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White Sox Option Colson Montgomery

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The White Sox announced Tuesday that they’ve optioned top shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery to Triple-A Charlotte. He’ll begin the season there. Chicago also optioned righties Nick Nastrini and Owen White to Charlotte. Non-roster first baseman Tim Elko was reassigned to minor league camp as well.

The Montgomery news doesn’t register as a huge surprise, given the way his spring has played out. The 23-year-old is widely ranked among MLB’s 100 best prospects, but he was slowed by back spasms in camp and has only taken nine plate appearances thus far. The former No. 22 overall pick is also coming off a rough 2024 season in Triple-A. Though he hit well for the final five weeks of the season, he finished out the year with an ugly .214/.329/.381 slash (88 wRC+) and a 28.6% strikeout rate. A big spring showing certainly could’ve thrust Montgomery into the mix for a roster spot, but he’ll head back to Charlotte and work toward a big league debut that will very likely happen at some point in 2025.

With Montgomery headed for the minors, the White Sox’ options at shortstop include Jacob Amaya, Lenyn Sosa and Brooks Baldwin. Prospect Chase Meidroth, acquired from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade, is also still in the mix but is not on the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old Meidroth had a nice year in Triple-A Worcester in 2024 but has struggled in his limited spring work thus far. Amaya has seen the most time at short this spring out of any option for the position.

The White Sox only selected Montgomery to the 40-man roster this past November, doing so in order to protect him in his first offseason of Rule 5 eligibility. As such, this will be just the first of his three option years being burned (assuming he stays in Triple-A for more than 20 days). The Sox could’ve considered bringing Montgomery north in hopes of securing future draft picks under MLB’s prospect promotion incentive (PPI) program, but between his back issue, last year’s rough numbers and a 1-for-9 performance with five strikeouts when he was in the spring lineup, they’ll go another direction.

Nastrini started eight big league games last year but was tagged for an ERA north of 7.00 and walked more batters than he punched out. He whiffed a quarter of his Triple-A opponents but was still hit hard there. He’ll likely stay stretched out as a starter in Charlotte and should get multiple opportunities to establish himself in the majors in 2025.

White is a former top prospect with the Rangers who bounced around the league via waivers this offseason. He split 2024 between the bullpen and rotation for Texas’ top affiliate. White only pitched one official inning in a Cactus League game this spring.

Could The Rays Still Move A Starting Pitcher?

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The Rays entered the offseason with at least seven rotation-caliber arms on the roster. Each of Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Drew Rasmussen, Zack Littell, Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Pepiot has had success in a big league rotation, though injuries have hobbled several of that group in recent years. Tampa Bay already thinned out that stock of arms (and, naturally, trimmed payroll) by shipping Springs and lefty Jacob Lopez to the A’s in a deal netting them righty Joe Boyle, minor leaguers Will Simpson and Jacob Watters, and a Competitive Balance (Round A) draft pick in 2025.

The Rays now have “only” six starters with proven (to varying levels) track records in the majors. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that they’re still planning on a five-man rotation, however, adding that trading a starter in the late stages of spring training is “not out of the question.” At best, that very lightly leaves the door for a trade propped open. There’s nothing to strongly suggest the Rays are planning to deal from the rotation. Still, it’s nonetheless worth examining the team’s options if it comes to that point.

The veteran Littell would be the most obvious candidate to change hands. Tampa Bay moved the now-29-year-old righty from the bullpen to the rotation midway through the 2023 season, and the results have been better than anyone could’ve reasonably predicted. Littell solidified the staff in the second half of ’23 and pitched a career-high 156 1/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA over 29 starts last season. Since moving to a starting role after the Rays claimed him from the Red Sox, Littell has started 40 games and logged a combined 3.65 ERA with a lower-than-average 20.4% strikeout rate but a sensational 4.1% walk rate.

Each of the Rays’ other starting pitchers is signed or controlled via arbitration through at least the 2027 season. Littell is a free agent following the 2025 campaign. He’s being paid a reasonable $5.72MM. He’s not an ace by any stretch of the imagination, but based on how he’s fared since July 2023, the right-hander could step into the third, fourth or fifth spot in most big league rotations.

