MLB Player News

The Angels outrighted Caceres (lat) to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

Caceres had been removed from the 40-man roster in order to clear a spot for waiver claim Michael Petersen. The 25-year-old Caceres missed all of last season while recovering from lat surgery and it's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in games.

Manoah (elbow) said Monday that he's scheduled to begin throwing off a mound in a couple weeks, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Manoah underwent a hybrid internal brace procedure last June to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow. The right-hander is hopeful to face hitters by June, begin a rehab assignment in July and be available as an option for the Blue Jays in August. In order to meet his goals, Manoah will have to avoid any bumps in the road in his recovery, which isn't always a guarantee coming back from UCL surgery.

Jimenez lost 25-to-30 pounds over the offseason, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez had to settle for a minor-league contract with the Rays this offseason following a 2024 campaign that he referred to Sunday as a "disaster." Manager Kevin Cash said that Jimenez is "really, really motivated" and will get some reps in the outfield and even at first base in addition to competing for at-bats at designated hitter.

Lee, who has primarily focused on second base in the minors, has also been seeing some time at third in the early stages of camp, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers are seemingly working on increasing Lee's positional flexibility, which could expedite his journey to the majors. Third base has some uncertainty in Detroit, as utility man Matt Vierling and youngster Jace Jung are currently the top options. Neither player has the role locked down full time, however, which could open the door for Lee down the road. The 22-year-old slashed .298/.363/.488 with 12 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 87 regular-season games for Double-A Erie last season. He's likely to begin the year with Triple-A Toledo and is not yet on the 40-man roster.

White Sox manager Will Venable said that Thorpe (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe has experienced a couple of setbacks in his recovery from September surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow, resulting in him entering spring training behind the White Sox's other healthy pitchers. The right-hander still appears on pace to be ready for the start of the season, however, though he's probably at least a couple weeks away from pitching in Cactus League games. Assuming Tuesday's side session goes well, Thorpe will likely continue to throw at least a couple more bullpen sessions after that before advancing to facing hitters in live batting practice.

Thompson agreed to a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

A career .212/.300/.411 hitter over parts of seven big-league seasons, Thompson spent all of the 2024 season at the Triple-A level, producing a .768 OPS with 23 homers. Slated to turn 34 in March, Thompson is likely to begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Worcester, where he'll give Boston some veteran outfield depth.

Though Torkelson has been squeezed by some other players on the roster, he could still make the team as a weapon against left-handed pitching, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Colt Keith has been taking reps at first base, which has seemingly pushed Torkelson aside. However, the latter still offers plenty of pop, particularly against southpaws. The Tigers may want that skill as part of their bench when they break camp. Torkelson's fantasy value has certainly taken a hit following a disappointing 2024 in which he batted .219 with a .669 OPS, though he could slowly boost his stock if he makes the team and begins to carve out a regular role. The former No. 1 overall pick did launch 31 home runs in 2023, which points to some of his upside as a slugger, but making consistent contact has been a challenge at the MLB level.

The Tigers could be open to letting Carpenter face more left-handed pitchers in 2025, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Carpenter saw just 31 plate appearances against lefties last season and is only 24-for-119 (.202 average) in his MLB career versus southpaws. He has crushed righties to the tune of an .897 OPS the last three seasons, but the Tigers may decide to expand his role. Carpenter himself pointed to the success he had against lefties in the minors back in 2022, when he posted a .905 OPS against same-handed pitching. The 27-year-old is still likely to ride the bench often when southpaws start, though if he can prove capable of hitting them to some degree of success, his overall fantasy ceiling would increase because he would have more chances to produce counting statistics.

With Alex Cobb (hip) likely out for about a month, Maeda could be at least a temporary option to slide into the starting rotation, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Cobb's injury figures to prevent him from being able to ramp up properly for Opening Day, so the Tigers will have to fill his rotation spot for at least a turn or two. Detroit has Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Jack Flaherty locked in as starters, and the team could turn to the likes of Maeda, Jackson Jobe and Casey Mize to round things out. Maeda is a veteran option with plenty of MLB starts under his belt, so he could probably make the transition fairly quickly after pitching in relief to wrap up last season. The righty struggled in 2024, posting a career-worst 6.09 ERA, which ultimately prompted the move out of the rotation. If Maeda starts early in 2025, fantasy managers may want to take a wait-and-see approach given his rough performance a year ago.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Wells won't make his Grapefruit League debut until March 1 due to the catcher's heavy workload last season, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Wells played 129 games last season between the regular season and playoffs, so it makes sense for the Yankees to slow play the 25-year-old's entry into the spring lineup. The catcher has been taking live at-bats but has not yet swung the bat early on in camp. Given the uncertainty the Yankees have behind him on the catcher depth chart, Wells could see an even heavier workload in 2025.