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Sean Murphy Out Four To Six Weeks With Cracked Rib

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Braves catcher Sean Murphy has a cracked rib on the left side of his ribcage and will be out for the next four to six weeks, manager Brian Snitker announced this morning (link via Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He sustained the injury when he was hit by a pitch during a Grapefruit League game this past Friday.

The injury opens the door for top prospect Drake Baldwin to potentially make his big league debut on Opening Day, though Baldwin is not yet on the 40-man roster and will likely still need to earn the job with a nice showing in camp. Since Atlanta surprisingly declined Travis d’Arnaud’s option at the start of the offseason and let him walk in free agency, the other in-house options include Chadwick Tromp (who’s on the 40-man roster) and veteran non-roster invitees Curt Casali and Sandy Leon.

Murphy, 30, is entering his third season with the Braves and will miss the beginning of the season for a second consecutive year. An oblique strain suffered on Opening Day last year sent Murphy to the injured list on March 30 and sidelined him into late May. That was the first major league IL placement of Murphy’s career, but with the season set to open in just over three weeks, he’ll all but assuredly start the 2025 campaign with his second career IL stay.

The 2024 season was the worst of Murphy’s career. It clearly didn’t start on a high note with that early oblique injury, but upon activation from the injured list he didn’t hit anywhere near his prior standards, slashing just .193/.284/.352 in 264 plate appearances. He still smacked 10 homers and graded as a strong defender, but Murphy’s strikeout rate climbed to its highest point since 2021 (25.4%).

More damaging was a huge spike in both Murphy’s ground-ball rate (career-high 53.9%) and infield fly rate. Among the 324 players who tallied 250 plate appearances in 2024, only 12 hit a higher rate of grounders than Murphy. For a player ranked in the eighth percentile in Statcast’s average sprint speed, that’s clearly suboptimal. Beyond the influx of ground-balls, roughly one in six of Murphy’s fly-balls was a hapless pop-up to the infield. He entered the 2024 season with only 9% of his flies being of the infield variety (and just 3.8% in 2023).

Murphy’s struggles really date back to September of 2023. The first five months of his Braves tenure could scarcely have gone better. He slashed .271/.379/.520 with 20 homers in 383 plate appearances, making the All-Star team and looking every bit like the star catcher Atlanta envisioned when trading for and extending him. Murphy hit just .111/.273/.178 in 55 September plate appearances in ’23, but given his track record that seemed like little more than a late slump.

Perhaps that was indeed the case, but with Murphy’s rough 2024 season now tacked onto that poor finish the year prior, he’s running a pretty lengthy stretch of struggles at the plate. In his past 329 plate appearances — including ten in the playoffs — he’s lugging a .181/.280/.319 batting line.

Of course, any talk of Murphy’s recent struggles should mention that they’re short-lived relative to his longstanding all-around production. From the time of his 2019 debut through August 2023, Murphy hit .237/.333/.434 with premium defense. By measure of wRC+, he was 16% better than an average hitter at the plate, which is even more impressive for his position, as the average catcher in that span tended to be around 12% worse than average with the bat. From 2019-23, Murphy ranked third among all catchers in FanGraphs’ wins above replacement, trailing only J.T. Realmuto and (much more narrowly) Will Smith.

He’ll look to get back on track once he’s past this rib injury, but Murphy’s looming IL stint does give the aforementioned Baldwin an opportunity at his MLB debut. The 23-year-old is widely considered among the sport’s top 100 prospects. Atlanta’s third-round pick in 2022 split the 2024 season between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting a combined .276/.370/.423 with 16 homers, a 13.1% walk rate and a 17.2% strikeout rate. He’s not considered the super-premium defender that Murphy is, but scouting reports have credited him with improving defense. Baseball America credits his ability to manage a pitching staff as a particular plus element of his defensive game.

The Braves aren’t going to want to have Baldwin up on the big league roster without regular at-bats available to him. It’s possible that he hits well enough this spring to break camp and then forces the issue further by getting out to a hot start in the majors. In that scenario, perhaps Murphy and Baldwin could shoulder a roughly even split of the workload behind the plate. That’d keep both fresh and would mirror many other catching situations around the league, as several clubs have moved away from one iron man catcher and a seldom-used backup (as was more common in prior generations). If Baldwin struggles, though, he could always be sent to Triple-A for further development. He’s still less than three years from being drafted, after all, and has all of 141 games above A-ball under his belt.

The Braves have Murphy signed at $15MM per season through 2028, plus a club option over the former All-Star’s 2029 campaign. Baldwin has yet to debut, meaning he has six years of club control — or nearly seven, if the team keeps him in the minors for more than a couple of weeks in 2025 but bring him to the majors for the remainder of the year.

