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Brandon Nimmo Limited By Right Knee Soreness

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Brandon Nimmo played in his second Spring Training game on Thursday, serving the Mets’ designated hitter against the Red Sox.  It was Nimmo’s first on-field action in over a week, as right knee soreness and a gel injection to battle inflammation kept the outfielder on the sidelines.  The Mets were already taking Nimmo’s ramp-up slowly in a nod to the plantar fasciitis issue that bothered him for much of 2024, yet Nimmo told the New York Post’s Dan Martin and other reporters that his left foot is no longer much of a concern, or at least less of a concern than his knee.

In terms of what created the knee issue, Nimmo feels a swing adjustment he made this spring added some extra stress on his joint.  He also cited some longstanding MCL and cartilage damage based on a torn ACL Nimmo suffered 15 years ago when he was a high school football player.  While Nimmo has had plenty of injury problems during his baseball career, his right knee has been pretty stable until now.

At the moment, Nimmo said he is only able to run at about 80 percent of his normal level.  “For sure, there’s definitely still some soreness [and] still some pain when I get above those levels,” Nimmo said.  “We try to keep things at a controlled level of pain.  Up to a certain threshold is OK, but if you go much past that, then you do more damage than you’re trying to gain.”

The plan is for Nimmo to get into the “90-95 percent” range before he starts to focus on more high-impact outfield activity, beyond tracking balls and other light drills.  Anything less, and Nimmo feels he could be putting both his knee and the Mets’ outfield defense at risk.  In terms of overall readiness, both Nimmo and manager Carlos Mendoza were cautiously optimistic that Nimmo should be ready for Opening Day in at least a DH capacity.

The Mets have already been hit hard by injuries this spring, as Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Francisco Alvarez, and Jeff McNeil will all start the season on the injured list, and Nick Madrigal’s season has probably already been ended by shoulder surgery.  A DH-only version of Nimmo wouldn’t help with this lack of depth, though Jesse Winker or Tyrone Taylor could step into left field in the interim.  If Nimmo is limited just to DH, however, it could crowd Starling Marte out of more at-bats.

Latest On Erik Swanson

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Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson is dealing with a median nerve entrapment in his throwing arm, as the Jays announced to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson and other reporters yesterday.  Swanson received a cortisone shot to deal with the issue, and won’t throw for a few days while the shot takes effect.

It still seems likely that this setback is enough to put Swanson on the injured list at the beginning of the season, as was related last week when Swanson reported discomfort in his throwing elbow.  An MRI came back clean without any sign of structural damage, so Swanson has at least avoided any kind of longer-term elbow problem.

A median nerve entrapment (which is related to carpal tunnel syndrome) isn’t exactly a small matter since nerve issues have no set recovery timeline.  On the plus side, there hasn’t been any indication that Swanson might miss any great amount of time, even if a more concrete plan might not be known until the right-hander starts throwing again.

Acquired from the Mariners in the 2022-2023 offseason, Swanson was outstanding in his first year in Toronto, but injuries contributed to a rough start to his 2024 campaign.  Swanson dealt with some forearm tightness during last year’s Spring Training and a subsequent IL stint delayed his start to the season, and he then struggled so badly over his first 18 appearances that he was sent to Triple-A.  Swanson returned to the big leagues after the All-Star break and then seemed like his old self, making for some rather glaring splits — a 9.20 ERA in 14 2/3 innings in the first half and a 2.55 ERA over 24 2/3 frames in the second half.

Given the dismal state of Toronto’s bullpen last season, the Blue Jays badly need Swanson to stay healthy and fully bounce back to his past form as a key setup man.  New signing Jeff Hoffman looks to be in line for the closer’s job, with Chad Green, Yimi Garcia, Nick Sandlin, and Swanson all lined up for high-leverage work.

Matt Waldron Suffers Oblique Strain, May Begin Season On IL

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Right-hander Matt Waldron sustained a mild oblique strain yesterday, Padres manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell and other reporters.  Waldron suffered the injury while warming up in the bullpen for a scheduled relief appearance in the Padres’ Cactus League game.

While Waldron is officially considered day-to-day, Shildt said the knuckleballer is “going to need some rest for some period of time, which will be determined.”  Simply given the nature of oblique injuries and the timing, Shildt admitted that Waldron’s chances of making the Opening Day roster “would seem like it would be in jeopardy.”

