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24 days until Opening Day ... 

The Red Sox are trying to navigate a very delicate situation this spring. It's clear Rafael Devers just isn't the long-term answer at third base, even if he doesn't agree. They have a Gold Glove third baseman in the newly signed Alex Bregman, and a potential All-Star second baseman in top prospect Kristian Campbell, who looks MLB-ready after torching the minors last season, so the pieces here all fit … if they can convince Devers to move off his long-time home.

And here's where Devers' lingering shoulder soreness could actually serve as an open door. Devers still hasn't been cleared to play in spring games, and though the hope is that will come this week, it will likely be as a DH. And, it sure sounds like the hope is that the injury will serve as a good excuse to get Devers over his objections to moving off third base. 

At least so far, Bregman actually hasn't played second base, the position everyone assumed he would slide to when he signed with the Red Sox. Sure, that's because Devers hasn't been cleared to play, but if the plan was for Bregman to play second base full time, wouldn't you want him to get as many reps there as possible – he has only played 32 innings there in his MLB career, and hasn't played there at all since 2018. Instead, they're giving second base reps to Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, and Cambpell – and Grissom has played second base exclusively, rather than focusing on a utility profile. Doesn't that all sound like a situation where the Red Sox are pretty confident Devers won't be playing third base?

That's where I'm starting to lean. Keeping Devers healthy and effective so he can mash in the middle of the lineup for as long as possible should be the goal here, and if that happens to lead to an across-the-board upgrade in the team's infield defense, well that's fine, too. And, if it happens to give Campbell the inside track to an Opening Day job, we'll take that too.

It's probably too early to say Campbell has that inside track, of course. He'll still have to earn it, and the next three weeks should determine that. But at this point, it's starting to look like a plan is coming together. And it might end up being a best-case scenario for everyone – even if Devers might grumble a bit, at first. 

Below, you'll find Spring Training news you need to know about from the past week or so, starting with yet another unfortunate injury to a catcher who seems to have been cursed over the past couple of years:

Spring News Roundup

When pitchers and catchers reported, I went through the types of stories I'm looking to learn from during the spring, and that's how we're going to break down the spring news every week. Starting, of course, with injuries:

Injury Updates

Sean Murphy will miss 4-6 weeks with a cracked rib – Murphy's 2024 was derailed by an Opening Day oblique injury, and now he won't even make it that far. Murphy was hit by a pitch during Friday's exhibition game, and this could open a path for top prospect Drake Baldwin to open the season with the Braves. Baldwin was Scott White's No. 65 prospect entering the season after hitting 16 homers with a .276 average across the high minors last season. He has a good approach at the plate with strong power potential and is in the No. 2 catcher mix now that it looks like he could get at least a few weeks of run at the beginning of the season.

Luis Gil was pulled from his bullpen Friday due to shoulder tightness and got an MRI on Saturday – Well, it's a good thing they didn't move Marcus Stroman yet, huh? We don't know the extent of Gil's current injury, but it's never a good sign to see a starter dealing with an injury in spring – especially one with Gil's injury history. He's just a late-round IL stash in light of this news, and Stroman is only worth a look in deeper leagues still. 

Corbin Carroll was removed Sunday due to lower back tightness – It doesn't sound like there's much concern here, so we'll just note this one for now and hope he improves in the next few days. 


Spencer Steer could begin the season on the Injured List – Steer has been dealing with soreness in his right shoulder, and he had a cortisone injection Saturday. There is no structural damage, per the team, but he has been unable to begin a throwing program this spring and has been limited to just hitting so far. It's not guaranteed he'll miss the start of the season, but even if he does, it looks like he might be limited to first base action. In a crowded Reds lineup, versatility is going to be very important, and if Steer is only able to play first base and DH early on, that could make it tough for him to play every day – and it could really make it tough for Christian Encarnacion-Strand to get enough starts to matter. This is one to watch over the next few weeks.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith told reporters Saturday that he's been dealing with a bone bruise in his left ankle since last June – Smith isn't quite 100% to open the spring, but it also doesn't sound like there's much expectation it's going to keep him out of the lineup. But he's been a bit limited early in the spring, and they could give him a few extra days off this season – which could potentially open a path for top prospect  Dalton Rushing to get some regular playing time, along with the occasional stint in the outfield or possibly first base. 

Giancarlo Stanton will begin the season on the IL after receiving PRP injections in both of his elbows – Stanton's spring never really got started because of these injuries, and there's no timetable for him to resume baseball activities. Which means we have to prepare for the potential of a very long absence here. The Yankees seem likely to turn to Ben Rice as an option at DH to open the season, at least against right-handed pitching, making him a viable target in deeper leagues. 