The Opener: Yankees, Lawrence, Tigers

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On the heels of a busy morning around the league, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:

1. Yankees await imaging results:

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

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

2. Lawrence on waivers:

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

3. Tigers reeling after outfield injuries:

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

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

Braves Sign Hector Neris To Minor League Deal

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The Braves have signed right-hander Hector Neris to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to big league Spring Training, according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Toscano adds that Neris will be in camp today with the club.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cora: Garrett Whitlock “100 Percent” Slated For Opening Day Roster

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Garrett Whitlock underwent an internal brace procedure last May 30, which ended the right-hander’s season and seemingly ensured that he would miss some time at the start of the 2025 campaign.  However, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated that Whitlock is on pace to rather handily beat the initial recovery timeline, as Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne and other reporters that Whitlock is “100 percent” going to be part of Boston’s roster on Opening Day.

Cora’s statement comes before Whitlock has even pitched to live batters this spring, though Whitlock is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session tomorrow.  The reliever has thrown multiple bullpen sessions already, in line with the deloading rehab strategy the Red Sox have used with Whitlock this offseason.  As detailed by The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey last week, the plan saw Whitlock alternate between “weeks of heavy throwing” and “weeks of recovery.”  This portion of Whitlock’s rehab is now over, and he is expected to have a normal ramp-up for the rest of Spring Training.

The work seems to be paying off, if Whitlock is already viewed as a lock to break camp.  Internal brace procedures are a relatively new variant on the traditional Tommy John surgery, and can be performed in certain cases when the UCL damage isn’t quite as severe.  The benefit is that brace surgeries come with a slightly shorter timeline — whereas pitchers who get TJ procedures usually face 13-14 months of recovery, internal brace surgeries have a timeline of roughly 11-12 months.

Because this procedure has only become more common in the last few years, there isn’t yet quite such thing as a “normal” timeline for a brace procedure, or at least the rehab process is more fluid than the more established recovery time associated with Tommy John surgeries.  Still, the fact that Whitlock is on pace to return to action just 10 months after his surgery is rather eye-opening, particularly since he has a history of past elbow problems.  Whitlock underwent a Tommy John surgery in 2019, and elbow-related issues sent him to the injured list twice during the 2023 season.

It probably helps that Whitlock is being brought back strictly as a relief pitcher, so his arm strength doesn’t have to be built up to handle a starter’s workload.  The Red Sox used Whitlock on-and-off as a starting pitcher over the last three seasons, but the right-hander’s greatest success came out of the bullpen in his 2021 rookie season, when he posted a 1.96 ERA over 73 1/3 innings as a multi-inning relief weapon.

His production from 2022-24 was more erratic, with a 4.01 ERA over his 168 1/3 innings during those three seasons.  Injuries certainly hampered Whitlock’s performance on the whole, but he still generally pitched better as a reliever than as a starter.  This planned return to the bullpen might well help Whitlock stay healthy and return to his old consistent form, which would give Boston’s relief corps a major boost.

Whitlock will slot in behind closer Liam Hendriks, who is making his own return from a lengthy absence after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2023.  The Red Sox also added Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson to reinforce a bullpen that underwhelmed last season.

NL Injury Notes: Smith, Gomber, Minter

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Will Smith has been dealing with a bone bruise in his left ankle for almost nine months, as the Dodgers catcher revealed to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters this weekend.  Smith hurt his ankle while sliding into second base to try and break up a double play in the Dodgers’ 11-3 win over the Yankees on June 8, and he has been dealing with some level of discomfort ever since, though Smith didn’t go on the injured list or even miss really any time in the aftermath of the injury.  The issue has persisted even after an offseason of rest, resulting in Smith being held out of Spring Training games until last Friday.

Smith said his ankle is only sore when he runs, and he is otherwise able to catch and hit normally.  As Ardaya notes, Smith’s post-injury numbers imply otherwise — Smith hit .292/.361/.498 in 238 plate appearances though June 8, and then only .213/.301/.382 in 306 PA afterwards, plus a .568 OPS over 65 more trips to the plate during the playoffs.  Los Angeles GM Brandon Gomes implied that the team might be more open to giving Smith extra off-days to keep him healthy and more well-rested in general for what the Dodgers hope is another deep postseason run.

This might not be the most prominent Will Smith-related news item to ever arise on an Oscar night, but let’s move onto some other notes from around the National League…

  • Austin Gomber was scratched from a scheduled start today due to some soreness in his throwing shoulder, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes.  Testing revealed no structural damage, though Rockies manager Bud Black wasn’t sure when Gomber might be back on the mound.  While Gomber isn’t a high-velocity pitcher, his fastball was also down a tick during his first Spring Training start last week, so the matter didn’t solely arise today.  Gomber viewed the situation as “a reset” rather than anything too serious, saying “maybe I would have tried to push it a little bit more if we were in a different spot on the calendar.  But it being so early in the year, I just felt like I wanted to take a few days to try to get a touch better and not have something that’s like nagging throughout the year.”  The veteran southpaw has been part of Colorado’s rotation for the last four seasons, and he posted a 4.75 ERA in 165 innings in 2024.
  • A.J. Minter underwent season-ending hip surgery last August, and he hit a big checkpoint in his rehab process by throwing 20-25 pitches during a live batting practice session.  Minter told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo and other reporters that he “felt good” in the aftermath, and figures he’ll have at least one more live BP session before taking part in a proper Spring Training game setting.  Despite Minter’s injury, his track record as a reliable bullpen arm led to plenty of interest on the free agent market, and he joined the Mets on a two-year, $22MM deal (with an opt-out after the first year).  His progress hints that he might be able to be part of New York’s roster on Opening Day, but “we’re going to be smart about this.  If I have to miss a few days or a couple weeks, my goal is to help this team at the end of the season.”