The news would seem to erase any chance Waldron had of winning the fifth spot in San Diego’s rotation.  An 8.68 ERA over 9 1/3 spring innings wasn’t helping his cause, and Waldron’s planned usage out of the pen on Friday might’ve hinted that the Padres were considering a long relief role for the right-hander.  Naturally the first order of business will simply be for Waldron to get healthy, giving the team time to decide whether Waldron could be used as a reliever, or as a Triple-A depth starter.

Waldron has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors since the Padres acquired him in the 2020-21 offseason, and he has started 32 of his 35 career MLB games, posting a 4.79 ERA over his 188 innings in the Show.  Injuries within the Padres’ rotation opened the door for Waldron to get a good amount of playing time, including 146 2/3 frames last season, though a 12.76 ERA over his last four starts suggested that Waldron ran into some fatigue.

Assuming a late trade doesn’t change the equation, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish, and Nick Pivetta are slated to be the Padres’ top four starters.  Stephen Kolek, Randy Vasquez, and Kyle Hart are the remaining candidates for the fifth starter’s job now that Waldron has seemingly been removed from the competition.

Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays came up short on most (but not all) of their many pursuits of star free agents this winter, and the ship may have already sailed on the team's efforts to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension.  Amidst all the pessimism surrounding the Jays' future, the team did make some notable moves to try and reload the roster after a disappointing 2024 campaign.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $59MM (not counting Tate/Walker)
Total spending: $156MM

Option Decisions

  • None

Trades & Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

Toronto hitters combined for only 156 home runs and a .389 slugging percentage in 2024, so a 44-homer bat like Anthony Santander should bring some much-needed thunder to the lineup.  The Blue Jays made a hefty $92.5MM investment that Santander can build on the career year that saw him hit .235/.308/.506 over 665 plate appearances for the Orioles, while handily topping his previous high of 33 homers (in 2022).

Santander's overall hitting profile is a concern, as evidenced by the low batting average and OBP.  However, Santander still posted an above-average walk rate despite the low on-base number, and his strikeout rate remained above average in 2024 even though chasing pitches has been an issue for his entire career.  The switch-hitter is certainly a power-first (if not quite a power-only) type of batter, yet the profile fits for a Jays team lacking in pop and in left-handed hitting balance.

Santander will step right into the lineup as the everyday left fielder, and he'll probably get a decent share of DH time given that his glovework is considered only passable.  As defense-focused as the Blue Jays have been over the last couple of years, they continued to move in that direction with a surprising trade for arguably the sport's best defensive second baseman.

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Offseason In Review: Miami Marlins

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The rebuild continued in South Beach, as the Marlins continued to move experienced talent for prospects.

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $3.5MM
Total spending: $3.5MM

Option Decisions

  • None

Trades & Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

Miami's offseason began with a big internal housecleaning, as the Marlins parted ways with their entire coaching staff, and several behind-the-scenes employees ranging from the team's dietician to the traveling secretary.  The headline name among all the Marlins' new hires was Clayton McCullough, chosen for his first big league managerial position after a long career as a coach and coordinator in the Dodgers' organization, and as a manager at multiple levels of the Blue Jays' farm system.

McCullough's history of working in player development and with players at both the Major and minor league levels bodes well for his stewardship of a Marlins team that continues to look towards the future.  Of all the players on the Marlins' 40-man roster, only Sandy Alcantara and new signing Cal Quantrill have more than four years of MLB service time, as president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has already significantly overhauled the roster after a little over 16 months on the job.

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Francisco Alvarez Out 6-8 Weeks Due To Left Hamate Surgery

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11:09PM: Alvarez suffered the injury while taking a swing during live batting practice yesterday, Mendoza told the New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters.  Mendoza expects Alvarez to miss the full eight weeks due to the added wear-and-tear that catching duties will place on his left hand.

9:52AM: Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez will undergo surgery to fix a fractured left hamate bone, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Newsday’s Tim Healey).  Alvarez will miss the next 6-8 weeks recovering from the procedure.

It’s an unwelcome development for both Alvarez and the Mets, and it marks the second straight season that Alvarez has suffered an early-season injury to his left hand.  Last April, Alvarez suffered a torn thumb ligament that required surgery, and he ended up missing a little over seven weeks’ time.  He returned in mid-June and hit .237/.311/.411 with 10 home runs in 283 plate appearances over the rest of the regular season, but Alvarez struggled to a .577 OPS over 47 PA in the playoffs.

