1. Walker, Cardinals await imaging results:

Cardinals youngster Jordan Walker underwent imaging on his left knee yesterday after he felt some pain during a play in the outfield yesterday, as noted by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Goold adds that more information on Walker’s situation is expected as soon as this morning. The 22-year-old was once one of the top 10 prospects in the entire sport but has struggled somewhat to this point in his big league career with a league-average .255/.317/.423 slash line in 168 big league games over the past two seasons.

Despite that middling performance so far, Walker still figures to be a key part of the future in St. Louis and is ticketed for everyday reps in right field this year. The Cardinals have options if Walker needs to miss any time. Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan can handle the outfield corners, thereby making room for both Nolan Gorman at second base with either Michael Siani or Victor Scott II in center field.

2. Garcia, Rangers await imaging results:

The Cardinals aren’t the only club awaiting imaging results on regular right fielder. The Rangers sent Adolis Garcia for an MRI due to discomfort in his left oblique yesterday. The club is already expecting Garcia to miss at least a few games due to the issue, though a specific timetable for his return likely won’t be clear until the club receives results from Garcia’s MRI.

The Rangers’ situation is further complicated the fact that fellow outfielder Wyatt Langford is also dealing with an oblique injury that has kept him out of spring games so far. If either player misses time during the regular season, Leody Taveras would likely move from a bench role back into regular center field work. Young Evan Carter can handle a corner spot, and if both Garcia and Langford were to miss Opening Day, a utility bat like Josh Smith could move to left field or the Rangers could select a non-roster veteran like Kevin Pillar.

3. Could the Royals upgrade their outfield?

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Mets and Royals discussed the possibility of a Starling Marte trade earlier this winter. Perhaps more notably, that report indicated that Kansas City has not entirely closed the door on making a deal for Marte. With a matter of weeks left until Opening Day, even the remote possibility of a notable trade is cause for some intrigue. It also stands to reason that if the Royals haven’t ruled out Marte entirely, they could yet look to the remnants of the free agent market as well. The Royals reportedly made an offer to veteran outfielder Adam Duvall, though it was declined. Other notable free agent outfielders still on the market include Alex Verdugo and David Peralta.

Gibson, 37, is the sort of player who tends to go underappreciated by fans but many clubs value. The veteran has typically been a slightly below average pitcher throughout his lengthy career, with a 93 ERA+ across both his 12 seasons in the majors overall and also in the five years since he first departed the Twins in free agency during the 2019-20 offseason. Despite those unimpressive numbers, Gibson still provides value to clubs through volume. The right-hander has posted at least 147 1/3 innings of work in every full season of his career, with only his partial rookie season in 2013 and the 60-game 2020 campaign falling beneath that figure.

While relying on a 37-year-old veteran for volume may seem counterintuitive when it’s common for players to struggle with staying healthy and effective as they age, Gibson has actually proven to be more durable than ever in his mid-to-late 30s: Since the start of his age-33 season in 2021, the veteran has made at least 30 starts each year and qualified for the ERA title in every season. In all, Gibson has made 124 starts with 711 1/3 innings of work total over the past four years. That’s a level of volume that’s become increasingly rare in today’s game: Gibson’s innings total is good for eighth in baseball over that timeframe, while his 124 games started is tied for seventh in baseball with Charlie Morton and Logan Webb.

Veteran innings-eaters of this sort are far from the most coveted assets in the game and will rarely make a club’s playoff rotation, but they still have value to teams in a number of situations. Rebuilding clubs without solid starting depth can often benefit from the stability and leadership a veteran can provide to its arsenal of young arms, and that’s a role Gibson previously filled in Texas. Even teams with playoff aspirations that either have lackluster depth in their rotations or are relying on young arms can benefit from the certainty offered by a player like Gibson; the Cubs and Mets signed Colin Rea and Griffin Canning to major league deals this offseason for their ability to eat innings in a pinch despite the fact that they had two of the three worst seasons among all qualified starters last year according to FIP.

Gibson offers a higher floor than either of those pitchers, though perhaps without the theoretical upside of Canning and the swingman experience of Rea. That should still be enough for the right-hander to command a major league deal this winter, however, and a handful of teams have expressed interest in his services throughout the winter. There appeared to be some level of mutual interest in a reunion between Gibson and the incumbent Cardinals even after St. Louis declined their club option on the veteran at the outset of the offseason, but a winter where the club failed to move a substantial salary like Nolan Arenado has seemingly left the front office’s hands mostly tied.

Outside of St. Louis, the Athletics and Tigers both reportedly expressed interest in Gibson at varying points during the winter, but both clubs have subsequently brought other rotation veterans into the fold and are no longer clear suitors for starting pitching help. The Guardians, Astros, Padres, and White Sox are among the teams who could theoretically make room for Gibson in their rotation but have not been publicly connected to the right-hander this winter. Aside from those more speculative fits, it’s worth noting that an injury or two could suddenly make a rotation spot available and push a team towards signing Gibson. After all, Quintana signed with the Brewers in a similar situation as the club dealt with injuries to youngsters DL Hall and Aaron Ashby. Other clubs that have suffered rotation injuries this spring include the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, and Cubs, though it’s unclear if any of those clubs would consider looking outside the organization to fill that void rather than relying on internal depth options.

