MLB Player News

Clase is scheduled to make his first Cactus League appearance Monday versus the Mariners, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Clase's delayed addition to the Guardians' spring pitching schedule isn't due to an injury; instead, the coaching staff is likely prioritizing getting innings for rotation candidates as well as pitchers who are competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Despite coming off a rough postseason in which he converted two of three save chances and gave up eight earned runs over eight innings, Clase is locked in as Cleveland's closer and is solidified as an upper-tier fantasy option coming off three straight seasons of least 40 saves. For what he lacks his elite strikeout stuff (career 24.8 K%), Clase makes up for it by limiting walks (career 4.8 BB%) and leaning heavily on his cutter and slider to induce plenty of weak contact (career 60.7 percent groundball rate).

The Rangers reassigned Walcott to minor-league camp Monday.

Walcott was one of a host of roster cuts for the Rangers. Slated to turn 19 later this month, Walcott made a great impression at the plate this spring during his few opportunities, going 4-for-8 with three doubles and a home run. He's one of the top prospects in all of baseball and is likely headed back to Double-A Frisco to begin the 2025 campaign.

The Rangers optioned Corniell (elbow) to Double-A Frisco on Monday.

The Rangers also reassigned 10 players to minor-league camp, bringing the total of players in major-league camp down to 61. Corniell is recovering from UCL surgery on his pitching elbow and hopes to be game-ready in the second half.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Abreu (illness) has resumed swinging a bat and will play catch Monday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Abreu is recovering from an unspecified illness that has resulted in some weight loss. While Cora is hopeful Abreu can regain the weight and be ready in time for Opening Day, the outfielder's availability is not a given. It's not clear when Abreu might be ready for Grapefruit League games, and Cora indicated that the Abreu could need to make up for lost at-bats by facing off against minor-league pitchers and/or hitting against the Trajekt robot.

Brown allowed a hit and two walks across two scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against St. Louis, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown was shaky to start the game, with all three of the baserunners he allowed coming in a 26-pitch first inning. However, he noted he felt better in his second frame and threw a perfect inning while hitting 98 mph with his fastball as measured by the stadium scoreboard.

Singleton made a few strong defensive plays in Friday's Grapefruit League game, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Singleton lost roughly 25 pounds this offseason and manager Joe Espada had positive remarks about Singleton's play in the field, noting that he looked more athletic and fluid at first base. His ability to field the position will be a key to earning a bench role this spring, as he had negative eight defensive runs saved in 2024 as Houston's primary first baseman. With the addition of Christian Walker, Singleton would be limited to small-side platoon at-bats at most during the regular season.

Paredes hit second and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After the game manager Joe Espada indicated that the Astros could open the season with Paredes hitting second in the order, in between Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez. The appeal for the team is Paredes' walk rate, which is 11 percent for his career. If that position becomes permanent, Paredes would be in a good position to top his career high of 71 runs scored in a season.

Grisham (hamstring) is starting in center field and batting fifth Monday against the Pirates in his Grapefruit League debut, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Grisham reported to camp with a hamstring injury he suffered in January, but he's been running without issue for a while and is now ready to test things out in game action. The 28-year-old will operate primarily as a reserve outfielder for the Yankees this season but could see some extra playing time early on while Giancarlo Stanton (elbow) is out.

Palacios could be used at up to six positions during the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Palacios had a strong performance in Sunday's Grapefruit League game, collecting two hits in three at-bats -- including a double. Manager Kevin Cash also noted Palacios's strong play in right field, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. He may not have a regular starting role at one position, though Palacios's defensive versatility should mean he remains in the lineup several days each week.

Maeda's $10 million contract "likely gives him an edge" to open the season as the Tigers' fifth starter, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Maeda had a disastrous first season in Detroit, finishing with a 6.09 ERA across 17 starts and 12 relief appearances. He has looked sharp this spring, showing an uptick in velocity while allowing three runs with a 9:1 K:BB over five innings. Casey Mize and Keider Montero look to be Maeda's chief competitors for the No. 5 spot, while Jackson Jobe remains the heavy favorite to be the fourth starter. Whoever wins the fifth spot in the rotation would, theoretically, be holding it down only until Alex Cobb (hip) is ready, although there's no timetable for Cobb's return.