Considered one of the game’s top prospects during his time in New York’s farm system, Alvarez has posted almost exactly league-average production with a 99 wRC+ over his 779 career PA at the Major League level.  These numbers are still quite respectable for a catcher that just turned 23 last November, plus Statcast has given his defense (particularly his framing) above-average grades, even though his blocking left a lot to be desired in 2024.

If Alvarez is going to make the jump from solid regular to star in 2025, it’ll now have to wait until at least the latter half of April.  Hamate fractures or breaks are common enough that the 6-8 week timeline is more or less set in stone for most players, though naturally complications can arise when dealing with any hand-related injury.  Such normal actions as gripping a bat could take a bit of re-familiarization, and Alvarez’s left hand will also be tested by regularly catching pitches.

With Alvarez sidelined, Luis Torrens now becomes the top catcher on the Mets’ depth chart.  Acquired in a trade with the Yankees last May, Torrens hit .229/.292/.373 in 130 PA with the Mets last season, which roughly matches his career slash line over 937 PA and parts of seven big league seasons.  Torrens did a great job of throwing out baserunners (would-be stealers were only 12-for-23 against him) last year but isn’t considered a great defensive catcher overall.

Torrens and Alvarez are the only catchers on New York’s 40-man roster, and Jakson Reetz’s eight career MLB games make him the only other backstop in the organization with any big league experience at all.  It seems exceedingly likely that the Mets will now look to acquire another experienced catcher or two to compete for playing time over the remainder of Spring Training.

These new faces could come in the form of players cut from other teams’ spring camps, or perhaps a club could be already be looking to trade a non-roster invitee catcher if the club knows this player won’t be part of their Opening Day plans.  Looking to the free agent market, former Mets catcher James McCann is unsigned and could be brought back as a familiar face.  Yasmani Grandal is also a known quantity to David Stearns, as Grandal played for the Brewers in 2019 when Stearns was Milwaukee’s president of baseball operations.

Alvarez’s hamate fracture is the latest in a series of injuries to have already hit the Mets this spring.  The rotation has been thinned out since Sean Manaea (oblique strain) and Frankie Montas (lat strain) will both start the season on the injured list, and backup infielder Nick Madrigal is expected to miss the entire season after undergoing shoulder surgery.  While Alvarez’s injury is comparatively less serious, the lack of catching depth makes his absence a trickier roster hole to address.

Dodgers’ Michael Grove Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

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6:20pm: Per Ardaya, Grove underwent surgery to repair his right labrum. Roberts added that Grove attempted to pitch through the issue dating back to last season, but the club opted for surgery after the issue did not respond well to an offseason of rest.

12:58pm: Michael Grove’s season has already come to an end, as the Dodgers right-hander underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder and will now miss the entire 2025 campaign, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports.  Grove’s last 2024 appearance came in Game 2 of the NLDS, and he was removed from the Dodgers’ playoff roster after that game with the first occurrence of this shoulder issue.

Manager Dave Roberts stated two weeks ago that Grove was expected to start the season on the injured list, as recovering from that postseason shoulder problem had cost the righty about a month of his normal winter ramp-up work.  It isn’t yet known if Grove was trying to pitch through more discomfort or if a new issue was discovered after testing, but regardless, the 28-year-old will now unfortunately be sidelined until 2026.

This marks the second major surgery of Grove’s baseball career, as he had a Tommy John procedure in 2017 when he was still playing college ball at West Virginia.  The Dodgers were still intrigued enough by his potential to make Grove a second-round pick in the 2018 draft, though between his injury rehab, the canceled 2020 minor league season, and simply some struggles in his first taste of pro ball, Grove didn’t really start delivering good numbers until 2022.

That same year saw him make his big league debut in the form of 29 1/3 innings of 4.60 ERA work, as Grove started six of his seven games.  The right-hander started 12 of 18 MLB appearances in 2023, with Los Angeles cycling Grove up and down from Triple-A multiple times whenever they needed a fresh arm in the rotation or bullpen.  Grove was also shuttled back and forth several times last season, though he worked primarily as a reliever and posted a 5.12 ERA over 51 innings.

