MLB Player News

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Pages and Ivan Herrera will split catching duties next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Willson Contreras will be a first baseman and designated hitter moving forward, clearing a path to playing time at catcher. Pages was the preferred option over Herrera down the stretch of the 2024 season while Contreras was hurt, mostly because he's viewed as a much better defender. The 26-year-old Pages slashed .238/.281/.376 with seven homers over 68 contests this past season.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Herrera and Pedro Pages will share playing time at catcher next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Willson Contreras is moving into a first base/designated hitter role, clearing the way for Herrera and Pages to handle catching duties. Herrera is much more intriguing of the two from an offensive standpoint, having slashed .301/.377/.417 in 85 games over the last two seasons with the Cardinals. However, his defense -- and particularly his throwing -- have drawn scrutiny, to the point that Pages leapt him on the depth chart down the stretch.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Wednesday that the assumption is Betts will move back to the infield next season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Betts was the Dodgers' regular shortstop and occasional second baseman for the first three months of the 2024 season before fracturing his hand. Upon his return in mid-August, he moved back to right field on a full-time basis. However, it would appear he'll be on the move again in 2025 to one of the middle infield spots (or perhaps both). The decision could negatively affect the playing time outlook of Miguel Rojas and/or Gavin Lux.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Contreras will be a full-time first baseman and designated hitter next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Mozeliak added that it's unlikely Contreras will do any catching at all in 2025, with Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages set to split duties behind the plate. Contreras has played 11 games at first base in his career, with his last start there coming in 2019. Contreras has slashed a robust .263/.367/.468 with 35 home runs over 209 games in his two seasons in St. Louis, but he's had trouble staying healthy and his defense at catcher has often drawn criticism. The move enhances Contreras' fantasy outlook for 2025 since he should be in the lineup more often, and it also bumps up the playing time projection for Herrera and Pages.

Horton will undergo an exam on his right shoulder in mid-November in hopes of gaining clearance to begin a throwing program, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Horton missed the final four months of the 2024 season due to a moderate subscapularis strain in his pitching shoulder. If he's able to begin throwing this month, the 23-year-old should have a relatively normal offseason. Horton got off to a great start at Double-A Tennessee (1.10 ERA) this season but posted a 7.50 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Iowa before getting injured. He is likely to return to Iowa to begin 2025 but, if healthy, has a good shot to enter the Cubs' rotation at some point during the season.

Brown will undergo a scan on his neck in mid-November, with the hope that he will be cleared to throw without restrictions this offseason, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Brown didn't pitch after early June this season due to a benign area of concern in his neck. The Cubs seem optimistic that he will head into spring training healthy, but they won't know for sure until the results of the exam are in. Brown split time between the rotation and bullpen with the Cubs in 2024, holding a 3.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 64:19 K:BB over 55.1 innings. If healthy, he would likely compete for a spot in the rotation in 2025.

Ohtani underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani's injury, which he suffered in Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26, was initially described as a slight dislocation of his left shoulder. The labrum tear was a result of the dislocation, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. After suffering the injury, the NL MVP frontrunner recorded just one hit across 11 at-bats in the final three games of the series. The Dodgers expect he will be ready for spring training.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday it's unlikely Strider (elbow) will be ready for Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The revelation isn't altogether surprising, as Anthopoulos indicated last month that while Opening Day was possible for Strider, the pitcher's season debut might not come until early June. Any timeline at this point is approximate, with more clarity likely to come by spring training. Strider is working his way back from an internal brace procedure he underwent in mid-April.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday it appears unlikely Acuna (knee) will be ready for Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Anthopoulos indicated last month that Acuna's readiness for Opening Day was in question, and now it appears things are trending toward a stint on the injured list as the outfielder continues his recovery from left ACL surgery. A timetable for Acuna's season debut remains vague, although Anthopoulos previously suggested it could come as late as early June. A more definitive timeline for Acuna might be available by spring training.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, when speaking Tuesday, didn't rule out the possibility of Baty being tried in the outfield next season, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Baty has played a bit of left field in the minors and was used there for one inning with the Mets in 2023, but he hasn't started a game in the outfield since 2022. The Mets were impressed with how he adapted to second base when used there last season, and it appears the team is aiming to continue to increase Baty's defensive versatility.