Trading anyone from the rest of the group is tougher to envision. McClanahan has pitched at a Cy Young level when healthy but missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s controlled through 2027. Moving him right now would mean moving their most talented starter at a time when they’d be selling low. Rasmussen signed a two-year deal with a club option earlier this offseason. That bought out his remaining arbitration seasons and gave Tampa Bay control over his first free-agent year by way of that 2027 club option. Flipping him so soon after signing him to that deal is extremely difficult to envision; MLB teams simply don’t sign a player to extension and then trade him prior to ever appearing in their jersey under the terms of that new contract.

Baz and Pepiot are under club control through 2028. The former is earning $1.45MM in 2025, while the latter has yet to reach arbitration. (Baz did so as a Super Two player.) Bradley can’t become a free agent until the 2029-30 offseason. We’re talking about the Rays, so the “never say never” caveat always applies to some extent, but acquiring four or five seasons of anyone from that bucket would very likely come at a steep price and require a team to part with MLB-ready bats that are both high-upside and controllable for a similar or even lengthier window.

Any team even contemplating a trade from the rotation at this stage of the calendar will be wary, of course. As we’ve seen throughout the league — most prominently up in the Bronx — perceived starting pitching “surpluses” can turn into deficits quickly this time of year. The Rays won’t move someone just to trim payroll, but they have depth even beyond the six arms mentioned here.

The previously mentioned Boyle, for instance, is having a nice spring and has experience in a big league rotation already. Following his acquisition in the Springs trade, president of baseball operations Erik Neander called the 6’7″ righty someone who has “the physicality and the stuff to fit at the front of the rotation.” Boyle averages nearly 98 mph on his heater but has severe command issues that need to be ironed out. Righty Jacob Waguespack might be Triple-A bound but has 105 2/3 big league innings under his belt. Prospects Joe Rock and Ian Seymour both had some success in Triple-A last year (the latter in particular). There’s no such thing as “too much” rotation depth, but that group could further embolden the Rays to listen on Littell or another big league starter if a team makes a compelling offer.

Latest On Alex Verdugo

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With fewer than three weeks until Opening Day, Alex Verdugo remains unsigned. The former Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees outfielder stands as one of the higher-profile names who’s yet to come to terms on a deal with a team for the upcoming season. He’s been tied to each of the Astros, Pirates and Angels over the course of the offseason, although the former two clubs have since signed different corner outfielders. Pittsburgh inked Tommy Pham on a one-year, $4.25MM deal. Houston brought Ben Gamel back on a one-year, $1.2MM deal (though reportedly, only Gamel’s $200K signing bonus is guaranteed on that deal).

It’s not fully clear what type of situation Verdugo has been seeking. The 29-year-old is presumably looking for a big league deal, even on the heels of a down year and in the waning stages of the offseason, but preferences regarding asking price, location, etc. remain unclear. Jon Heyman of the New York Post offers some context, however, reporting that prior to signing Pham, the Pirates “floated” the idea of signing Verdugo for  “around $8MM.”

It bears emphasizing that there’s no indication an $8MM offer was ever formally presented to Verdugo. Heyman’s report also doesn’t specify the timing of that “floated” proposal. If it was early enough in the offseason, perhaps Verdugo felt he had sufficient interest to eclipse that mark or at least other clubs showing interest at a similar rate.

It seems clear now that the opportunity in Pittsburgh has passed, with Pham in the fold there. The Bucs have Pham, Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds lined up for outfield work. Pham could always be pushed to a bench role, but he suggested early in camp that one of the reasons he chose to sign with the Pirates over other suitors was a greater opportunity for at-bats. It seems as though the Pirates communicated to Pham that he’d have the chance for plenty of playing time. Plus, with Pittsburgh’s payroll at $88MM — a bottom-of-the-barrel mark relative to the rest of the league but right in line with last year’s level for the Buccos — ownership may not be comfortable putting any more dollars into the team.

At this point in the offseason, it’s difficult to imagine Verdugo securing $8MM. There aren’t many teams with a clear need for a corner outfielder, and many of the potential suitors have minimal budget space. One of the reasons the Astros signed Gamel is that owner Jim Crane is loath to exceed the luxury tax for a second straight season. Gamel came at a bargain rate. Houston is less than $5MM from the CBT threshold, per RosterResource. The Royals have been seeking outfield additional bats, but their projected $132MM Opening Day payroll is the second-highest in franchise history and is already nearly $20MM north of last year’s mark.

