Notes

Cubs Notes: Infield, Pressly, Little

By Nick Deeds | March 2, 2025 at 10:55am CDT

The Cubs’ infield alignment figures to be in flux throughout both the Tokyo Series and perhaps even into the early days of the season stateside. As noted by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers earlier this week, second baseman Nico Hoerner will not be participating in the Tokyo Series with the Cubs as he recovers from offseason flexor tendon surgery. Instead, Hoerner will stay behind in Arizona in hopes of being ready for the start of the stateside regular season on March 27, which Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun Times notes the infielder currently appears to be “on track” for.

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.

Nationals Notes: Soroka, Wood, Garcia

By Nick Deeds | March 2, 2025 at 8:55am CDT

After moving to the bullpen with the White Sox down the stretch last year and finding great success with a 2.75 ERA and a 39% strikeout rate in 36 innings of work after converting to relief, right-hander Michael Soroka now figures to get another crack at starting in D.C. after signing a one-year deal worth $9MM. Soroka made his spring debut for his new club yesterday, posting three scoreless innings while walking one and striking out three.

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.

Yankees Notes: LeMahieu, Outfield, Judge

By Nick Deeds | March 1, 2025 at 10:49pm CDT

It’s been a tough few days on the injury front for Yankees fans. After the club announced yesterday that right-hander Luis Gil is set to undergo an MRI due to shoulder troubles and not long after it was made public that slugger Giancarlo Stanton will begin the season on the injured list due to soreness in both elbows, another potentially key player for the club went down with a potential injury: veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu.

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.

AL Central Notes: Guardians, Taylor, Jenkins

By Mark Polishuk | March 1, 2025 at 3:35pm CDT

The Guardians’ estimated $100.4MM payroll is lower than the $104.2MM they spent in 2024, as per RosterResource’s calculations, and Cleveland also moved a lot of long-term money off the books by trading Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw to the Blue Jays in separate deals. Despite what might seemingly be a bit of extra money available for the Guards to spend before Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks the team won’t dip into free agency for any late additions, and is more likely to re-invest those savings towards possible extensions for current players on the roster.

Early-career extensions have long been a key plank of Cleveland’s team-building strategy, dating back to John Hart’s tenure as general manager in the 1990’s. On the current team, Jose Ramirez, Emmanuel Clase, and Trevor Stephan are all playing on multi-year extensions, and there are plenty of interesting talents the Guardians might look to lock up for the future. Steven Kwan is in his first of three years of arbitration eligibility, and Tanner Bibee stands out as the top extension candidate among the Guards’ long list of pre-arb players. It takes two to tango, of course, so there would have to be an equal desire on the part of any interested players in working out an extension that is acceptable to both sides.

AL East Notes: Varsho, Bello, Orioles

By Mark Polishuk | March 1, 2025 at 12:10pm CDT

Daulton Varsho underwent rotator cuff surgery in late September, with the expectation that he would likely start the season on the 10-day injured list, even if his absence wouldn’t stretch too far into April. That timeline isn’t much clearer now that Spring Training is well underway, but Varsho logged his first Grapefruit League action yesterday, going 1-for-3 with a homer while acting as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter in a 10-7 win over the Tigers. Getting back to regular hitting action is certainly a good sign for Varsho, and Jays manager John Schneider also provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) with some updates on Varsho’s defensive progress.

“There’s more boxes to check, like throwing to the bases on back-to-back days,” Schneider said. “This was another good day for him, throwing out to 120 feet, so I think it’s more about how he’s rebounding from those once he does start throwing to the bases and getting into games….We’re trying to take this in three- or four-day buckets. He’s progressing well. I don’t want to put anything past him or say [Opening Day is] not a definite possibility. It will go right down to the end as long as he doesn’t have any setbacks. If he’s there, great. If he’s not, we know he’s going to be soon.”

The defense is the biggest factor in Varsho’s recovery, as the Gold Glove winner is one of baseball’s best defensive players. Matheson figures Joey Loperfido is the top candidate to fill in for Varsho in center field if an IL stint is indeed required, though these early results provide some optimism that Varsho could be ready to go for March 27.