Where do MLBTR readers think Gibson will ultimately land? Have your say in the poll below:

1. Brewers 40-man move, MRI results on the way:

The Brewers added a veteran arm to their rotation yesterday when they agreed to a one-year deal with southpaw Jose Quintana. That signing will require a corresponding 40-man roster move before it can become official. The Brewers don’t have an obvious candidate for a trip to the 60-day injured list at the moment, though an exact timetable for southpaw DL Hall, who’s dealing with a lat injury, remains uncertain. At the time of the injury, manager Pat Murphy said Hall would be shut down from throwing for several weeks. There’s been no firm update since, but that comment came nearly three weeks ago already. If Hall can resume throwing in the next week or two, he presumably wouldn’t need a two-month absence to begin the regular season.

The Brewers do have another injury situation to monitor, as lefty Aaron Ashby suffered an oblique injury during his start yesterday. He’s undergoing imaging to determine the severity of the issue. Initial tests suggested that Ashby’s injury is unlikely to require a months-long absence, but the Brewers could wait until they have more information about the southpaw’s timetable before designating a player for assignment to open a roster spot for Quintana.

2. Sasaki to make spring debut:

Among the many impact free agents signed this winter, perhaps none will have a spring debut more eagerly anticipated than right-hander Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old phenom came over to MLB this winter after four dominant seasons with NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines and eventually signed on with the Dodgers near the end of his posting window. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen) last week that Sasaki would make his first appearance today, though he won’t start the game. Rather, Sasaki is expected to follow behind starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the Dodgers square off with the Reds. The game, which is scheduled for 6:05pm local time, will see the Reds send top prospect Chase Petty to the mound opposite Yamamoto. Petty, a former first-round pick, came to Cincinnati in the 2022 trade that shipped Sonny Gray to the Twins.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

The first regular season games of the year are just two weeks away, though a handful of of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents remain unsigned and some clubs still have more work to do before the start of the season. Whether you have a trade proposal in the back of your mind or questions about an upcoming camp battle this spring, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be here to answer your questions during a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

With his 40th birthday just around the corner, Robertson is still searching for a landing spot ahead of what would be his 17th season in the majors. After a ten-year stretch as a quality late-inning arm for the Yankees and White Sox from 2009 to 2018 where he posted a 2.76 ERA (152 ERA+) with a nearly matching 2.77 FIP, Robertson faded from the spotlight for a few years due to injuries, leading him to pitch in just 19 games total between 2019 and 2021. While many veterans who miss the majority of three consecutive seasons due to injury in their mid-30s either retire or fail to re-establish themselves in the majors, Robertson picked right back up where he left off after signing with the Cubs in 2022.

Since then, Robertson’s played for five different teams across three seasons and found plenty of success. The righty has pitched to a 2.82 ERA (147 ERA+) with a 3.24 FIP in 201 innings of work with a 31.1% strikeout rate. With 40 saves in that time, Robertson is a capable ninth-inning pitcher who’s shown he’s also comfortable handling a setup role. That role flexibility is somewhat rare for elite veteran arms, and could make Robertson a viable option even for teams with a set closer in the ninth inning. Robertson’s overall profile would suggest that he’s likely to land a deal in line with other quality late-inning veterans like Kenley Jansen, Andrew Kittredge, and Jose Leclerc. With that being said, given the late point in the calendar and Robertson’s age, it wouldn’t necessarily be a shock if clubs had some concerns about his ability to get fully up to speed in time for Opening Day on March 27.

In terms of potential suitors, perhaps the most on-paper fit for Robertson’s services is the Diamondbacks. Arizona made no bones about their desire to add a late-inning arm with closing experience throughout the winter, but they’ve been unsuccessful in that pursuit to this point and instead have added middle relief veterans like Kendall Graveman and Shelby Miller as they look to add experienced arms to their relief corps. Robertson would be an immediate and substantial upgrade, but it’s difficult to see a financial fit between the sides given that Robertson is likely in line for a healthy one-year guarantee while the Diamondbacks are already at a franchise record level of spending after an offseason that saw them add star right-hander Corbin Burnes to the rotation. That could lead the club to focus instead on its internal options, a possibility MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored last week.

Plenty of other teams have been connected to Robertson throughout the winter aside from Arizona, though they all come with question marks of their own. The incumbent Rangers added plenty of talent to their bullpen this winter, but lack a proper closer after watching Robertson, Leclerc, and Kirby Yates all depart in free agency this winter. That’s enough to make Robertson a logical fit for the club on paper, but much like Arizona, the club appears to be at or near its budget capacity for the 2025 campaign, which would make adding Robertson to the fold a difficult task.

The Cubs and Tigers were both connected to Robertson at various points throughout the winter, and a return to Chicago in particularly was frequently bandied about in the rumor mill throughout the offseason. Those rumors persisted even after the Cubs added Ryan Pressly to handle the ninth inning, but their subsequent trade with the Dodgers to acquire Ryan Brasier may have put an end to their pursuit of Robertson. Meanwhile, the Tigers have not been connected to Robertson in earnest since signing right-hander Tommy Kahnle, although its worth noting that Kahnle has just eight career saves and that the Tigers were reported to be interested in specifically adding an arm with closing experience to their late-inning mix.