At this point, it might take a spring injury to an established big league outfielder to spur a team to make a compelling offer to Verdugo. The Guardians (top prospect Chase DeLauter) and Tigers (Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling) both have injuries in their outfield mix, but there’s no indication either would consider a run at Verdugo. The Yankees increasingly seem unlikely to have Giancarlo Stanton for the early portion of the season, but they still have a full outfield (Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham) and seem to be near owner Hal Steinbrenner’s spending limit. The Rangers have had some injuries (Wyatt Langford, Adolis Garcia), but they’re short-term in nature and Texas is in a similar position to Houston with regard to the luxury tax.

Verdugo took to Instagram earlier this week to post a highlight reel with the caption “in due time” — a fitting descriptor of where things seem to stand. An opportunity will present itself eventually, but for now, it seems the 28-year-old (29 in May) will have to wait things out.

George Kirby Shut Down Due To Shoulder Inflammation, Will Open Season On Injured List

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Star Mariners right-hander George Kirby has been shut down from throwing due to shoulder inflammation and will very likely open the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list, general manager Justin Hollander announced to the team’s beat today (video link via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). There’s no structural damage at play, and Hollander made clear that Kirby felt he could continue pitching, but the team is understandably taking a cautious approach with such an important member of the pitching staff. Said Hollander:

“George Kirby has not been feeling great after his outings. In the outings, he’s throwing the ball well — same velocity as you would expect. He just hasn’t felt like he’s bouncing back great. We did an MRI — MRI looks great. No structural concerns whatsoever, and I will repeat that: zero structural concerns. There is some inflammation in there that we need to get out, so much to George’s chagrin, we are going to take the ball out of his hands. … This is more like a week-to-week thing than a day-to-day thing. We just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the big picture of the whole season as opposed to worrying about Opening Day.”

Hollander didn’t paint the issue as one that would require a long-term absence, but it’s nevertheless a cause for concern and a blow to the team’s short-term outlook. Kirby, the 20th overall pick in the 2019 draft, made his big league debut in 2022 and immediately cemented himself as one of the sport’s most promising young pitchers. The now-27-year-old righty has pitched 511 2/3 innings in the major and turned in a 3.43 ERA with a solid 23.3% strikeout rate and a minuscule 3.1% walk rate. He has arguably the best command of any pitcher in MLB and has parlayed that into an All-Star appearance and a top-10 Cy Young finish in his young career.

Kirby has never been on the major league injured list, though Divish notes that he missed a month during the 2021 minor league season due to mild inflammation in his shoulder and also had a bout of inflammation while pitching at the Mariners’ alternate site during the shortened 2020 season. Neither instance proved to be a long-term issue, and the M’s are surely hopeful that’ll be the case this time around as well.

There’s no immediate timetable for Kirby’s return. In his absence, Seattle will still have an outstanding top-four consisting of Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. Righty Emerson Hancock is the most experienced depth option on the 40-man roster, although the former No. 6 overall pick (2020) hasn’t yet lived up to that draft billing. He’s pitched in the majors in each of the past two seasons and delivered 72 1/3 innings with a 4.71 ERA. Hancock’s 7% walk rate is strong, but his 14.3% strikeout rate ranks seventh-lowest among the 449 pitchers with at least 70 combined innings over the past two seasons.

Other depth options in camp include righty Blas Castano, who’s also on the 40-man roster (but has not yet made his MLB debut) and non-roster invitees Logan Evans, Jhonathan Diaz, Luis F. Castillo and Casey Lawrence. Evans is generally ranked within the top 10 of an absolutely stacked Mariners farm system after posting a 3.20 ERA in 107 Double-A innings last year. He’s not far from being MLB-ready. Diaz and Lawrence are journeymen who’ve both had brief stints with the M’s in the past. Castillo made a brief MLB debut with the 2022 Tigers and has since spent two seasons in Japan, pitching to solid results.

For all the accolades heaped on their top-five starters, the Mariners are relatively light on depth options behind that prized quintet. It’s difficult to convince veterans who settle for minor league deals to sign on with a team that pretty clearly lacks a path to the majors, as exemplified by the Mariners and Phillies in recent seasons. The M’s generally need to rely on in-house development for depth. Hancock and Evans are products of that process, but the Mariners have also seen prospects like Taylor Dollard and Sam Carlson derailed by injury and traded others like Adam Macko, Connor Phillips, Brandon Williamson and Levi Stoudt in recent years.

It seems unlikely the Mariners would immediately go outside the organization for any sort of notable addition. Beyond the fact that Kirby doesn’t appear ticketed for a long-term absence, the M’s have scant payroll space, as their bare-bones offseason made abundantly clear. Beyond that, any new arms brought into the fold might not be built up in time to factor into the Opening Day rotation.