Grove’s 5.48 ERA over 149 1/3 career Major League innings isn’t very impressive, yet his SIERA is a far more palatable 3.85.  With decent strikeout (23.2%) and walk (6.9%) rates, plus several other solid peripherals, Grove’s under-the-hood numbers paint a far better picture of his ability, though he has a penchant for allowing home runs at inopportune times.  Injuries also hampered Grove over the last two seasons, as he missed significant chunks of time with groin and lat-related issues, beyond the shoulder injury that took him off the Dodgers’ postseason roster.

Los Angeles overcame an absurd number of pitching injuries to capture last season’s World Series, and it already looks like the Dodgers’ staff will be facing more health issues in 2025.  As per RosterResource’s projections, ten pitchers are set to begin the season on the injured list, with issues ranging from relatively minor injuries to season-ending problems (i.e. Grove’s surgery, or River Ryan and Kyle Hurt probably missing 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgeries last year).  This is on top of the several pitchers with checkered injury histories who are expected to be part of the Opening Day roster, such as Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

The Dodgers are so deep in pitching that the team is hoping the sheer volume of available arms can help cover for any more injuries that might arise during the season, and this is also why L.A. was so aggressive in adding Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and others to their depth chart.  While Grove isn’t exactly a household name amidst all of the Dodgers’ superstars, losing another innings-eating reliever removes another layer of security from the Dodgers’ plans.

Luis Rengifo Questionable For Angels’ Opening Day Roster

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Infielder Luis Rengifo has played in just one Cactus League game, and he has now been sidelined for over a week due to a nagging hamstring injury.  Rengifo described the problem as just a cramp, yet after being twice scratched from the Angels’ lineup within the last week, manager Ron Washington told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) that the team will “back off” and give him more time to recover.  Washington said that Rengifo had been battling an illness that also delayed his spring work, and with all of these setbacks in mind, Washington wasn’t sure if the infielder will be able to break camp with the team.

Putting Rengifo on the 10-day injured list to begin the season might be worthwhile if it allows Rengifo to put all his spring injuries fully behind him, and gives him some extra time to properly ramp up for the start of his 2025 campaign.  With over two weeks remaining before the Angels’ first regular-season game, Rengifo might yet be able to get on track if he can return to Spring Training action relatively soon, yet the clock is ticking on his readiness.

Losing Rengifo even for a bit of time would deliver another hit to an Angels infield that is already down two players.  Zach Neto will miss the start of the year due to his ongoing recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, though Neto is expected to take the field before April is over.  Anthony Rendon underwent hip surgery last month and has already been placed on the 60-day IL, and given Rendon’s lengthy injury history and the significant recovery time any player would require coming off a hip procedure, it is fair to wonder if Rendon might get on the field at all before 2025 is out.

Kevin Newman is expected to play shortstop while Neto is out, and the infield injuries had already seemingly opened the door for veteran minor league signings Tim Anderson and J.D. Davis to be part of the Opening Day roster.  If Rengifo is also out, Scott Kingery, Carter Kieboom, or Yolmer Sanchez are other players in camp with MLB expreience, or the Angels could look within their system to promote Kyren Paris or 2024 first-rounder Christian Moore (who has already been getting reps at both second and third base).

When healthy, the versatile Rengifo may very well get some time at shortstop or third base as the Angels try to plug as many holes as possible.  However, the Halos’ plan was for the bulk of Rengifo’s playing time to come as the team’s regular second baseman.  Rengifo has played all three of those infield positions during his six Major League seasons, and also gotten some playing time at all three outfield positions (primarily right field).  Heading into spring camp, Los Angeles was intending to give Rengifo some more looks as a center fielder, but that plan obviously got scrubbed by Rengifo’s hamstring woes.

Rengifo had another injury concern hanging over him even before Spring Training began, as he underwent a wrist surgery last August that brought an early end to his 2024 campaign.  That procedure cut short what was shaping up as Rengifo’s most productive year at the plate, as his .300/.347/.417 slash line over 304 plate appearances translated to a 117 wRC+.  Previously known just for his defensive flexibility, Rengifo has posted above-average and steadily improving wRC+ numbers in each of the last three seasons.

This production made Rengifo a popular figure at last year’s trade deadline, though the Angels elected to keep the utilityman as he is heading into his last season of team control.  Between his multi-positional ability and another good year with the bat, a healthy Rengifo could line himself up nicely for a noteworthy free contract next winter, and he’ll likely draw more trade attention this summer if the Angels are again out of contention.

