MLB Player News

The Phillies optioned Abel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

Abel started Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest against the Red Sox and will head to minor-league camp after giving up four runs (three earned) over 1.2 innings. The right-hander had a 6.46 ERA in 24 starts last season in his first full year at the Triple-A level, and he'll likely need to improve upon those numbers to have a chance of making his MLB debut in 2025.

Thompson won't be included on the Cubs' 31-man travel roster for the season-opening series against the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The right-hander moved between the majors and minors last season but was effective while up with the Cubs, finishing with a 2.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 36:18 K:BB across 30.1 innings. Thompson has given up three solo homers through four appearances in spring training, and it appears he won't be traveling with the club to Japan, though no roster moves have officially been made.

Manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Mears has been battling with an illness the past few days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The specifics of the ailment are unclear, though Mears appeared to be feeling a bit better Tuesday morning. With just over two weeks until Opening Day, the right-hander's availability could be in question depending how much time it takes for him to rebuild his strength.

Alcantara will not be on the Cubs' 31-man travel roster for their two-game series versus the Dodgers in Tokyo next week, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The team hasn't officially made any roster moves yet, but Alcantara's exclusion from its Tokyo travel roster suggests he's not going to make the roster for the team's domestic Opening Day on March 27 in Arizona, either. Alcantara got his feet wet at the major-league level in 2024 and remains one of the Cubs' better prospects, but the 22-year-old is slated to open this season as an everyday player at Triple-A Iowa.

Lord has been sitting 95-96 mph with his fastball in camp this spring, a significant improvement on the 92-93 mph he averaged in the minors last season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The Nationals have had some impressive success in the last couple years turning unheralded prospects into major-league arms, and Lord might be the next hurler to join that list. An 18th-round pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, the 25-year-old right-hander pitched at three levels last year, finishing his breakout campaign with a 3.93 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 57:20 K:BB over 55 Triple-A innings. His success largely came from the deception in his nearly sidearm delivery, but if Lord has developed a legitimate fastball, it could position him for a spot in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.

Canning gave up only one hit over 3.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The right-hander built up to 55 pitches (37 strikes), and Canning is all but locked into the Opening Day rotation with both Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) set to begin the season on the IL. Canning flashed quality stuff at times during his tenure with the Angels but was never able to put it all together, with injuries and inconsistency both playing roles in his struggles. He's looked good so far in camp for the Mets however, posting a 0.00 ERA and 7:1 K:BB in 5.1 innings.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Shaw will travel with the team for their two-game series against the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

The Cubs and Dodgers are allowed a 31-man travel roster, so while Counsell's declaration doesn't necessarily mean Shaw will be the team's Opening Day third baseman, it would be a surprise if that's not the case. Shaw got a late start to spring training due to an oblique injury that's limited him to only five games, but he's healthy now and reached base in all three of his plate appearances Monday versus the Guardians. The 23-year-old slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa last season and has a chance to be a big fantasy contributor right out of the gate.

Soto went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The $765 million man is thoroughly enjoying his first spring training with the Mets, taking Sonny Gray deep in the third inning Monday. Soto is batting .444 (8-for-18) through eight Grapefruit League appearances, and five of those hits (two doubles, three homers) have gone for extra bases. The 26-year-old might see his power decline in the move from Yankee Stadium to Citi Field after he slugged a career-high 41 homers in 2024, but Soto has never posted an OBP below .400 in his career and has finished a season with an OPS lower than .900 only once.

Torrens went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 28-year-old took Sonny Gray deep the other way in the second inning for his first long ball of the spring. Torrens is set to open the season as the Mets' starting catcher with Francisco Alvarez (hand) on the shelf until at least late April, but there's little reason to expect him to make an impact with regular playing time -- his .229/.292/.373 slash line over 130 regular-season plate appearances in 2024 was very similar to his .227/.289/.356 career line.

Mervis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's split-squad game against the Nationals.

His second-inning shot off Mitchell Parker was the second homer of the spring in eight appearances for Mervis. The 26-year-old slugger has made some loud contact in camp, batting .292 (7-for-24) with two doubles in addition to his long balls, but his 1:9 BB:K suggests he still needs to make more frequent contact to be a trustworthy fantasy asset -- he has a career 31.7 percent strikeout rate in 126 big-league PAs.