Parker Meadows has been shut down after being diagnosed with a nerve issue in his right upper arm – Meadows hasn't been ruled out for Opening Day, but he's also without any kind of timetable as the team's doctors try to solve the issue. And with Matt Vierling suffering a rotator cuff strain, the Tigers could be shorthanded in the outfield to open the season if Meadows doesn't recover quickly. Meadows remains a viable target in the second half of Roto drafts, but anytime a player's spring gets derailed by injuries, the risk that they never get up to speed is worth keeping in mind. 

Gunnar Henderson is dealing with some abdominal soreness – He suffered an injury to his lower right side after diving for a ball last week but is doing better as of Monday. He hopes to be back in the lineup in the coming days, and it doesn't sound like there was ever too much concern about this one. Jordan Westburg is also dealing with some back tightness, though his injury is likewise not expected to be an issue come Opening Day. 

Felix Bautista (elbow) will make his spring debut Monday – He has been limited to live BP so far, but that'll change Monday – though there won't be any Statcast data for that outing, so we won't be able to gauge where Bautista's velocity is at. He's coming back from multiple elbow surgeries but looks like he'll be ready with plenty of time for Opening Day. Bautista will be the Orioles closer to open the season, though manager Brandon Hyde has already acknowledged he'll have to avoid throwing Bautista in consecutive games and for multiple innings in the first half, so Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin, and Yennier Cano could see a few saves early on. 

Matt Shaw (oblique) made his spring debut Sunday – The Cubs have just two weeks until they open the season in Tokyo against the Dodgers – and a little over a week before they have to decide who will travel for that two-game series – so getting Shaw in games is important. The top prospect is hoping to open the season as the Cubs third baseman, and he remains one of the better upside picks in the later rounds. 

DJ LeMahieu is dealing with a calf injury – LeMahieu was expected to open the season as the team's starting third baseman, but it looks like yet another injury is going to change that plan. He's getting some testing in the next few days, but given his history, it's hard to see him being ready for Opening Day unless this is truly just a day-to-day injury – and LeMahieu's reaction to the injury suggests it may not be. Oswaldo Cabrera seems likely to open the season as the starting third baseman now, and while the 26-year-old hasn't established himself as even an average hitter in the majors so far, his minor-league production – including a .922 OPS in Triple-A – suggests there could be some upside waiting to be unlocked here. He's worth a late-round bench flier in deeper leagues.

Lineup News/Position Battles

Kyle Finnegan is back for the Nationals – This doesn't necessarily mean Finnegan will return to the closer role for the Nationals, but it seems pretty likely after he made the All-Star team last season. He was non-tendered in the offseason and ended up signing for $6 million on a one-year deal, so you have to assume the best-case scenario here for the Nationals is that Finnegan is good enough to fetch a decent prospect at the deadline. He's a mid-range closer for Fantasy, unlikely to provide much more than decent ratios and middling strikeouts, but with the potential for 30-plus saves in Washington.

Jose Altuve looks like the Astros' everyday left fielder – He's been spending most of his time there this spring, including his first appearance in a game there last week, so now the question for the first time since 2011, becomes: Who is the Astros starting second baseman? Mauricio Dubon will be part of the mix, as will the recently signed Brendan Rodgers, though neither is enough of an all-around contributor to matter too much for Fantasy. I suppose I'd rather see Rodgers get the first crack at it, but he likely won't matter much outside of deeper leagues unless he really figures out how to gear his swing to pulling the ball to left field more. 

Anthony Volpe is still in the leadoff mix for the Yankees – There really isn't much new to comment on here – Volpe remains in the mix, along with Jazz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger, and Jasson Dominguez. But I wanted to shoehorn Volpe in here to note that he had a 110-mph homer off Matt Strahm last week, the hardest-hit ball of his MLB career so far. Volpe saw a big leap in bat speed in the second half last season, and while it didn't mean much for his production, maybe there could be some latent upside unlocked here. He's still so young, and while the first couple of seasons of his career haven't given us much reason to be excited, if he can be a 20-20 guy without sacrificing too much batting average, that's an exciting profile if he's hitting ahead of Aaron Judge. 

Hye-seong Kim could open the season in the minors – Kim has been an option at both second base and potentially in center field, but Dave Roberts acknowledged that he might need some time to get his swing adjusted to MLB pitching after signing from Korea this offseason. That would seemingly give Andy Pages a path to an Opening Day job as the team's center fielder, while Tommy Edman could open the season at second base.

Velocity Readings

Jesus Luzardo's velocity looked like it was back in his spring debut – That's no small thing because Luzardo really needs premium velocity to thrive – his fastball shape isn't ideal, and he gets very little extension on the pitch, so he tends to get hit hard if he's just sitting 95 with it, as he was while dealing with forearm and back issues last season. But 96.7 with the four-seamer, up 1.5 mph from last season, should work. Luzardo is a solid late-round sleeper whose price should start to creep up after this. 