Reds Notes: Injuries, Steer, Collier

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Spencer Steer’s ongoing right shoulder problem has been one of the key storylines of the Reds’ spring camp, and manager Terry Francona had some positive news about Steer’s status in conversation today with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters.  Steer’s shoulder showed “marked improvement” during an examination yesterday, Francona said, and the team’s plan is for Steer to start a swinging progression at some point this week.

It is still too early one way or the other to know if Steer can be ready for Cincinnati’s Opening Day lineup, though it is a good sign that Steer’s shoulder seems to be responding well to the cortisone shot he received last week.  Steer felt good enough to play as a DH in three Cactus League games prior his cortisone shot, as he related to reporters last weekend that he has no discomfort when swinging or even directly throwing, but he feels a twinge in his right shoulder when he is preparing to throw.

This issue has been bothering Steer since last season, and his shoulder tweak has continued even after the offseason.  The Reds could continue to let Steer play solely as a DH, but Francona has already stated that the team wants this injury to be corrected once and for all, so Steer can continue his usual role in the field.  This is of particular import to the Reds since the versatile Steer was slated to spend time at both corner infield positions and in left field, and limiting Steer just to designated hitter duty wouldn’t be ideal.  Keeping Steer out of action entirely and on the injured list is also obviously not a good scenario, yet giving Steer more time to fully recover has long-term benefits.

In other Reds injury news, prospect Cam Collier suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb and will undergo surgery to correct the problem on Thursday, Francona told the media (including Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Enquirer).  Collier won’t be able to hit for the next 4-6 weeks, though he won’t be entirely kept out of all baseball-related activities.  Francona noted that “hopefully while he’s down he can just [work on] his legs and turn something that could be perceived as a negative into a positive.”

Collier was selected 18th overall in the 2022 draft, and he is rated as one of baseball’s top 100 prospects by The Athletic’s Keith Law (who ranked Collier 83rd) and MLB Pipeline (90th).  Collier hit .248/.355/.443 with 20 home runs in 507 plate appearances with high-A Dayton last season, and he already has parts of three pro seasons on his resume before his 20th birthday.  While Collier showed development at the plate, however, Law raised questions about his weight and conditioning, and the possibility that Collier might size himself out of his natural third base position.

Jurickson Profar Suffers Bone Bruise In Left Wrist

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TODAY: Profar’s CT scan revealed a bone bruise on his left wrist, Bowman reports.  While a painful injury, the team expects Profar should be ready for Opening Day.

MARCH 8: Braves left fielder Jurickson Profar suffered what the club described as a jammed left wrist during today’s Grapefruit League game with the Pirates.  Profar suffered the injury while trying to make a diving catch of a line drive in the fourth inning, and the outfielder was in obvious discomfort in the aftermath of the play.

X-rays were negative on Profar’s wrist, and Braves team trainer George Poulis told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) that there is hope that Profar has avoided any more serious injury.  The final diagnosis won’t be known for certain, however, until Profar undergoes an MRI to check for structural damage.

Profar was the Braves’ biggest offseason acquisition, as his huge 2024 season with the Padres resulted in a three-year, $42MM free agent deal from Atlanta.  Profar has been rather notoriously inconsistent during his MLB career, but he delivered his best numbers at age 31 and in his 11th season in the Show.  Signed to just a $1MM guaranteed last winter, Profar exploded for 24 home runs and a .280/.380/.459 slash line over 668 plate appearances with the Padres, earning All-Star and Silver Slugger recognition.

Since Ronald Acuna Jr. will miss some time at the start of the season recovering from his torn ACL, signing Profar was a logical way for the Braves to bolster their outfield ranks.  The plan was to have Profar and Michael Harris II play every day in left and center field, with Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz platooning in right field until Acuna is healthy, though if Profar now has to miss any time, Kelenic and De La Cruz could be bumped up to regular status in the corner outfield slots.  Eli White could get more playing time in this scenario, and non-roster invitees Jake Marisnick or Conner Capel might have a path to the Opening Day roster if Profar winds up on the injured list.

Losing Profar to the IL would be another blow to Atlanta’s everyday lineup.  Beyond Acuna still being on the mend, Sean Murphy broke a rib after hit by a pitch last week, leaving the starting catcher out of action for the next 4-6 weeks.  Top catching prospect Drake Baldwin is available as Murphy’s likely fill-in, but filling a hole in the outfield is trickier since the Braves were already lacking depth on the grass with Acuna out.

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