Kyle Manzardo Likely To Start At Triple-A

The Athletic's Jason Lloyd writes that Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo will probably start the 2024 season at Triple-A Columbus. Guardians officials reiterated this offseason the difficulty of hitting in Cleveland in April and how a slow start can bury young hitters. The 23-year-old grew up in Idaho, so he probably knows a thing […]

Guardians Have Uninspiring Mix In Right Field

The Cleveland Guardians have an uninspiring mix of outfielders Ramon Laureano, Will Brennan and Deyvison De Los Santos competing for the right field job this year. De Los Santos has massive power, but he's only 20 years old and has not logged an at-bat at Triple-A and has plenty of swing and miss in his […]

Myles Straw, Esteven Florial Competing For Center Field Job

Cleveland Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika said this week that outfielder Myles Straw is competing for the center field job this spring, and The Athletic's Jason Lloyd gets the sense that the team would love to see Estevan Florial claim the job in spring training. Ramon Laureano has plenty of experience in center field, but […]

Steven Kwan To Stick In Left Field

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, who has won a Gold Glove in each of the last two seasons, will remain as the team's left fielder in 2024, according to manager Stephen Vogt. Kwan hit .268/.340/.370 with five home runs, 36 doubles, seven triples, 54 RBI, 21 stolen bases and 93 runs scored in 718 plate […]

Anthony Volpe Looking To Change His Bat Path

The biggest point of emphasis for shortstop Anthony Volpe coming into the 2024 season was changing his bat path, he told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner. Last year, Volpe had an uppercut swing through the zone. It led to him hitting 21 home runs but also led to inconsistency at the plate throughout his rookie season. […]

Ben Rortvedt Looks To Be Odd Man Out

New York Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt, who worked almost exclusively as right-hander Gerrit Cole's personal catcher last year when he won the American League Cy Young, is likely to either be traded or outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start the year with Jose Trevino and Austin Wells expected to split the playing time behind the […]

Shohei Ohtani Expected To Make Spring Debut Next Week

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow) will make his Cactus League debut with the team at some point next week. The Dodgers are slow-playing the two-time American League MVP this spring after he had right-elbow surgery last year. It will keep the 29-year-old Japanese sensation from pitching in […]

Vaughn Grissom To Be Slow-Played Due To Injury

Boston Red Sox infielder Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury in camp and will be slow-played early in Grapefruit League action. However, manager Alex Cora expects Grissom to be ready for Opening Day in late March. It's a minor injury, but it's notable for a player trying to make an impact with […]

Jarren Duran To Be Held Out Of Games Initially

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (toe) is not going to play in Grapefruit League games until March 1, as he's still recovering from his toe surgery last August in which he had the flexor tendon in his left big toe repaired. Duran is believed to be fully recovered from his surgery, but the Red […]

Ricky Tiedemann Scratched With Left-Hamstring Tightness

Toronto Blue Jays left-handed pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann (hamstring) has been scratched as the starter for Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Philadelphia Phillies due to left-hamstring tightness. The team doesn't think the injury is serious, but manager John Schneider said he'll have a better idea on Saturday. The Blue Jays aren't going to pitch […]

Marco Luciano Dealing With Hamstring Issue

San Francisco Giants shortstop Marco Luciano (hamstring) is dealing with a minor hamstring issue, but if he comes out of Friday's workout fine, he will be in the Cactus League lineup on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. It's something to keep an eye on early in spring training, but it doesn't sound like anything too […]

Jung Hoo Lee Out With Side Soreness

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (side) is dealing with some minor side soreness and will not be in the team's Cactus League game on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs as a precaution. Lee's injury isn't very serious, and he expects to be ready to play in spring games in a couple of days. […]

Sal Frelick To Play Third Base In Spring Opener

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick will bat leadoff and play third base in the team's Cactus League opener on Saturday against the San Diego Padres. Given all of the outfield depth that Milwaukee has at the big-league level, the Brewers have had Frelick working out on the infield in camp, and they are going to […]

Vinnie Pasquantino Starting Cactus League Opener

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (shoulder) is playing first base and batting second in the team's Cactus League opener on Friday versus the Texas Rangers. It's good news after Pasquantino had season-ending shoulder surgery last June. The power-hitting left-hander played in only 61 games in his second year in the majors due to […]

Jordan Montgomery Not Lowering Contract Demands

Even with spring training having already started, free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery and his agent, Scott Boras, have not dropped their asking price, according to an industry source. Along with the Texas Rangers, who he won a World Series ring with last year, the Boston Red Sox have been interested in the southpaw this offseason. By […]

