MLB Player News

Young "would have to struggle mightily to lose his grip on the second-base job," Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

New acquisition Brendan Donovan's primary position has been second base, but he will enter spring training slated to see most of his action in 2026 at third base. Young put up just a .607 OPS in 257 plate appearances during his rookie season, but he is only 22 and the Mariners remain high on his long-term potential. If Young stumbles, Seattle could consider shifting Donovan over to second base and installing Colt Emerson at the hot corner.

The Mariners tentatively plan for Donovan to be their primary third baseman in 2026 but will move him around the diamond based on matchups, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Cole Young is the favorite to start at second base, though if Colt Emerson outplays him in spring training, the Mariners could go with Emerson at third base and Donovan at second. Donovan is also expected to bat leadoff against both righties and lefties. Acquired from the Cardinals in a trade earlier this week, Donovan sported a .287/.353/.422 batting line with 10 home runs and 32 doubles over 118 contests last season.

The Blue Jays signed Fleming to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Fleming spent all of the 2025 season at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, collecting a 4.91 ERA and 44:29 K:BB over 84.1 innings. The 29-year-old lefty has plenty of past experience as a starting pitcher but has primarily been a reliever the last three years, and that's likely how he'll be deployed in his projected destination of Triple-A Buffalo.

The Royals re-signed Maile to a minor-league contract Thursday with an invitation to spring training.

Maile got into 25 games with the Royals last season, posting a .702 OPS. Kansas City is expected to carry Carter Jensen on the Opening Day roster along with Salvador Perez, which likely leaves Maile to serve as experienced catching depth at Triple-A Omaha.

Genao showed more full extension on his swings while with Aquilas in the Dominican Winter League, Keith Law of The Athletic reports.

Genao suffered a right shoulder injury during spring training last year, and the effects of the injury lingered throughout the regular season. After a boffo 2024, the 21-year-old shortstop dropped to a .259/.323/.359 slash line over 77 games at Double-A Akron. In winter ball, Genao improved to .325/.387/.386 over 26 games for Aquilas, suggesting he regained strength and confidence in the shoulder. He might eventually move to second base in the majors, but his improved defense at Akron in 2025 suggest shortstop is still a possibility. Genao's a bounce-back candidate for 2026 and expected to reach Triple-A Columbus.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted at Fenway Fest in January that he envisions Mayer getting more playing time against left-handers in 2026, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Mayer was allotted 27 of 136 plate appearances at the MLB level against lefties in 2025, managing a miniscule .416 OPS in the small sample size. With the departure of Alex Bregman, it's likely Mayer will take over at third base this season, and Cora wants a more full-time role for the 23-year-old infielder, who is capable of slotting in at three infield positions. Boston's recent signing of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a Gold Glove winner at third base in 2020 while with Texas, could impact the eventual infield positioning, but he appears ticketed for a rotation at second base with several other candidates.

With Kenley Jansen the favorite to open the season as Detroit's closer, per the Tiger Territory podcast, Finnegan will likely need to settle for a setup role.

Jansen leads all active MLB players and is fourth all time with 476 career saves, so it's not too surprising that manager A.J. Hinch figures to look the veteran's way first. Finnegan had 24 saves last season, with four of those coming with the Tigers after arriving via trade at the summer deadline, but it looks like his 2026 total will be significantly lower, unless Jansen gets hurt or struggles out of the gate. Detroit's 2025 saves leader, Will Vest, also figures to be in the setup mix in the seventh and eighth innings.

Valdez signed a three-year, $115 million contract with the Tigers on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The addition of Valdez gives the Tigers one of the most formidable left-handed starter duos in baseball, as he will now join Tarik Skubal atop Detroit's rotation. Valdez, 32, turned in a 3.66 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 192 innings with the Astros last season. Although those ratios are some of the worst he's recorded over his eight-year career, he remains a dependable fantasy asset after making 31 starts and topping 185 strikeouts in three of the past four seasons.

Kiner-Falefa signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Kiner-Falefa spent time with the Pirates and Blue Jays in 2025, slashing .262/.297/.334 with 40 RBI, 45 runs scored and 15 stolen bases across 459 regular-season plate appearances. The 30-year-old's career .262 batting average and ability to play three infield positions will help him to crack the starting nine occasionally, but he's unlikely to secure regular starts for the Red Sox.

Anderson (oblique) signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Wednesday.

After signing a $39 million deal with the Angels in November 2022, Anderson largely disappointed during his three seasons in Anaheim, posting a collective 18-29 record, 4.53 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.6 K-BB% over 456.2 innings. Though he'll end up rejoining the Angels, the 36-year-old lefty isn't included among the team's initial list of non-roster invitees for big-league spring training and is seemingly ticketed for the Triple-A Salt Lake rotation. Anderson -- who closed last season on the injured list due to an oblique strain -- is presumably healthy now, but it looks like he'll need to prove he still has something left in the tank at the Triple-A level before the Angels consider adding him back to the 40-man roster.