While those are the only teams that have been explicitly connected to Robertson this winter, there’s plenty of other potential suitors for his services. The Red Sox are known to have been in the market earlier this winter for a right-handed reliever who could join Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman in their late-inning mix. The Cardinals are known to covet a veteran right-handed relief arm to replace Kittredge in their bullpen, and the Phillies lost both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez this winter while only adding Jordan Romano. If a rebuilding club like the Marlins or White Sox was willing to invest some money into the big league roster, either one could reunite with Robertson in the first half before shopping him at the trade deadline for future talent.

Where do MLBTR readers think Robertson will ultimately land? Have your say in the poll below:

1. Yankees await imaging results:

The Yankees and their fans are waiting with bated breath for news on a pair of potentially key players for the 2025 club: right-hander Luis Gil and veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu. Gil underwent an MRI on his shoulder over the weekend after feeling what the club described as “tightness” in the area, while LeMahieu underwent imagining of his own after he “tweaked” a calf muscle on the basepaths during his first Spring Training game of the year. LeMahieu appeared to be the favorite to handle third base entering the season for the Yankees, while Gil was all but assured of the final spot in the rotation behind Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt.

If Gil ends up missing time, it appears likely the Yankees would turn to veteran Marcus Stroman to round out the rotation after coming up empty in their efforts to trade him this winter. At third base, a platoon of Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza seems to be the most likely outcome if LeMahieu misses time and no external additions make their way into the conversation.

2. Lawrence on waivers:

Over the weekend, it was reported that right-hander Justin Lawrence was placed on waivers by the Rockies in a somewhat unusual move for this juncture of the calendar. If Lawrence is claimed by a rival club, they’ll assume his $925K salary for 2025 and he’ll depart the Rockies for that organization. If he goes unclaimed, Colorado would have the option to outright him off the 40-man roster but could also simply keep him in the fold in his current role. Lawrence, 30, is an intriguing potential rebound candidate after struggling badly in 2024 but flashing past success at Coors Field despite the difficult conditions for pitching. Given the 48-hour window associated with waivers, a resolution to Lawrence’s placement on waivers should be coming in relatively short order.

3. Tigers reeling after outfield injuries:

It’s been a tough few days for the Tigers, as what once looked like an excess of potential position player options has been picked apart by injuries. Friday saw infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling ruled out for Opening Day due to a rotator cuff strain. Shortly thereafter, center fielder Parker Meadows had his own status for the start of the season thrown into question by a nerve issue in his right arm. Meadows has not been ruled out for Opening Day at this point, and the ailment could prove to be a relatively short-term issue. Even so, Detroit will now have to plan as though their starting right fielder and their starting center fielder will both miss the beginning of the 2025 campaign.

Frustrating as that is for Vierling, Meadows, and the Tigers, it does open up opportunities for other young players. Notably, outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy and slugger Spencer Torkelson could now have the opportunity to force their way back into the lineup as the club’s top right-handed bats who can help step in for Vierling. Malloy could simply replace Vierling in the outfield, or the club could shift Kerry Carpenter to right field, thereby opening the DH spot for either Malloy or Torkelson.

Neris, 36 in June, signed with the Phillies as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic and made his big league debut back in 2014. That was a cup of coffee that lasted just one inning, however, and he’d have to wait for the 2015 season to get a more substantial look in the majors. He did well enough with the opportunity, posting a roughly average 3.79 ERA in 32 relief appearances despite some lackluster peripheral numbers. It was still enough to earn Neris a regular role with the Phillies the following year, however, and the 2016 season kicked off the best stretch of the right-hander’s entire career.

From 2016 to 2019, Neris pitched to a 3.23 ERA (133 ERA+) with a 3.68 FIP in 270 1/3 innings of work. He struck out 31.3% of opponents during that time and also handled ninth inning duties for Philadelphia on a semi-regular basis, collecting 67 saves along the way. Those are all strong numbers, but a deeper look reveals an interesting twist to Neris’s performance in that stretch; he was a well below-average pitcher in 2018. While 2016, ’17, and ’19 all saw Neris post seasons that were between 43% and 63% better than league average by ERA+, that final year actually saw him pitch to a 5.10 ERA that was 19% worse than league average.

It wasn’t all bad for Neris in 2018, as his 37.4% strikeout rate was incredible and paired with a very manageable 7.8% walk rate, but injuries limited him to just 47 2/3 innings of work and an inflated .354 BABIP combined with an eye-popping 22.9% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio held him back from success that year. All of that combines into a much stronger season when looking at advanced metrics than Neris may get credit for on paper: despite his well below-average ERA, his FIP was actually slightly above average, while metrics like xERA (3.81) and SIERA (2.28) were even more bullish on the righty’s performance.

Neris spent two more years with the Phillies after that, though the results (a combined 3.84 ERA and 3.73 FIP in 98 appearances) were fairly unremarkable. The righty enjoyed a renaissance after signing with the Astros in free agency, however. Between the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, Neris posted a brilliant 2.69 ERA (150 ERA+) with a 3.10 FIP in 133 2/3 innings of work. He struck out 29.1% of opponents, walked 9%, and maintained strong numbers according to both xERA and SIERA. While he collected just five saves in that time due to the presence of closer Ryan Pressly, the right-hander returned to free agency last winter in line to receive a strong contract.