One route the team could take would be opportunistically grabbing a rotation arm off waivers if the opportunity presents itself, or scooping up a veteran who’s been in camp with another club but is informed he won’t make that team’s Opening Day roster. There aren’t any immediate options available in that regard, but as teams begin to set their rosters in the weeks ahead, both avenues can become more viable paths for Seattle to bolster its depth.

Aaron Ashby Shut Down For Two Weeks, Expects To Build Back Up As Starter

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Brewers southpaw Aaron Ashby has been sidelined by an oblique strain that’s likely to keep him on the shelf to begin the season, but the lefty did get some good news on his latest wave of imaging. Per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, the second opinion on Ashby’s most recent MRI was more favorable than the first. He’ll be shut down for two weeks and then anticipates that he’ll resume building up as a starter.

That the plan for him is to continue stretching out as a starter isn’t a huge surprise, given Milwaukee’s need for rotation depth. The Brewers just inked Jose Quintana on a one-year deal, but they also lost lefty DL Hall to the 60-day injured list and will be without Brandon Woodruff for the beginning of the season as he continues a slow build back from a significant 2023 shoulder surgery.

At present, the Milwaukee rotation includes Freddy Peralta, Aaron Civale, Nestor Cortes, Tobias Myers and Quintana. The Brewers also signed veteran swingman Tyler Alexander to a one-year deal last month, but the Quintana signing likely pushed him to the bullpen.

Depth options beyond that group are inexperienced. Righties Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick are on the 40-man roster but have yet to make their MLB debuts. Young righty Carlos Rodriguez has a dozen MLB frames to his credit. Fellow right-hander Elvin Rodriguez, who signed after a nice showing as a reliever in Japan, has all of 33 MLB innings. Non-roster options include Bruce Zimmermann and Thomas Pannone, neither of whom has had a sustained run of success in the majors. Top prospect Jacob Misiorowski will probably get a look in 2025, but he’s a 2022 second-rounder with only 170 pro innings to his name — just 17 of them coming in Triple-A.

It seems as though Ashby could be throwing before the end of spring training and thus could head out on a Triple-A rehab assignment early in the season. A mid- or late-April return seems plausible, barring setbacks. Ashby himself hasn’t quite solidified a spot in the majors, though he pitched quite well in 28 1/3 innings last year — mostly in relief. He’s oscillated between the rotation and the bullpen in Milwaukee through parts of three MLB seasons over a four-year span.

Entering the 2021 season, Ashby was among the Brewers’ top-ranked prospects. He showed promise in his rookie campaign, posting a pedestrian 4.55 ERA in 31 2/3 innings but punching out better than 29% of his opponents against a serviceable 9% walk rate. For a 23-year-old who’d just set down a gaudy 36% of his Triple-A opponents on strikes, it was a solid debut.

Ashby continued down a similar track in 2022. Though he was sporting a mid-4.00s ERA in July, he’d turned in excellent strikeout numbers and moved into the Milwaukee rotation. The Brewers and Ashby agreed to a five-year, $20.5MM extension that summer, which looked to lock the southpaw in as a foundational piece of the pitching staff.

As is too often the case for young pitchers, injuries intervened. Ashby hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation just one month after signing his contract. He returned for the final couple weeks of the season and pitched quite well. Further shoulder woes surfaced in 2023, however, and he missed most of the season with an impingement and a tear in his labrum.

Despite debuting in 2021, Ashby has only 167 1/3 big league innings. Though he’s yet to claim a long-term spot in the rotation, the fact that he’ll build back up as a starter once his oblique injury calms down suggests that he could get that opportunity this year. Presumably, a healthy Ashby would be one of the first names called if the Brewers incur an injury elsewhere following his return (depending on Woodruff’s status at that time). Ashby is still under contract through 2027, and the team holds a pair of club options on him for 2028 and 2029.

The Cubs’ Bullpen Outlook

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The Cubs entered spring training this year with their bullpen largely set. Offseason trade acquisitions of Ryan Pressly and Ryan Brasier added a pair of veteran righties — including a closer, Pressly — to the late-inning mix. Chicago signed lefty Caleb Thielbar to a one-year, $2.75MM deal. That trio joined Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller and Keegan Thompson as virtual locks. All three holdovers pitched very well in 2024, and the latter two are out of minor league options.