Cardinals’ Zack Thompson Shut Down 3-4 Weeks Due To Lat Injury

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Cardinals left-hander Zack Thompson suffered a tear in his left lat muscle, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters (including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) today.  Thompson will be shut down and then re-evaluated in three or four weeks, so Thompson will surely start the season on the Cards’ injured list.

It’s a tough setback for Thompson, who was competing for a job in the St. Louis bullpen and is still trying to find a niche for himself at the big league level.  The 19th overall pick of the 2019 draft has amassed 118 career MLB innings over the last three seasons, topping out at 66 1/3 innings in 2023 while working first as a reliever and then as a starter over the season’s last six weeks.

Thompson had a 2.08 ERA in 34 2/3 frames in 2022, but then a 4.48 ERA from that larger workload in 2023.  His peripheral numbers were still interesting enough to suggest that Thompson might take another step forward last season, yet the opposite happened — the southpaw was rocked for a 9.53 ERA over 17 innings as a starter and reliever, and didn’t return to the majors after being optioned to Triple-A Memphis in late April.  Things didn’t exactly stabilize in the minors, as Thompson had a 4.40 ERA and 14.2% walk rate over 90 innings in Memphis, starting 20 of his 21 games.

While these struggles didn’t remove Thompson from the Cardinals’ future plans, there wasn’t any space for him in a rotation that is still full of veteran arms, plus other youngsters have now seemingly passed Thompson on the depth chart if a rotation spot did open up.  Working as a long reliever or possibly a swingman would have allowed Thompson to build up more experience and confidence in the Show, unless St. Louis preferred to let him get on track as a starter in Memphis.

The league granted the Cardinals a fourth minor league option on Thompson during the offseason, giving the team the ability to send him back and forth between Triple-A and the majors during the 2025 campaign.  It is quite possible Thompson would have started the season in Triple-A anyway, though today’s injury news will delay the lefty entirely until he is able to get back onto a mound.  Thompson will then need to rebuild his arm strength, so it seems likely he’ll be sidelined until at least late April given the time he is set to miss in his shutdown period.

Mariners Claim Seth Martinez

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Seth Martinez was claimed off waivers from the Marlins.  Righty Jackson Kowar was placed on the 60-day injured list in Seattle’s corresponding roster move.

Miami designated Martinez for assignment earlier this week, and today’s move makes it four different organizations in a little under four months’ time for the 30-year-old reliever.  After spending his first four MLB seasons with the Astros, Martinez was designated for assignment in early November and claimed by the Diamondbacks.  He then went to the Marlins on another waiver claim on February 20 before being DFA’ed again a week later, and now Martinez finds himself back in the AL West.

Martinez is out of minor league options, which somewhat explains his carousel of an offseason.  With teams prizing flexibility within their bullpens, Martinez’s status makes him something of the proverbial 26th man, while also still having enough value that several teams are interested in having him on their rosters.

Over 111 appearances and 137 1/3 innings with Houston, Martinez often worked as a multi-inning reliever, so the Mariners would deploy him in that same capacity if he ends up on the Opening Day roster.  Martinez has a career 3.93 ERA, though his strikeout rate fell rather sharply from 23.1% in 2023 to just 16.2% last season.  Between that dropoff and other uninspiring Statcast metrics, the Astros felt comfortable in exposing Martinez to DFA waivers, leading to his busy winter of changing teams.

An innings-eating reliever always carries some usefulness, even on a Mariners team with an unusually durable starting rotation.  A good Spring Training performance might help Martinez break camp with the team, or he might find himself on the waiver wire yet again before Opening Day.

Kowar underwent a Tommy John surgery almost exactly one year ago, so he was expected to miss some time at the start of the 2025 season as he finishes up his rehab.  The 60-day IL placement means that Kowar won’t make his 2025 debut until late May at the earliest.

Brewers Hire Billy Eppler As Special Advisor

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The Brewers have hired Billy Eppler as a special advisor, according to a report from Andy Martino of SNY. Eppler’s full title is Special Advisor, Scouting and Baseball Operations.

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

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

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

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

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

Reds Notes: Extensions, Steer, Abbott

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The Reds are in the midst of a youth movement, with a number of key young players within their years of team control. Despite that reality, the only player they’ve managed to secure a long-term extension with who fits that description is right-hander Hunter Greene, who agreed to a six-year deal back in 2023. Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported yesterday that the club is unlikely to add another extension alongside Greene’s this spring after an offseason where the club focused on creating depth in hopes of avoiding a campaign derailed by injuries like they suffered in 2024.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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