He wound up getting a one-year, $9MM guarantee from the Cubs last winter. Unfortunately for both Neris and Chicago, it proved to be an up-and-down season for the right-hander. Though he stepped into the club’s closer job when incumbent Adbert Alzolay went down with Tommy John surgery, Neris struggled with his command throughout his time with the Cubs. The right-hander walked a whopping 13.3% of his opponents in Chicago while striking out just 23.5% of them. While his 3.89 ERA and 4.10 FIP in 44 innings of work were more or less league average, it was hardly a surprise when the Cubs ultimately designated the veteran for assignment due to the wildness.

Neris was picked back up by the Astros for the stretch run and seemed to get his command under control for the most part with a 28.1% strikeout rate and a 3.1% walk rate. Unfortunately, his on-field production actually got substantially worse, as he was torched to the tune of a 4.70 ERA and 4.80 FIP in 15 1/3 innings of work after giving up four home runs in just 16 games. The lackluster season led Neris to linger on the free agent market this winter, and now he’ll ultimately have to battle his way back into a big league bullpen in camp this spring.

He’ll get the opportunity to do that in Atlanta, for a club that lost a key piece of its late-inning mix back in November when it was announced that right-hander Joe Jimenez would miss 8-12 months after undergoing knee surgery. That left a void in the Braves’ bullpen by removing the club’s top right-handed set-up man for closer Raisel Iglesias, and a return to form could see Neris challenge Pierce Johnson for that role in 2025. Even if he can’t recapture the production he flashed during his first stint in Houston, however, Neris could provide quality veteran depth to a Braves bullpen without much of it after losing Jimenez to injury and Grant Holmes to the starting rotation.

The role marks Eppler’s return to baseball after being placed on the ineligible list just over a year ago. That placement lasted only through the end of the 2024 World Series, and he’s been eligible to return to an MLB front office in the months since then. Eppler’s suspension was, in the words of MLB at the time of its announcement, for “improper use of Injured List placements, including the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper Injured List placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.”

Eppler’s violation occurred during his tenure as Mets GM, which lasted from shortly after the 2021 season until shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. Eppler was the club’s head of baseball operations during the vast majority of his tenure, but immediately after the 2023 season concluded the Mets announced the hiring of president of baseball operations David Stearns, who was set to take the reins and push Eppler into a number two role. That arrangement lasted a matter of only days, however, as Eppler almost immediately stepped down from his role with the Mets when news of MLB’s investigation into improper use of the injured list by the Mets first became public.

So-called “phantom IL” stints have been commonplace in the league for decades and have occurred on every team at one point or another, with some players even openly admitting that they aren’t actually injured while on the shelf. More nebulous diagnoses such as soreness or fatigue can be used by a club to offer a struggling player a physical and mental reset while clearing their roster spot for a period of time. The practice is technically illegal, but those rules have not typically been strictly enforced by the league. This made MLB’s investigation into the Mets and subsequent suspension of Eppler a cause for confusion for both many fans and even some within the game.

With Eppler’s suspension now a thing of the past, he’ll join a Brewers front office headed by GM Matt Arnold that was, coincidentally, run by Stearns until he eventually stepped down as the club’s top decision-maker and later took over baseball operations from Eppler. The specific duties of Eppler’s role as special advisor to Arnold are not yet clear, though his title falls in line with his past experience. Prior to serving as Mets GM, Eppler served as GM of the Angels from 2015 to 2020 and as assistant GM and director of pro scouting for the Yankees from 2005 to 2015.

Eppler’s teams have had relatively little success in the past, with his tenure as Angels GM going by without any playoff appearances while his two years with the Mets were split between a 100-win campaign and a missed postseason. Overall, that’s good for a 508-524 record and a .492 winning percentage over his seven seasons leading a baseball operations department. Even with that somewhat middling track record, the 49-year-old sports a long resume of high-level front office work, and his decades of experience figure to be a valuable resource for the Brewers going into the 2025 campaign.

“We certainly have guys in that service-time range,” general manager Brad Meador said (as relayed by Wittenmyer) when asked about extensions. “We’ve talked about some of it. We haven’t gone into real specifics with anyone. It’s been pretty vague with the agents.”

In particular, Wittenmyer notes three players who have expressed interest in getting a longer-term extension done with the Reds: veteran right-hander Nick Martinez, who reportedly discussed an extension with the Reds before accepting their Qualifying Offer back in November, as well as youngsters Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson. Those extension talks between Martinez and the Reds fizzled out once the right-hander accepted the QO, while Wittenmyer notes that both Steer and Stephenson expressed openness to the idea of an extension but there have not been talks between them and the Reds about the matter to this point.

Stephenson would appear to be the more urgent extension target should the Reds have interest. The 28-year-old was a first-round pick by the Reds back in 2015 and has five seasons in the majors under his belt. He rebounded from a down season in 2023 to establish himself as one of the better offensive catchers in the game last year, hitting .258/.338/.444 in 138 games. A free agent following the 2026 season, it wouldn’t be a shock if another solid offensive season from Stephenson put him outside of the Reds’ financial comfort zone as an extension target, though the 2026-27 free agent class features a number of interesting catching options as discussed by MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald last week. That could make Steer a more logical candidate for an extension in the long run, given that he’s under team control through the end of the 2028 season.