Padres Notes: Reynolds, Hoeing, Paplham

By Mark Polishuk | February 23, 2025 at 11:27pm CDT

Sean Reynolds is suffering from a stress reaction in his right foot, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Reynolds will be wearing a walking boot “for at least the next week and a half.” Padres manager Mike Shildt didn’t yet know how much ramp-up time Reynolds might need after the boot is removed, leaving some doubt as to whether or not Reynolds might not be part of the Opening Day roster.

A knee injury already cut short Reynolds’ rookie season after nine MLB appearances and 11 innings, ending a very first strong first impression for the right-hander. Reynolds had an 0.82 ERA and 42.9% strikeout rate during his small sample size, with those eye-popping stats countered by a more modest 10.2% walk rate. In the minors, Reynolds had good strikeout numbers and plenty of control problems, though he only entering his fifth pro season as a pitcher after transitioning from first base and outfield work in his first four years in the Marlins’ farm system.

Reynolds’ fastball clocked within the 95mph range in the minors, but he dialed it up to 96.9mph during his brief stint in San Diego last year. The 26-year-old’s live arm made him a contender to be part of the Padres’ bullpen mix, though his foot injury now sets back his chances of breaking camp with the team. Reynolds has a minor league option remaining, giving the Padres some flexibility in moving him back and forth from Triple-A after he gets healthy.

Bryan Hoeing also made an impact after coming to the Padres along with Tanner Scott at last summer’s trade deadline, as Hoeing posted a 1.52 ERA in 23 2/3 regular-season innings. However, Hoeing is also a question mark in camp, as his first throwing session won’t take place until tomorrow due to a sore right shoulder.

Tests haven’t revealed any structural damage, but Hoeing told Acee that his shoulder has been “barking.” The injury isn’t thought to be overly serious, yet Hoeing’s timeline or his own chances of being part of the Opening Day roster can’t be determined until Hoeing gets onto a mound and starts his throwing progression.

In other pitching news, right-handed pitching prospect Cole Paplham appears to have avoided the worst after he was hit in the face by an Aaron Bracho line drive during today’s game with the Dodgers. Paplham obviously needed some time to recover, and eventually walked to a golf cart that took him off the field. Shildt said Paplham was undergoing testing and “he was conscious, seemed alert, knew where he was. But clearly a scary thing.”

Royals Notes: Rotation, Cameron, Bowlan, Mitchell

By Mark Polishuk | February 23, 2025 at 4:48pm CDT

Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and the re-signed Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen project as the Royals’ top four starters, setting up a competition for the fifth spot between such pitchers as Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, and Daniel Lynch IV. However, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes that left-handed prospect Noah Cameron might also be on the radar as at least a depth arm, since Marsh (shoulder soreness) and Wright (hamstring strain) are both dealing with injuries.

Marsh’s right shoulder first began to bother him during his offseason ramp-up process, leaving the Royals taking a cautious approach to Marsh’s workload in spring camp. Marsh did throw his first bullpen session of the spring on Friday, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be fully ready to go by Opening Day, given the slowed throwing progression.

In Wright’s case, his hamstring strain is thought to be mild in nature, though he’ll be delayed around a week in recovery. It makes for a frustrating late development near what seemed to be the end of a much longer rehab process for Wright, who hasn’t pitched since September 2023 due to shoulder surgery. Those shoulder problems also limited him to 31 innings during the 2023 season, so it has more or less been a two-year odyssey for Wright to return to form as a regular starting pitcher.

Bubic is now probably in the driver’s seat for the fifth starter’s job, yet he is being built back to a starters’ workload himself after a Tommy John surgery cost him most of the last two seasons. Bubic was able to return to action last July and pitched well in a relief role, with a 2.67 ERA over 30 1/3 innings out of the K.C. bullpen.

All this uncertainty could open the door to a youngster like Cameron. Rogers writes that the Royals have “reassured Cameron that he’ll be helping out in Kansas City at some point in 2025,” which would mark the 25-year-old’s MLB debut. The club already showed some faith in Cameron by adding him to the 40-man roster last November, in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.