There are plenty of candidates for the remaining spots, the bulk of whom are on the 40-man roster already. Righty Julian Merryweather is coming off a poor showing in an injury-marred season that included an April rib fracture and season-ending knee surgery in September. He yielded 11 runs in 15 innings (6.60 ERA), but Merryweather was excellent in 2023, logging a 3.38 ERA and 32.3% strikeout rate in 72 innings for the Cubs. He’s also out of minor league options, which surely gives him a leg up on others. (Four scoreless spring innings with a 5-to-1 K/BB ratio so far isn’t hurting his cause, either.)

Others on the 40-man roster include righties Nate Pearson, Eli Morgan, Jack Neely, Daniel Palencia, Ethan Roberts and Gavin Hollowell. All have at least one minor league option remaining. However, the Cubs have at least one non-roster invitee who’s making a push for a spot: veteran righty Brad Keller.

Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote yesterday that Keller’s average fastball is up more than three miles per hour this spring, sitting 96.3 mph and topping out at 98 mph. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and manager Craig Counsell both spoke highly of Keller’s stuff this spring, with the skipper noting to Lee that Keller has been “more than we expected” so far in camp. Keller’s four runs in seven innings of work don’t stand out, but teams are far more focused on raw stuff, velocity and command when looking at such a small sample. Keller has allowed only seven hits and a walk while punching out six hitters and inducing grounders at a 48% clip so far.

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports that Keller’s velocity jump and smoother mechanics have not only made him a legitimate consideration to break camp but made it “likely” that the team will add Keller to the roster. The veteran righty has a looming opt-out opportunity in his deal, so the Cubs will either have to select his contract to the big league roster or risk him landing with another team. His minor league pact comes with a $1.5MM base salary, per Mooney, making Keller an affordable addition to the relief corps if the team sees fit.

Adding Keller to the mix, however, comes with complications. Right now, the Cubs have six relievers who cannot be optioned to the minors in the running for bullpen spots: Pressly, Brasier, Thielbar, Miller, Thompson and Merryweather. Hodge has a full slate of minor league options remaining, but coming off a 1.88 ERA and 31.7% strikeout rate in 43 rookie innings, he’s not going anywhere. He’s locked into a seventh spot in the ’pen.

Effectively, unless the Cubs are willing to move on from Merryweather, they only have one bullpen spot available. Plugging Keller into that spot would render their bullpen largely static, barring injury. Keller has more than five years of MLB service (6.062, to be more specific). He can’t be optioned without his consent.

That level of bullpen inflexibility is tough for any team to manage. Early off-days in the season would help, but if the Cubs needed to call up a fresh arm at any point, they’d be left choosing between optioning Hodge or designating someone for assignment. It’s not an ideal setup.  (The Mets faced a similar situation with their bench when weighing whether to re-sign Jose Iglesias, which is largely why he ended up with the Padres.)

The situation would only grow murkier when righty Javier Assad is healed up from an oblique injury. Assad has been ruled out for Opening Day and is presumably IL-bound to begin the year. If he returns in April, however, he’d likely push righty Colin Rea from the fifth starter’s spot to a long relief role. Rea, like many of his teammates on the staff, can’t be optioned. The Cubs could technically option Assad, but he pitched 147 innings of 3.73 ERA ball out of the rotation last year; his strikeout, walk an home run rates all point to some regression, but Assad has still pitched well enough to this point in his career (3.40 ERA in 294 innings) that he can be considered a lock when healthy.

It’s always possible that further injuries sort the situation out organically. Injuries, particularly on the pitching side of things, are an inevitability for any team over the course of a six-week spring training and 162-game season. But with the bulk of the pitching staff healthy right now and minimal flexibility due to their lack of optionable arms, the Cubs seem like they’ll be forced into some decisions on those out-of-options arms sooner than later.

Wilyer Abreu May Not Be Ready For Opening Day

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Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu has yet to appear in a spring game or even begin full baseball activities due to a bout with a gastrointestinal virus. Exact details on the illness are a bit murky. MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith wrote on Feb. 28 that Abreu looked noticeably thinner in camp. Abreu acknowledged to Smith that the virus has indeed caused him to lose “a little bit of weight” but suggested he thinks that could actually prove beneficial, as he feels more “in form” than he was last year.