Speaking of Steer, the right-handed slugger received a cortisone injection in his ailing shoulder yesterday as he attempts to combat continued soreness after playing through the issue last year. While a timetable for his return remains unclear, manager Terry Francona emphasized his desire to avoid Steer playing through the issue again this year like he did in 2024, and did not shut the door on the possibility of a trip to the IL to open the season for Steer, as noted by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

“We need to discuss the next few days or the next week,” Francona said, as relayed by Sheldon. “Everybody points to Opening Day, and I get it, myself included. I’m not saying he’s not going to be ready, but we’ve got to do what’s right for him.”

If Steer is out of action to begin the season, that could open up more playing time for youngster Christian Encarnacion-Strand at first base early in the year. It could also benefit infielder Santiago Espinal by way of opening up third base in the event that Jeimer Candelario shifts across the diamond to cover first.

In more positive injury news, Wittenmyer relayed earlier today that southpaw Andrew Abbott threw his first bullpen session of the spring. Abbot had been behind in camp after a shoulder strain cut his season short last year, but Abbott told reporters (including Wittenmyer) after his bullpen session that it was a “big step” in his progression and that he believes he still has time to be ready to pitch in the first turn through the rotation when the season begins later this month. That would be welcome news for the Reds, particularly given the fact that right-hander Rhett Lowder also entered camp behind schedule. If healthy, Abbott figures to slot into the club’s rotation alongside Greene, Martinez, Brady Singer, and Nick Lodolo.

Criswell, 26 next week, made his big league debut with the Rockies just last season. A second-round pick by the Athletics in the 2020 draft, Criswell was traded to the Rockies in December 2022 in a deal that brought reliever Chad Smith to Oakland. At the time, Criswell was a starting pitcher, but the right-hander struggled badly in his first season with the Rockies at the Triple-A level and was torched to the tune of a 7.51 ERA in 121 innings of work. That led the Rockies to move him to the bullpen for 2024, and the results were mixed but largely trended positive.

Criswell’s top level production numbers at Triple-A last year remained unimpressive, even after his move to the bullpen. He surrendered an ugly 6.24 ERA in 57 2/3 innings of work with the club’s Albuquerque affiliate, but a look under the hood reveals a fantastic 30% strikeout rate against a middling but not unmanageable 10.1% walk rate. That largely translated over to his 19 2/3 innings of work in the majors, only with much better results. At the big league level last year, Criswell punched out 31% of opponents while walking 10.3%, leaving him with a sterling 2.75 ERA across 13 appearances.

The right-hander’s biggest bugaboo last year, both in the majors and minors, was the home run ball. Criswell allowed more than two home runs per nine innings in the minor leagues last year, and even in Colorado he surrendered four homers in his aforementioned 19 2/3 frames of work. That 23.5% home run to fly ball ratio is perhaps unsustainable and could lead to positive regression in the future, but a hefty 12% barrel rate leaves plenty of room for concern that Criswell’s more homer-happy nature could be a matter of performance rather than purely luck-based.

Even with those question marks, Criswell appeared likely to be strongly in consideration for a bullpen job with the Rockies this year, particularly after their decision to place right-hander Justin Lawrence on waivers yesterday. Those plans are scuttled now, however, and Criswell will instead return to action at some point in the 2026 campaign and look to pick up where he left off in 2024. In the meantime, the club will have to turn to other options in the bullpen such as Angel Chivilli, Luis Peralta, and Jake Bird.

That’s fairly good news overall, as Hoerner entered camp with an unknown timeline for return from surgery and it wouldn’t have necessarily been a shock to see him miss the first few weeks of the regular season. In that context, missing just the first two games of the year would be a notable win. What complicates matters further, however, is the questions surrounding top prospect Matt Shaw. The club’s presumptive starting third baseman, Shaw has been slowed by an oblique issue this spring and has yet to get into a game.

Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network relayed comments from manager Craig Counsell earlier this week on Shaw’s status. Counsell noted that the Cubs “aren’t ruling [Shaw] out for anything,” suggesting he could be in play for the Tokyo Series. With that being said, however, Shaw has not yet made his Spring Training debut despite Counsell referring to Shaw as “not too far” from getting into games last week.

While Hoerner is unavailable, utility man Jon Berti figures to slide into the opening at second base. If Shaw is also unavailable for the Tokyo Series, however, things could get a bit more complicated. The final bench spot for the club’s ultimately 26-man roster remains up for grabs, with Rule 5 pick Gage Workman, trade acquisition Vidal Brujan, and non-roster invitee Nicky Lopez all in the conversation to join Berti, Carson Kelly, and Justin Turner on the club’s bench.

Any of them could be in the conversation to cover for Shaw in the event that both Shaw and Hoerner are unavailable for the start of the season, although it seems as though Turner could be an option as well. The 40-year-old hasn’t played third base on a regular basis since 2022, but the veteran told reporters (including those at Marquee Sports Network) that he’s been taking “a lot of” reps at the hot corner this spring to stretch out his arm in order to be ready to fill in at the position if necessary.