Cameron was a seventh-round pick for the Royals in the 2021 draft, and he made a great accounting for himself with a 2.32 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, and 6.7% walk rate over 54 1/3 innings with Triple-A Omaha last season. Baseball America ranks Cameron as the eighth-best prospect in the Kansas City farm system, describing him as “a finesse lefthander” with an interesting four-pitch arsenal, highlighted by a 60-grade changeup. Cameron’s fastball touched the 96mph threshold last season but he generally throws the pitch in the early 90s, still getting good results due to “the deceptive life on the pitch and its good vertical carry.”

The Royals also signed veteran swingman Ross Stripling to a minors deal last week, adding to the list of rotation candidates. One name not mentioned as part of the competition is Jonathan Bowlan, since Rogers says the Royals see the right-hander as a relief pitcher heading into 2025. Using Bowlan as a reliever could allow K.C. to take better advantage of his one remaining minor league option year, plus Rogers writes that Bowlan’s stuff “probably ticks up in short stints.”

Bowlan has worked as a starter for most of his minor league career, but he came out of the bullpen in 19 of his 35 appearances in Omaha last season. The splits were telling, as Bowlan had a 2.77 ERA in 26 relief innings and a 5.58 ERA across 80 2/3 innings as a starter, as well as a much lower walk rate as a reliever.

Since Bowlan’s walk rate had started to tick upward over his last couple of minor league seasons, this improved control is a particularly interesting sign. Working as a reliever might also help Bowlan get more of a foothold in the big leagues, as his MLB resume consists of three appearances and 5 2/3 innings over the last two seasons, with Bowlan posting a 7.94 ERA in that small sample size.

In other Royals prospect news, one of Kansas City’s top minor leaguers hit a significant setback, as Blake Mitchell will undergo surgery to fix a fractured right hamate bone. (Manager Matt Quatraro revealed the news to Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star and other reporters.) Mitchell will need 4-6 weeks of recovery time, meaning Mitchell will miss the rest of spring camp, and will need to participate in extended Spring Training to make up for the lost prep time. Hamate injuries aren’t usually too serious, yet it will cut into some important development time for the 20-year-old backstop.

Mitchell was the eighth overall pick of the 2023 draft, and was a fixture within the top-100 prospect lists this spring — ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel ranked him highest as the 42nd-best prospect in the sport. Mitchell is already considered a solid defensive catcher, and he hit .232/.368/.424 with 18 home runs over 486 plate appearances last season, almost all of which came at A-level Columbia. Pundits are mixed on Mitchell’s future as a hitter, but he has solid power potential and some unusual strength on the basepaths for a catcher. Despite a lack of speed, Mitchell still stole 26 bags in 33 attempts last year.

Red Sox Notes: Third Base, Giolito, Murphy

By Nick Deeds | February 23, 2025 at 2:50pm CDT

The Red Sox have been dealing with some tension around the infield this spring, as their recent acquisition of Alex Bregman has led to questions about where Bregman—and, by extension, Rafael Devers—will play in 2024. Bregman is the superior defender at third base, but Devers to publicly emphasized that his position is third base. Meanwhile, team officials have refused to declare either Devers or Bregman the starting third baseman to this point. Today, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke to reporters (including MassLive’s Sean McAdam) about the situation, and downplayed the severity of any clubhouse issues that could arise over the team’s infield alignment.

“I think having really good players that are talking about positions is not a terrible place to be in,” Breslow said, as relayed by McAdam. “…my obligation is to put the best team on the field, on both offense and defense that I can possibly can… So we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

Breslow’s comments seem to clearly indicate that the club has no intention of handing him the third base job out of respect for his tenure at the position. Given that the club seems to be staying the course of determining its infield alignment based on performance this spring, Breslow noted that he has confidence in the ability of manager Alex Cora to handle any concerns within the clubhouse resulting from the ongoing battle for third base.

“But part of the reason we as an organization feel that Alex is the perfect manager for the Red Sox is his ability to command a clubhouse, his ability to communicate with players across different cultures and ethnicities.” Breslow said, as relayed by McAdam. “He’s such a great communicator. …any time you have a talent roster, there are players who are going to want more playing time or fill different roles. You rely on the manager to be able to have those conversations and get everybody moving in the same direction.”

