooks Lee drew the start at third base in Monday's spring game against the Pirates and appears to be leading candidate to serve as the primary option at the hot corner until Lewis is ready to make his 2025 debut.

The Angels optioned Petersen to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

A waiver claim in February, Petersen has had a good spring in yielding just two runs with a 7:2 K:BB over 5.2 innings, but it wasn't enough to land a spot in the Halos' Opening Day bullpen. He'll provide relief depth at Salt Lake.

The Athletics announced Monday that Severino will start their March 27 season opener versus the Mariners in Seattle, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Severino became the obvious choice to take the hill for the Athletics on Opening Day the moment he signed a three-year, $67 million contract in December, the largest guaranteed deal in franchise history. After injuries limited him to fewer than 20 starts in each of his final five seasons with the Yankees from 2019 through 2023, Severino proved to be durable in his lone campaign with the Mets in 2024, turning in a 3.91 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 31 starts. The Athletics are banking on the 31-year-old Severino avoiding the pitfalls on the health front that plagued him throughout his twenties and emerging as a capable innings eater at the front of the rotation in 2025.