Moving on to the bullpen, veteran right-hander Ryan Pressly was acquired from the Astros this winter to help bolster the club’s bullpen mix. Reporting at the time of the trade suggested that Pressly was assured that he would be the club’s top candidate for saves this season prior to waiving his no-trade clause to join the club. That could certainly be the case, and Lee writes that Pressly remains a favorite for the closer job, though it’s worth noting she also acknowledges young right-hander Porter Hodge as another potential favorite for save opportunities. Hodge dazzled in his rookie season last year, posting a sterling 1.88 ERA with a 2.75 FIP in 43 innings of work while picking up nine saves along the way.

Given that framing of Pressly and Hodge as both being potential favorites for the closer job, it’s possible that the club could utilize both hurlers in the ninth inning depending on matchups. For his part, Pressly expressed a preference for pitching in the ninth inning but made clear that he doesn’t see the role as assured.

‘‘I’ve done every role under the sun in the bullpen, but I really felt like I got my stride when I was in that ninth-inning role,’’ Pressly said, as relayed by Lee. ‘‘And I’m happy for the opportunity to be back in it. And now it’s just a matter of seeing what I can do with it.’’

Elsewhere in the bullpen, Lee reports that southpaw Luke Little threw live batting practice for the first time of the spring yesterday. Little has been slowed throughout camp due to what pitching coach Tommy Hottovy described to Lee as “typical offseason issues” that impacted the southpaw’s buildup this winter unrelated to the lat strain that ended his 2024 season. It’s unclear whether Little will be ready for domestic Opening Day or not, though as a reliever with options remaining in a crowded bullpen the southpaw may wind up starting the season at Triple-A Iowa even if he’s healthy.

Those strong results aren’t especially meaningful given the nature of Spring Training, but MASN’s Bobby Blanco noted yesterday that Soroka’s velocity was up substantially during the outing. Per Blanco, Soroka “nearly” averaged 95mph throughout the outing and topped out at 96.2mph. That’s a big step up from previous years of his career, where the right-hander has typically averaged around 93mph on his heater, with last year’s 93.5mph figure standing as his current regular season peak. One outing of just 39 pitches hardly guarantees that Soroka will be able to keep up mid-90s velocity throughout the regular season, but both Soroka himself and manager Dave Martinez appeared encouraged by the start, the latter of whom called it “very encouraging.”

“Yeah, absolutely. I think I knew I could,” Soroka said when asked about maintaining his velocity deeper into games, as relayed by Blanco. “In relief last year, for the most part, I was still throwing multiple innings. And to be honest with you, the feeling of where the fastball got to at the end of inning three was really exciting, because it feels like I can replicate it over and over again. It’s definitely the easiest I’ve ever thrown in the mid-90s… And yeah, I think after today, especially, I know I won’t have a problem, at least holding somewhere close to that.”

Soroka figures to be a fixture of the Nationals rotation this year if healthy, alongside southpaw MacKenzie Gore. Right-hander Jake Irvin, left-hander DJ Herz, lefty Mitchell Parker, veteran Trevor Williams, and NPB southpaw Shinnosuke Ogasawara are among the other candidates for the club’s Opening Day rotation as things stand. It’s a deep group of young and interesting arms, but none has posted a season that compares to Soroka at his best. A former first-round pick by Atlanta, the right-hander’s rookie campaign in 2019 was nothing short of dazzling as he posted a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts en route to a second place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Soroka’s been derailed by injury woes in the years since then, but he’s still just 27 and is coming off a healthy 2024 campaign, lending optimism to the possibility he could return to form.

Elsewhere on the roster, young outfielder James Wood is still working his way back from a bout of quad tendinitis that slowed him in the early days of camp. The injury hasn’t impacted his swing, allowing him to continue to get reps as a DH, and Spencer Nausbaum of the Washington Post laid out the club’s plan for Wood to return to the field. Wood is expected to DH in today’s spring game, and with a team off-day on Monday the club plans to get Wood some outfield work on the backfields to test his ailing quad. If that goes well, it’s possible Wood could then return to the outfield in games. Wood, 22, figures to serve as the club’s everyday left fielder in 2025 after a strong debut season where he hit .264/.354/.427 across 79 games.

Elsewhere on the diamond, infielder Luis Garcia Jr. was a late scratch from yesterday’s spring lineup and was sent home from camp due to illness. As noted by Blanco, Martinez told reporters that he wasn’t yet sure when Garcia would return to action, as the Nats don’t want Garcia passing his fever around camp. Fortunately, it seems unlikely that the illness will have any serious impact on Garcia’s ability to ramp up for Opening Day later this month. The lefty enjoyed a strong season last year as he slashed .282/.318/.444 in 528 trips to the plate.

As noted by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, manager Aaron Boone told reporters this afternoon that LeMahieu “tweaked” a calf muscle during his second at-bat during today’s game, which was LeMahieu’s spring debut. LeMahieu is receiving treatment for the issue, but Boone called the situation “at least a little concerning” given the veteran’s recent injury history. LeMahieu was limited to just 67 games due to a number of injuries last year, including a hip impingement that ultimately ended his season.