Should Bregman ultimately be installed at the hot corner with Devers moving to DH, Cora’s ability to communicate and command the clubhouse may be put to the test. Devers has long maintained his desire to stick at third base and has clearly expressed a very strong preference to remain at the hot corner all throughout his career, and Cora himself has even acknowledged that Devers was promised that he’d be the club’s third baseman long term when he signed a 10-year extension with the club prior to the 2023 season. Of course, that pact came under former chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom rather than Breslow, opening the door to the tensions the Red Sox are facing today.

Elsewhere on the roster, the Red Sox are dealing with a number of injury woes impacting their rotation. Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito are all behind at this point in camp due to various ailments, but Christopher Smith of MassLive relayed a positive update on the status of Giolito. While Giolito has been a bit slow out of the gate this year as he continues to recover from the internal brace procedure he underwent last spring, he noted earlier this winter that he expects to be ready for Opening Day. Per Smith, a major step in the right-hander’s process of preparing for the start of the season will take place tomorrow, when he’s scheduled to throw his first live batting practice since going under he knife last year.

Giolito’s status entering the season figures to take on outsized importance for the Red Sox given the fact that both Crawford and Bello are nursing injury situations of their own. Smith adds that Bello threw from 90 feet today as he battles back from a bout of shoulder soreness, and that his progression from here will be determined by a strength test later today. As for Crawford, the right-hander is still feeling discomfort due to his patellar tendon in long toss and bullpen sessions. It’s a worrying sign for the right-hander, who pitched through knee issues for much of the 2024 season. Those problems have lingered into the start of camp this year and appear to be putting Crawford’s availability for Opening Day in doubt.

In more pleasant injury news, Smith writes that southpaw Chris Murphy has resumed throwing bullpens after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in April. The southpaw isn’t expected to be a factor for the Red Sox in at least the early part of the year year, but Smith relays that Murphy hopes to pitch in the majors at some point in 2025 wouldn’t completely rule out a return in the first half of the season. For now, he’s taking things slowly with 10- and 15-pitch bullpen sessions, both of which featured exclusively fastballs.

A return late in the first half or even at some point in the second half would be a welcome development for the Red Sox, as the 26-year-old looked like an interesting piece during his rookie season back in 2023. The lefty appeared in 20 games for Boston as a multi-inning reliever, and while his 4.91 ERA in those 47 2/3 innings was fairly lackluster he still managed to open some eyes thanks to a solid 23.1% strikeout rate and a 3.70 FIP. Once he’s healthy, the southpaw could compete with players like Cooper Criswell and Josh Winckowski for a spot as a long man in the Red Sox bullpen this year.

Dodgers Notes: Kim, Ohtani, Miller

By Nick Deeds | February 22, 2025 at 10:11pm CDT

Hyeseong Kim figures to have a clear path to a role as the Dodgers’ regular second baseman after the club traded Gavin Lux to the Reds earlier this winter. Even so, L.A. is keeping their options open with the longtime KBO infielder. According to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, the Dodgers are planning to try Kim in center field this spring.

Kim, 26, has played second base for the vast majority of his career but also has significant experience at shortstop alongside fairly brief cameos in the outfield corners and at third base. Kim is already being utilized at both middle infield positions, but now the club appears poised to give Kim opportunities in center as well in the hope that he can provide them with a left-handed option at the position. Switch-hitter Tommy Edman figures to be the club’s starting option at the position this year, but he’s been a far better hitter against left-handed pitching throughout his career to this point. Other alternatives to Edman like Enrique Hernandez, Chris Taylor, and Andy Pages are all right-handed, while lefty center fielder James Outman appears to have fallen several places down the club’s depth chart at this point.

That creates an opportunity for Kim, who is coming off a .326/.383/.458 season for the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. If Kim struggles offensively in his first taste of big league action as his countryman Ha-Seong Kim did during his debut 2021 campaign with the Padres, it’s at least theoretically possible that the Dodgers could eventually opt to utilize veteran infielder Miguel Rojas or even Edman as their regular second baseman, relegating Kim to more of a utility role. If that were to come to pass, Kim having the versatility to handle center field against right-handed pitching would be a major asset for the Dodgers given their heavily right-handed bench and center field options.

