MLB Player News

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The shortstop took Paul Blackburn deep in the third inning, giving Abrams his first homer of the spring. He's batting just .217 (5-for-23) so far in Grapefruit League action, and while he has yet to strike out, Abrams also has yet to draw a walk -- something the Nats are looking for him to do more consistently in 2025 as the team prepares to make him the leadoff hitter. The 24-year-old's fantasy upside is undeniable, as he's racked up 38 homers and 78 steals in 289 games over the last two seasons, but his .245/.307/.422 slash line has plenty of room for improvement.

Williams gave up a run on three hits and a walk over four innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out out.

The veteran right-hander looked sharp in his third appearance of the spring as he faced a New York lineup that included Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and other likely Opening Day starters. Williams is locked into a rotation spot for the Nationals after a surprisingly effective 2024 campaign that saw him post a 2.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 59:18 K:BB over 66.2 regular-season innings.

Finnegan faced hitters on a back field Friday afternoon, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander didn't re-sign with Washington until late February, putting Finnegan behind the team's other relievers, and Friday was the first time he'd seen game action in any setting this spring. He tossed 22 pitches and worked in the mid-90s with his fastball, suggesting he's close to ready for a Grapefruit League appearance. Finnegan recorded a career-high 38 saves in 2024, and he'll head into Opening Day back in the ninth-inning role for the Nats.

Blackburn gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He failed to strike out a batter.

While his final line was sketchy, Blackburn blanked the Nats through two innings before running out of gas in the third and serving up homers to CJ Abrams and James Wood. The right-hander appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot on the Opening Day rotation even with Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) sidelined to begin the season, but with the Mets planning to deploy a six-man rotation somewhat liberally in 2025, Blackburn should get starting opportunities over the summer.

Cabrera got tagged for six runs on four hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 1.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Trevor Story took Cabrera deep twice, while Abraham Toro also touched him up for a long ball. The right-hander's ability to generate whiffs keeps earning him chances in the Marlins' rotation -- he's posted a strikeout rate north of 25 percent in the majors in each of the last three seasons -- but Cabrera's issues with command and control remain a significant hurdle between him and consistent fantasy production. Through 4.2 innings over three appearances this spring, he's stumbled to a 19.29 ERA with a 3:2 K:BB.

The Reds reassigned Staumont to minor-league camp Saturday.

Staumont only made one appearance for the Reds this spring, during which he struck out two batters and walked one in a scoreless inning. He'll head to Triple-A Louisville to begin 2025, but he could still make a few appearances out of the Reds' bullpen after posting a 3.70 ERA in 24.1 innings last year for the Twins.

Meyer appears to be in the lead to win the fifth starter role to begin the season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

There's no big surprise here, as the 25-year-old right-hander's main competition for the job, Valente Bellozo, lacks Meyer's pedigree or raw stuff. Meyer is being brought along carefully in camp after throwing 115 innings last season between Triple-A and the majors in his return from Tommy John surgery, and through three innings so far over two Grapefruit League appearances, he has yet to allow a run with a 2:1 K:BB.

Baldwin appears to be the favorite to begin the season as Atlanta's starting catcher with Sean Murphy (ribs) sidelined, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The organization's top prospect seemed likely to make his MLB debut at some point in 2025 anyway, but Murphy's injury in camp could accelerate that timeline. Baldwin might have pushed his way onto the Opening Day roster anyway given how he's performed this spring -- both pitchers and coaches have been impressed by his work behind the plate, and the 23-year-old is batting .375 (6-for-16) so far in camp with an eye-popping 4:0 BB:K. Murphy could be back by mid-April, giving Baldwin a small window to establish himself in the majors should he break camp with the club.

Johnson is expected to open the season as one of Atlanta's primary setup men in front of closer Raisel Iglesias, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Johnson had a solid first full season with Atlanta in 2024 that included a career-high six wins and 12 holds, and he will be counted on to handle more high-leverage duties with Joe Jimenez (knee) out until at least the All-Star break. If Johnson struggles, he could be pushed for late-inning work by Hector Neris, who didn't sign with the team until March 3 but racked up 31 holds as recently as 2023 with the Astros.

Strider (elbow) threw 30 pitches in a live batting practice session Friday and used all his pitches, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Facing the rehabbing Ronald Acuna (knee) as well as Ozzie Albies, Strider recorded four strikeouts over two simulated innings and drew a "that was nasty" comment from Albies after the second baseman flailed away at a breaking ball. Strider will begin the season on the IL as he completes his recovery from an internal brace procedure on his elbow performed early last year, and Atlanta has avoided providing any sort of target date for his 2025 debut, but the right-hander appears to be making excellent progress.