It’s a particularly troubling development seeing as LeMahieu was a likely candidate to be the club’s starting third baseman on Opening Day. A recent MLBTR Poll suggested that 27.5% of respondents expected LeMahieu to receive the lion’s share of playing time at third base this year. That was enough to beat out both Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza as the top internal candidate for the job, though a 34% plurality of respondents suggested that the Yankees’ primary solution at the hot corner was likely to be someone not yet in the organization.

Perhaps today’s injury will make that more likely if LeMahieu winds up unable to get back in time for the beginning of the season later this month, though the pickings remain quite slim on the market with part-time veteran Jose Iglesias standing out as the best infield option still available. If the Yankees can’t find an external solution for the hot corner before Opening Day, it seems likely that Cabrera and Peraza will handle the position in a timeshare until LeMahieu is ready to return, though it’s possible a player such as Jorbit Vivas or Pablo Reyes could make a push for the job as well.

Aside from the news regarding LeMahieu, Hoch suggests that the injury to Stanton could lead to a realigned outfield with Trent Grisham joining the lineup in center field, with Cody Bellinger sliding from center to right field and Aaron Judge moving to DH. Such an arrangement would improve the club’s defense overall by adding a plus glove in center field while also avoiding injury risks for Judge, the reigning AL MVP who stands out as the club’s most important player entering the year. Hoch adds that Boone noted that giving Judge occasional partial days off at DH could be valuable early in the season, though Boone was quick to emphasize that he also values Judge’s ability to contribute on defense in right field. On days where Grisham isn’t joining the lineup in center field and pushing a regular to DH, the club’s internal options to fill in for Stanton include youngster Ben Rice and non-roster invitee Dominic Smith.

Sticking with Judge, the MVP spoke to reporters (including Hoch) this afternoon about his desire to get more at-bats under his belt during Spring Training this year. Today was Judge’s first appearance in a Spring Training game of the year, and notably he received just 24 official at-bats in the spring last season. Judge suggested that additional reps before the season begins could help him to prevent a slow start like the one he had last year, where he batted just .197/.331/.393 in his first 149 trips to the plate before turning his season around in early May and hitting a sensational .357/.492/.787 the rest of the way. Obviously, that type of otherworldly production over the majority of the season would be more than enough to make up for another early-season slump, but Judge’s goal of getting something closer to 40 or 50 plate appearances in this spring is an understandable one given his struggles early last year.

The timing of the report is notable given that President Donald Trump commented on Rose late last night, suggesting that he would sign a posthumous pardon for Rose in the coming weeks. Qasim Nauman and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times were among those who reported on Mr. Trump’s comments this morning. Such a pardon would have no bearing on Rose’s status within the game of baseball, and Nauman and Schmidt note that it would instead focus on a five-month sentence Rose served in federal prison back in 1990 after filing false income tax returns.

Tax issues, of course, are not the reason that Rose is currently on baseball’s permanently ineligible list. MLB announced late in the 1989 season that an investigation had revealed Rose had placed bets on baseball, including games his team was participating in, during his time as manager of the Reds. Subsequent reporting in the decades following Rose’s placement on the ineligible list indicated that Rose also placed bets during his time as a player. Rose never admitted to those allegations, though he did acknowledge that he had bet on baseball as a manager in 2004.

Rose only bet on his team to win, and there’s no evidence that he made an attempt to fix any MLB game. Even so, that’s a violation of MLB’s biggest rule and grounds for a lifetime ban, leading the league to place Rose on the permanently ineligible list. Not long after Rose’s ban, in 1991, the Hall of Fame announced a policy stating that anyone who was suspended from MLB for life was ineligible for induction. As such, Rose has never been on a Hall of Fame ballot, though there’s little question that a lifetime .303/.375/.409 hitter with the most career hits in MLB history and 79.5 bWAR would be a slam-dunk candidate for induction if looking exclusively at his numbers on the field.

Ever since Rose’s suspension, the hit king’s worthiness for a Hall of Fame induction has been a divisive topic among fans of the game. An icon of the game with hitting records that could very well prove virtually unbreakable and a staple of Reds history with three World Series championships under his belt, Rose was among the very best players of his era. He remains a controversial figure, however, particularly in an era where the Hall’s voters made the controversial decision not to elect other titans of the game such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to Cooperstown in light of their association with the league’s performance-enhancing drug scandal and baseball has had to reckon with the increased presence of sports betting not only within United States culture, but also as a partner of MLB and its clubs.

The possibility that Rose could be posthumously reinstated from the ineligible list is the latest development in that debate, and could theoretically open the door for Rose to be considered for entry into Cooperstown. Representatives of the Hall of Fame have previously stated that players who are on the permanently ineligible list will not be considered for induction even after death, suggesting that Rose’s passing will have no bearing on the Hall’s willingness to consider him. Van Natta notes, however, that Manfred reportedly views placement on the permanently ineligible list as a punishment that ends upon the player’s death for “all practical purposes.” Formally removing Rose from the ineligible list, then, could open the door for the Hall to reconsider its stance on Rose’s eligibility.

Notably, Manfred himself has made clear in the past that the Hall of Fame’s decisions regarding Rose or any other player do not fall under his purview. As relayed by Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com at the time, “It is not part of [MLB’s] authority or responsibility here to make any determination concerning Mr. Rose’s eligibility as a candidate for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame… any debate over Mr. Rose’s eligibility for the Hall of Fame is one that must take place in a different forum.”