While Abreu has taken an optimistic tone about his chances of being ready for Opening Day, The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey cast some doubt on that possibility this morning, reporting that Abreu has only been tracking pitches thus far and yet to even swing a bat. Manager Alex Cora suggested that Abreu is a ways behind schedule. There’s no definitive declaration that Abreu won’t be in the lineup versus the Rangers on March 27, but that first game is only 20 days out.

Abreu, 25, came to the Red Sox in the 2022 deadline deal that sent catcher Christian Vazquez to Houston. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and broke out with a terrific rookie showing in 2024, his first full season in the majors. Last year saw Abreu produce a solid .253/.322/.459 batting line with 15 homers, 33 doubles, a pair of triples and an 8-for-11 performance in stolen bases over the life of 132 games/447 plate appearances. He floundered in 67 plate appearances versus lefties but thrived against right-handed pitching and, above all else, proved himself one of the best defensive players in baseball — regardless of position.

By measure of Statcast, Abreu was nine runs better than average in right field. Sports Info Solutions’ Defensive Runs Saved metric pegged him at a massive +17. Both outstanding marks came in less than a full season’s worth of innings at the position (921). No right fielder in MLB provided more total value, per Statcast or DRS. (Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio and Jonny DeLuca were better on a rate basis but in smaller samples of innings.)

Unsurprisingly, Abreu won the first of what will likely be multiple Gold Glove Awards in his career. He also finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting and firmly entrenched himself in Boston’s outfield moving forward. It’s a crowded mix with everyone healthy, though if Abreu’s not ready for the season opener, that could lend some short-term clarity to what’s right now something of a logjam.

With a normal spring for Abreu, the expectation would’ve been for him to slot into right field, with 2024 breakout MVP candidate Jarren Duran in left and fellow defensive standout Ceddanne Rafaela in center. The Red Sox, of course, have two of the most electric and also near-MLB-ready prospects in the sport: Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony. Many outlets regard the latter as the top position-playing prospect in the game. Campbell has played more second base than outfield and is also in the mix at that position, though Boston’s signing of Alex Bregman could push Campbell into more of an outfield role — depending where he ultimately lines up on the diamond.

Even if Abreu isn’t ready for Opening Day, it’s not necessarily a lock that Campbell or Anthony would get the call in the outfield. For starters, neither is on the 40-man roster yet. Carrying either would require a corresponding 40-man move. More importantly, if Abreu is facing a short-term absence, the Sox may not want to bring up such a touted prospect for what amounts to a small handful of games. The 20-year-old Anthony only has 35 Triple-A games under his belt, after all, while the 22-year-old Campbell has just 19. Utilityman Rob Refsnyder and designated hitter Masataka Yoshida could certainly step into the outfield to help fill any short-term absences. Refsnyder would likely see plenty of outfield work as a platoon partner for Abreu anyhow.

Orioles Notes: Baker, Rodriguez, Burnes

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Orioles righty Bryan Baker stands as one of the more interesting out-of-options players in spring training this year. The 30-year-old righty is on the roster bubble in Baltimore after an ugly 5.01 ERA in 23 1/3 big league innings last season, but Baker averaged better than 96 mph on his heater and posted sharp strikeout and walk rates even amid that rocky showing. He’s thrown three perfect innings so far this spring and, despite last year’s ERA blip, carries a career 3.76 ERA in 139 MLB frames.

Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes that scouts around the league have been “tracking” Baker throughout the spring and that the “market for him is developing.” However, Andrew Kittredge’s health status could create a clearer path to the roster for Baker. The veteran Kittredge, who inked a one-year deal worth $10MM in Baltimore this offseason, has been dealing with a knee issue and is seeking multiple opinions.

Baker is one of six potential Orioles relievers who can’t be optioned to Triple-A, but he’s the least established of the bunch. None of Kittredge, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Cionel Perez or Albert Suarez is a candidate to be sent to the minors or jettisoned from the 40-man roster. The other spots in Baltimore’s bullpen are earmarked for Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano and returning closer Felix Bautista. Akin and Cano both enjoyed strong 2024 seasons. Bautista was one of the sport’s top relievers prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2023. If Kittredge requires an IL stint, that’d give the O’s an easy way to delay any tough decisions on Baker, but if the entire relief corps is healthy come Opening Day, Baker could be in a tough spot.

Elsewhere in camp for the O’s, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez downplayed his struggles and diminished velocity in his most recent start. Via Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun, the right-hander averaged just 93.2 mph on his heater in yesterday’s start against the Twins — three miles per hour shy of his 2024 average. Weyrich notes that Rodriguez hit 100 mph in his first spring outing last year, and the right-hander explained that he felt he came out too strong last year and felt some soreness as a result, so he’s building up more gradually.