Wyatt Langford Hitting Third In Spring Opener

Texas Rangers outfield prospect Wyatt Langford is starting in left field and is batting third in the team's Cactus League opener on Friday against the Kansas City Royals. Fellow rookie outfielder Evan Carter is in right field and is hitting second. Langford, 22, was the fourth overall pick in last year's draft and has a […]

Brandon Lowe Back In Action In Camp

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (illness) returned to workouts with the rest of the team in spring training on Thursday after being held back in the last week due to an illness. Lowe will now begin ramping things up before eventually appearing in Grapefruit League games. The 29-year-old has impressive power at the […]

Brenton Doyle Puts On 20 Pounds Of Weight

Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle has put on 20 pounds of good weight since the end of the 2023 season. In his first major-league season last year, Doyle struggled with a .203 batting average (81-for-399) and a .250 on-base percentage, but he also managed to club 10 home runs, drive in 48 runs and steal […]

Greg Roman Wants Balanced Offense For Chargers

New Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who has a history of leading a run-first offense in the NFL, said he would like the team's offense in 2024 to be balanced. "We want to be a balanced offense," Roman said. "We want to be able to run it when we want to run it […]

Gabe Davis Could Be Pushed Out Of Buffalo

Buffalo Bills impending free-agent wide receiver Gabe Davis could be pushed off the roster this offseason, according to The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia. The Bills have long been admirers of Davis' talent, but he's likely to receive the biggest contract of any Bills free agent in March, and he's already stated he intends to test the […]

Franchise Tag An Option For Michael Pittman Jr.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has acknowledged that using the franchise tag on impending free-agent wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason is an option. Pittman has been the team's leading receiver the past three seasons and will be one of the league's top free agents if he reaches the open market. The Colts […]

Raiders, Josh Jacobs Haven't Engaged In Extension Talks

The Las Vegas Raiders and impending free-agent running back Josh Jacobs have yet to engage in contract-extension talks this offseason, according to a league source. If the Raiders want to prevent Jacobs from becoming a free agent on March 13, they could place the franchise tag on him for $13.669 million (by March 5) in […]

Tommy Henry To Start Cactus League Opener

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry was named the team's starter for their Cactus League opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was initially supposed to get the starting nod, but the D-backs have decided to let him throw another live batting practice session on the back fields on Friday instead. The 26-year-old […]

Austin Nola Joins Royals On Minor-League Deal

Free-agent catcher Austin Nola has signed with the Kansas City Royals on a minor-league deal, according to a source. Nola initially signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on a minors deal this offseason, but he was released after Gary Sanchez's deal with the Brewers became official this week. The older brother of Phillies starting pitcher Aaron […]

Nathan Webb Throwing Bullpen Sessions

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Nathan Webb (elbow), who was signed to a minor-league deal in October, has thrown five bullpen sessions in camp and hopes to be available to pitch in games by the first week of May. "I haven't had a single issue so far," Webb said. "I'm in the bullpen phase. I feel really […]

Shane Drohan Has Shoulder Surgery

Chicago White Sox left-hander Shane Drohan (shoulder), the team's Rule 5 pick, underwent left-shoulder surgery on Thursday morning. Drohan is expected to start a throwing program by the end of spring training. The 25-year-old is probably going to be sidelined for a while before he's cleared to pitch in minor-league games in 2024. The former […]

Corey Knebel A Bit Behind Other Pitchers

Chicago White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said that reliever Corey Knebel (shoulder), who didn't pitch at all last year while working his way back from right-shoulder surgery, is a bit behind the team's other relievers in camp. Knebel will need to throw a few more bullpen sessions before he's cleared to pitch in a […]

Packers Need Upgrades At The Safety Position

The Green Bay Packers are going to need upgrades at the safety position this offseason, writes The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. Their top three safeties from last year, Darnell Savage Jr., Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford, will all be unrestricted free agents next month. New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley loves one-high safety looks, which require an […]

David Bakhtiari An Obvious Cut Candidate

The Athletic's Matt Schneidman writes that veteran left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee) is an obvious cut candidate for the Green Bay Packers this offseason. The five-time All-Pro has played in only 25 of a possible 72 games in the regular season and playoffs over the last four seasons. The torn ACL he suffered in a […]

Lions In Desperate Need Of Cornerback Help

The Athletic's Colton Pouncy writes that the Detroit Lions are in desperate need of cornerback help this offseason. Cam Sutton, Jerry Jacobs and Kindle Vildor were largely ineffective in 2023, and the loss of Emmanuel Moseley (knee) didn't help matters for their secondary. The Lions defense allowed 7.4 yards per attempt in 2023 (third-worst) and […]