Kelly, 35, was a first-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2008. He quickly rose to minor league stardom, becoming a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport before he was traded to the Padres alongside future All-Star Anthony Rizzo in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez. Kelly made his big league debut with San Diego just a year later, though he struggled to a 6.21 ERA in 29 innings of work across six starts in that first big league cup of coffee. Tommy John surgery in 2013 forced him to stay away from the big league mound for quite some time after that, however, and upon his return in 2015 he was torched to the tune of a 7.94 ERA in 11 1/3 innings of work that brought the Padres chapter of his career to a disappointing end.

Kelly bounced through the Braves, Cubs, and Giants organizations over the next couple of seasons, even getting a brief look in the majors with Atlanta during the 2016 season, but it wasn’t until the 2018 campaign in San Francisco that the right-hander found success in the majors. That success was fairly limited, as Kelly pitched just 23 2/3 frames at the highest level that year, but his 3.04 ERA was the first above-average showing in the majors of his career. It even earned him some attention on the other side of the world, as Kelly went on to depart the Giants organization in favor of joining the Korea Baseball Organization’s LG Twins.

Kelly’s stint in Korea ultimately lasted six seasons, and saw him put together an impressive overseas career. The right-hander pitched to a 3.25 ERA overall in 989 1/3 innings of work for the LG Twins in parts of six seasons from 2019 to 2024. Those first four seasons were particularly impressive, as Kelly made at least 27 starts in each of them with ERAs ranging from 2.54 to 3.32 and solid peripheral numbers to match. Unfortunately, Kelly started to show signs of decline in 2023 that brought about the end of his KBO career in 2024 after he struggled to a 4.51 ERA in 19 starts for the LG Twins that led the club to cut him from the team in July of last year.

After being cut loose in Korea, Kelly made his way back into stateside ball with the Reds on a minor league deal. He managed to get called up to the majors for a brief stint down the stretch last year, his first stint in the majors in more than half a decade. He pitched just 5 1/3 innings for the Reds last year, surrendering three runs on three hits (one homer) and a walk while striking out four. The right-hander was then outrighted to Triple-A Louisville in August and elected minor league free agency back in October. Now, Kelly appears likely to serve as non-roster depth for the Diamondbacks headed into 2025. He’s got plenty of competition on the club’s pitching depth chart, with Jordan Montgomery, Ryne Nelson, and Tommy Henry among the pitchers just on the 40-man roster who could vie for a long relief role with the club this season.

Lawrence, 30, has parts of four MLB seasons under his belt since he debuted with the Rockies back in 2021. After struggling badly in a brief cup of coffee with the club during the 2021 campaign, Lawrence posted lackluster results in 2022 despite solid peripherals. While his 5.70 ERA that year was well below-average, a 3.39 FIP, a 3.54 xERA, and a 3.63 SIERA all suggested Lawrence had pitched much better than his surface level production would’ve suggested. He was a victim of a low 63.7% strand rate and an inflated .350 BABIP, but his strong 25.1% strikeout rate combined with a 50.8% groundball rate made clear the bones of a quality MLB reliever were present.

The right-hander then proved to be exactly that sort of quality MLB reliever the very next year, as he enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 at the age of 28. In 75 innings of work, Lawrence posted a 3.72 ERA with a matching 3.76 FIP while picking up 11 saves during a season where he shared the closer role with struggling veteran Pierce Johnson. Lawrence’s ERA that season may not jump off the page, but when factoring in the inflated offensive environment Rockies pitchers face at Coors Field he was actually well above average as demonstrated by his 134 ERA+. Lawrence’s peripherals more or less matched his work in the 2022 campaign, with a 23.9% strikeout rate, an 11% walk rate, and a 48.5% groundball rate. Entering 2024, it seemed as though the right-hander had a solid foundation for MLB success from which he could build off of going forward.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things worked out. Lawrence had the worst season of his career in 2024 as he surrendered a 6.49 ERA in 59 2/3 innings of work while his peripheral numbers regressed nearly across the board. Lawrence saw his walk rate tick up to 11.8% last year, while his strikeout rate plummeted to just 16.1%. Just four pitchers in the majors last year had a lower K-BB% than Lawrence, and in conjunction with the BABIP and strand rate related issues that are common for pitchers calling Coors Field home, it’s hardly a surprise that the right-hander struggled badly with metrics that mostly supported his poor performance including a 5.63 FIP, a 6.25 xERA, and a 4.73 SIERA.

In his first few outings this spring, Lawrence hasn’t looked much better. Spring results always need to be taken with a grain of salt, but the right-hander has looked wild with three walks and two hit batters against two strikeouts across three innings of work. That seems to have been enough for the Rockies, who expressed a desire to deal Lawrence this winter, to pull the plug. In doing so, the club opens up playing time for younger relief arms like Angel Chivilli and Jeff Criswell amid an noncompetitive season and could save the sum of Lawrence’s $975K arbitration salary if he’s plucked off waivers by another organization.

From when Lawrence is officially placed on waivers, rival clubs will have 48 hours to place a claim for his services. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll remain with the Rockies. The righty could be outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster at that point and stashed in the minors as depth, but Colorado would not necessarily have to do so and could just keep him in their big league bullpen going forward as well.