MLB Player News

Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday in a Cactus League win over the White Sox.

Hernandez went deep for the first time this spring in the sixth inning, knocking a solo shot to center field off James Karinchak. The veteran outfielder re-signed with the Dodgers in the offseason after belting a career-high 33 homers and adding 99 RBI, 84 runs and 12 steals while slashing .272/.339/.501 over 651 regular-season plate appearances last year. Hernandez has played in six games so far this spring, going 5-for-16 with three extra-base hits.

Freeman started at first base in Sunday's Cactus League win over the White Sox and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run.

Freeman entered camp behind other Dodgers position players after undergoing an ankle procedure in early December, and he didn't begin running until Feb 20. The veteran first baseman made his spring debut Feb. 26, though he was relegated to DH duties in his first two Cactus League games. However, Freeman was able to play the field Sunday and didn't seem to be bothered by the ankle -- in fact, he recorded the first out of the contest on a groundball that he fielded cleanly before jogging to the bag. His bat has also looked great so far this spring, as Freeman has gone 3-for-8 with a pair of home runs through three games.

Encarnacion went 2-for-3 with a double in Sunday's win over the Angels and is hitting .444 (8-for-18) with a home run in six spring games.

Encarnacion has had a strong first week of spring training and appears to be in the lead for the starting DH role. He has just three strikeouts this spring, which is encouraging since he had a 28.6 percent strikeout rate and just a 4.2 percent walk rate in the majors last season.

Winn threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout and a walk in his spring debut in Sunday's win over the Angels.

Winn began last season in the starting rotation but managed only 12 starts before undergoing season-ending ulnar transposition surgery in late July. It looks like he's back to full speed, but his role for 2025 isn't clear. He'll compete for a rotation spot but appears to be a long shot, so he could begin the season in the bullpen or the minors.

Boyd allowed three runs on four hits and a walk across 2.1 innings in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds. He struck out four.

After a scoreless spring debut covering two innings Monday, Boyd was less effective in his second appearance. The veteran did continue to rack up strikeouts at a solid clip at least, as he now has six of them through 4.1 Cactus League innings. Boyd figures to slot in as the Cubs' No. 4 starter to begin the year, and after a few injury-ravaged seasons, the lefty is a bounceback candidate if he can stay healthy, though Chicago will probably monitor his workload closely all year.

With Javier Assad (oblique) set to miss the beginning of the regular season, Rea may be the next player up to fill the Cubs' final rotation spot, Cole Bradley of MLB.com reports.

Chicago figures to break camp with Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd entrenched in the rotation, and Assad had the early inside track on the No. 5 spot, but he won't be ready for Opening Day due to an oblique strain. The veteran Rea makes for a steady plug-and-play option, though youngsters Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks are also competing for the spot. The latter two players may offer a bit more upside in the long run, but Rea's MLB experience as a starter could give manager Craig Counsell some comfort to start the year. Rea offers some potential streaming appeal for however long he's in Chicago's rotation.

De Paula was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Sunday.

De Paula went 4-for-9 with a double, three RBI, four runs scored, three stolen bases and three walks while striking out two times over eight games during spring training. The outfielder played in 52 games with High-A Great Lakes last season, batting .253 with four home runs, 21 RBI, 32 runs scored and 13 stolen bases over 178 at-bats, and he'll likely open the 2025 campaign by returning to Great Lakes.

Hope was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Sunday.

Hope went 4-for-19 with a home run, three RBI, a run scored and a walk while striking out six times over 10 games during spring training. The 20-year-old has yet to play at a level higher than Single-A, and he'll look to continue his ascent through the minors with the Dodgers organization in 2025.

Dean was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Sunday.

Dean went 3-for-11 with a double, four walks, three runs scored, two stolen bases and four strikeouts while appearing in 11 games during spring training. He'll now likely begin the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Oklahoma City as he continues to wait for an opportunity to make his MLB debut.

Ward was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Sunday.

Ward struggled at the plate in spring training, going 1-for-16 with two walks, a run scored and eight strikeouts while appearing in 10 games. The outfielder will almost certainly begin the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Oklahoma, where he batted .258 with 33 home runs, 101 RBI, 78 runs scored and 11 stolen bases over 120 contests in 2024.