Rodriguez noted that he felt “sluggish” and “flat” and struggled to spin the ball as he normally can, but he wasn’t concerned about the dip in velocity. That’s reassuring for Orioles fans, as Baltimore can ill afford any type of step back from the 25-year-old. Rodriguez started 20 games last year and recorded 116 2/3 innings of 3.86 ERA ball, fanning 26.5% of opponents against a 7.3% walk rate. The O’s, of course, lost Corbin Burnes in free agency and didn’t add a big-name arm to replace him, instead opting to fill those innings with one-year deals for 41-year-old Charlie Morton ($15MM) and 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano ($13MM). The Orioles’ rotation of Zach Eflin, Rodriguez, Morton, Sugano and Dean Kremer could be solid, but there are plenty of question marks among the group as well.

Burnes discussed his decision to sign with the D-backs earlier in the offseason, but the right-hander chatted with Jack Vita for the Baltimore Sun earlier this week and spoke highly of the Orioles organization, touting their long-term outlook and noting that the club made a strong effort to re-sign him.

The former Cy Young winner described the O’s as “definitely pretty aggressive early on” as his free agency process began. While Burnes has previously stated that the Orioles didn’t submit a formal offer — just “some verbal stuff” — his comments this week strongly imply he still knew where they were willing to go in order to keep him. He suggested the O’s were “in the ballpark” and “competitive” in their pursuit, but Burnes again was clear in stating that the D-backs were his preference all throughout free agency, given his family residence in Arizona and the ability to be home with his wife and three young children.

Rays Getting Jose Caballero, Richie Palacios Work In Center Field

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Defensive versatility is a hallmark of the Rays organization, and they’re expanding the role for utilitymen Jose Caballero and Richie Palacios this spring, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Caballero, who played plus defense at shortstop, second base and third base in 2024, is getting reps across all three outfield spots in camp. He played two innings in left field last season. Palacios already played five positions last year and is also getting reps in center. Topkin calls him the leading candidate to back up presumptive starter Jonny DeLuca.

Caballero, 28, came to the Rays in a Jan. 2024 trade sending Luke Raley to the Mariners. He doesn’t provide much offense, hitting just .225/.308/.338 in 243 MLB games and 763 plate appearances, but he’s been a plus defender around the infield and piled up 70 steals in 89 tries through a season and a half’s worth of games. Caballero logged the lion’s share of playing time at shortstop last year, but with Ha-Seong Kim now in the fold and Taylor Walls healthy, he’ll move into more of a jack-of-all-trades utility role.

The 27-year-old Palacios was acquired from the Cardinals — in exchange for Andrew Kittredge — on the same day the Rays picked up Caballero. He split the bulk of his time between second base and the outfield corners in his first season with Tampa Bay and drew solid or better defensive grades across those positions. Like Caballero, he didn’t hit for much average or power. Also like Caballero, he adds value to his offensive game with another skill, though not his speed; Palacios walked in a massive 14.2% of his plate appearances last season. He chased only 22.3% of pitches off the plate, per Statcast, ranking in the 87th percentile of hitters (min. 300 plate appearances).

That both players are getting looks in center field is of extra note given the lack of an established player at the position. DeLuca is in line to see the bulk of playing time there, but the 26-year-old hit just .217/.278/.331 in 362 plate appearances last year. DeLuca spent more time in right field than in left, and fielded the corner spot quite well (6 Defensive Runs Saved, 5 Outs Above Average). His work in center was graded closer to average (-1 DRS, 2 OAA).

If DeLuca doesn’t provide more offensively and/or prove to be a standout defender in center, it’s feasible that either Caballero or Palacios could get more looks there. Tampa Bay also has outfielders Kameron Misner and Jake Mangum on the 40-man roster, each of whom has experience in center. More broadly, whoever ends up seeing the bulk of the early time in center could prove a placeholder for fleet-footed prospect Chandler Simpson.

Simpson is still relatively new to center field — the 24-year-old was a middle infielder in college ball — but he hit .355/.410/.397 between High-A and Double-A last season and is an 80-grade runner who’ll be one of MLB’s fastest players if and when he debuts. Simpson only hit one home run in 2024 but swiped a staggering 104 bases in only 110 games played — all while fanning in only 8.5% of his plate appearances.

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