Elsewhere on the roster, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani continues to work towards his return to the mound after missing the 2024 season due to elbow surgery. Plunkett notes that manager David Roberts relayed to reporters that Ohtani touched 95 mph on his heater during today’s bullpen session. That’s a noteworthy development after he oscillated between 92 and 94 mph during last week’s session. Roberts also added that Ohtani incorporated his cutter into the bullpen session today, a change which he described as a “big step.”

The star’s projected timeline for a return to the mound has not changed, as he’s expected to first begin pitching in games sometime in May. Even so, it’s surely encouraging for Dodgers fans that their superstar remains on the right track and is making good progress as he navigates a tricky rehab process that will require him to balance rehabbing his arm as a pitcher and preparing for the regular season as a hitter.

Plunkett also relayed an update on right-hander Bobby Miller, who was struck in the head with a 106mph comebacker during the first Spring Training game between the Dodgers and Cubs on Thursday. Miller appears to have suffered mild symptoms as a result of the incident, previously telling reporters he was only dealing with “headaches and drowsiness.” Even so, Miller won’t be back in games for the Dodgers for a while yet. He relayed to Plunkett that he’s “got to pass some steps” before being cleared to resume baseball activities, and the first box that needs to be checked is for Miller to be completely symptom-free before he resumes workouts and eventually returns to games. Miller is in the mix for the fifth starter job to open the season, but both Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May appeared to be more likely candidates for the job entering Spring Training.

Red Sox Injury Notes: Crawford, Bello, Giolito, Rotation, Abreu

By Mark Polishuk | February 22, 2025 at 2:43pm CDT

When the Red Sox opened camp last week, Kutter Crawford stood out as an immediate injury concern due to a lingering knee problem that first arose last April. The situation hasn’t much improved, as manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (multiple links) and other reporters that Crawford’s right patellar tendon is still giving him discomfort following a long-toss session on Thursday and a bullpen session yesterday.

“Opening Day, right now, is an ’if.’ Let’s see what happens,” Cora said. “[Crawford is] not feeling well. He’s behind. We’ve got to make sure the knee is good so the shoulder doesn’t suffer.”

Unfortunately for the Sox, Crawford isn’t the only pitcher facing uncertainty early in camp, as Brayan Bello has been dealing with shoulder soreness since the start of spring camp. Cora said Bello will undergo a strength test tomorrow, as the Red Sox continue to evaluate the right-hander’s status. To date, Bello has been throwing, but the team has been taking it relatively slowly with this progression, and Cora said Bello hasn’t thrown any bullpens. Between the two starters, Crawford seems to be more of a question mark than Bello, as Cora said that “with Kutter, that’s the one it looks like is going to be long.”

With over a month before Opening Day, there is plenty of time for either pitcher to still get healthy for the season in general, even if the Red Sox could be cautious in placing Crawford and/or Bello on the 15-day injured list just to provide more ramp-up time. In theory, Boston has a good deal of pitching depth on hand in the form of Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester and Michael Fulmer, so any of these arms could fill in for Crawford, Bello, or Lucas Giolito, who is still working through his rehab from an internal brace surgery from last March.

Only five proper starters will be needed in the early going, as Cora confirmed that Boston will be using a five-man rotation. Reports in January indicated that the Sox were at least thinking about a six-man staff in order to best utilize and manage its starting depth, but Cora said “we haven’t talked about a six-man. You guys have talked about it. If we go that route, it’s for a reason. For right now, we’re taking the best five and using the bullpen.”

This lines the staff up as Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Giolito if healthy enough for Opening Day, and then potentially one of the depth starters if Bello and Crawford indeed aren’t available. Plans could certainly change given Boston’s busy early schedule, as both Cotillo and Cora noted that the team plays on 19 of the regular season’s first 20 days.

The injury bug is also impacting Boston’s position players, as Wilyer Abreu has yet to start workouts due to a gastrointestinal virus. A team spokesperson told Cotillo and other reporters that Abreu received “some abnormal labs” on his illness, but the “labs have been getting better, and he’s feeling better, but they’re waiting for those to get back to a normal range before baseball activity.”

More testing is coming on Monday, Cora said, and Abreu will sit through the weekend. A timeline isn’t in place for how much time Abreu could still miss, or whether or not this absence could cost him any time on the injured list at the start of the season. Abreu is slated for another heavy role in Boston’s outfield this season, as the Gold Glover looks to build on a very successful rookie year.

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