MLB Player News

Skubal breezed through three scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

Through five innings this spring, Skubal has allowed only two singles and no walks to go along with four strikeouts. The lefty ace looks ready for the regular season, and he'll start the Tigers' Opening Day game March 27 against the Dodgers to kick things off. Skubal was the unanimous American League Cy Young Award winner in 2024 and should be one of the top pitchers in fantasy in 2025.

With Andrew Chafin joining the Tigers on a minor-league deal last month, Hurter's roster spot could be in jeopardy coming out of camp, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The lefty Hurter pitched well last year during his MLB debut, compiling a 2.58 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 45.1 regular-season innings. However, the 34-year-old Chafin has a lot more MLB experience, which could lead the Tigers to choose him as a southpaw for their bullpen to complement the likes of Tyler Holton and Sean Guenther. Hurter still probably has a leg up in the competition, though he'd likely feel more secure if he strung together some strong outings to wrap up the spring slate.

Malloy seems well positioned to earn a roster spot coming out of camp, though he's still competing with several other players for a utility role, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Malloy's biggest selling point is probably his ability to hit lefties, and he sported an .893 OPS against southpaws across 61 regular-season plate appearances last year as a rookie. The 25-year-old is a bit limited defensively, serving mostly as a DH and occasionally playing in the corner outfield spots, though he is experimenting some at first base in camp. Spencer Torkelson profiles similarly as a lefty masher and is likely Malloy's top competition for a roster spot this spring. Ryan Kreidler is also in the mix for a utility role off the bench.

McKinstry is a candidate to serve in a platoon along with Javier Baez at shortstop to begin the regular season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

In this scenario, the left-hand hitting McKinstry would be on the strong side of the platoon, with Baez deployed against southpaws and Trey Sweeney beginning the year at Triple-A Toledo. In the long run, the 24-year-old Sweeney seems likely to seize the job at short, which would relegate McKinstry to more of a utility role like the one he's filled in recent seasons. McKinstry may see a short-term spike in value if he does in fact see regular time at short, though he remains a limited offensive player who probably won't make a huge fantasy splash.

Newman has a "leg up on the competition" to open the season as the Angels' starting shortstop while Zach Neto (shoulder) is sidelined, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Tim Anderson and Scott Kingery are Newman's chief competitors for the gig, but Newman is the safest choice since he's on a guaranteed contract and offers the steadiest glove of the group. While Neto has already been ruled out for Opening Day, it's not yet clear whether he will miss closer to the first week or the first month of the season. Newman slashed .278/.311/.375 with three homers over 111 games in 2024 with the Diamondbacks.

The Blue Jays optioned Macko (knee) to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Macko will get a late start to the minor-league season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery last month to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. He's without a clear timeline to make his 2025 debut, but if Macko ends up being sidelined at least two months into the season, Toronto could recall him from Triple-A and place him on their 60-day injured list to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for another player.

LeMahieu is slated to undergo an MRI on his sore calf Tuesday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

The extent of LeMahieu's calf injury won't be known until the results of the MRI are read, though the veteran infielder expressed some optimism that he's dealing with a low-grade strain rather than a more significant issue. In any case, LeMahieu's return to the Grapefruit League lineup doesn't seem to be imminent, and he could be at risk of opening the season on the injured list. A potential LeMahieu absence to begin the campaign could open up more opportunities at third base for Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.

Clement did not suffer any fractures and is not dealing with any concussion symptoms as a result of a hit-by-pitch in the face during Monday's game against the Tigers, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports

It was a scary situation when Clement was struck by a 91.3 mph Ty Madden fastball, but the infielder has managed to escape with merely a lip laceration and contusion. Projected to be the Blue Jays' primary third baseman this season, Clement should be considered day-to-day.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Gil has been diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain and will not throw for at least six weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Gil will basically be starting from scratch once he's ready to be built back up, so this is going to be a lengthy absence which seems likely to keep the right-hander sidelined for at least the first couple months of the season. Marcus Stroman is the obvious candidate to take Gil's spot in the Yankees' rotation, but Will Warren has impressed during spring training and also appears to be in the mix.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that deGrom will begin the season at "the back end" of the rotation, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

He's expected to make his first regular season start either March 30 versus the Cubs or March 31 against the Reds. DeGrom is considered healthy, but the Rangers are simply allowing the two-time Cy Young Award winner ample time to build up after he missed most of the last two seasons while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. The 36-year-old will make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Rockies and will be built up to five innings by his final spring outing.