Mike Soroka's velocity was way up – He averaged 94.9 mph with his four-seamer, up 1.4 mph from last season. Typically, we would write something like this off because it's in a shortened spring session, but Soroka was primarily working as a reliever last season, while he has been approaching this spring as a starter, so this could be real. It's mostly going to be a four-seamer/slider mix from Soroka, but he really took off at the end of last season when he switched to that approach, so I remain intrigued as a late-round dart throw, especially in H2H points leagues as a SPaRP. 

Jordan Romano's velocity was there in his first outing – Romano averaged 96.5 mph with his four-seamer in his first spring outing, while his slider looked as good as ever. That's a big deal after elbow issues that ultimately required surgery wrecked his 2024 season. This is no guarantee he'll stay healthy, but the fact that he looked more or less like the best version of himself makes it easier to get excited about the potential for a bounceback here. 

Zebby Matthews' velocity has been way up this spring – Matthews struggled when he got the call last season, toward the end of the longest season of his career. But his velocity has been way up so far, as he is averaging 96.6 mph with his four-seamer, up 1.7 mph from last season. He has struck out seven in his first five innings of the spring, and perhaps just as importantly, hasn't walked anyone – he had elite control in the minors, but it was merely "pretty good" as a rookie. It's not clear if Matthews has a rotation spot available right now, but this improved stuff should keep him on late-round radars in deeper leagues, especially if he gets a chance to start. 

Zac Gallen's velocity was back up in his second spring outing – Not all the way up, but -1.3 mph is a lot better than -3 mph like his first outing. I was never too worried about it – veterans often don't push themselves early in the spring – but you might have been. I think Gallen is one of the best values at pitcher, with an ADP of just 132.0 in the past two weeks of NFBC drafts.

Triston McKenzie's velocity is still way up – No pitcher has seen a bigger velocity jump than McKenzie this spring, though obviously, that isn't everything – he walked five in his most recent outing and has just one strikeout through 2.2 innings this spring. Still, after a couple of seasons wrecked by injuries, I'm willing to put McKenzie back into my late-round sleeper discussion based on the increased velocity. 

Max Meyer's velocity is way up – Meyer was one of the names I really wanted to watch this spring because the former top prospect's stuff was mostly pretty mediocre in his return from Tommy John surgery last season. Well, he's averaging 96.4 mph with his four-seamer while maxing out near 98, a 2.4 mph jump from last season. He's also working on a couple of new pitches, and while it's still too early to draw any conclusions, it's what we needed to see to have any interest in Meyer this season. Throw him on that late-round sleeper list and see if he can keep this up.

New Pitches

Robbie Ray is copying Tarik Skubal's changeup – Ray reached out to Skubal over the offseason for advice on throwing a changeup, since they have similar arm motions, and Skubal responded with dozens of videos, pictures, and diagrams to help him out. And he's throwing it with confidence this spring, including three straight to strike Jorge Soler in his most recent outing. The fastball and slider will still be the primary options here, but a new weapon he can throw to tougher right-handed bats would be a nice thing to be able to lean on. Ray is starting to see some helium in his price, but he's a solid mid-round option for strikeout upside.

Yusei Kikuchi has a new sweeper – Kikuchi is constantly tinkering, and last season he found success by prioritizing his slider after a trade to the Astros. This offseason, he's adding a sweeper to the mix in addition to the slider and curveball he has always thrown. It's a pitch with more glove-side movement than anything Kikuchi throws, though it's an interesting wrinkle for a guy who has never had trouble getting same-handed hitters out. Early on, at least, it looks like he's throwing the sweeper in place of more curveballs, which probably isn't a bad thing.

Ben Brown has a new changeup grip and a path to a rotation spot – Brown was mostly a fastball-curveball guy last season, and those two pitches are good enough to get through the lineup once on most days. If he's right, of course, which wasn't the case for Brown for most of last season as he dealt with a neck injury. He's healthy right now, and with Javier Assad expected to open the season on the IL with an oblique strain, Brown could win the fifth-start job with a strong spring. There's some strikeout upside here – 29% mark last season – and if the changeup helps him get through lineups efficiently, Brown could end up mattering for Fantasy. 

Casey Mize continues to tinker – Injuries have played a part, but the biggest issue for Mize since his top prospect days has been the limitations of his arsenal. His fastball velocity is up significantly so far in the spring, but the tinkering here comes down to the secondaries – he's throwing three different variations on a slider now, and his splitter is coming out of his hand with an even bigger velocity jump than the fastball. I'm still not sure he has a reliable putaway pitch among the group, but he's off to a solid start this spring – five strikeouts in five shutout innings – and is worth a look in deeper leagues.

Prospects Gaining Hype

Jackson Jobe has looked "electric" – Jobe nearly hit triple-digits with his fastball Sunday and struck out three over three innings of work, with his fastball sitting 1.3 mph up from his relief appearances late last season. You'd still like to see more whiffs than this – just three on 29 pitches – but the new curveball looks the part, and his four-seamer should be a good swing-and-miss pitch for him, too. Jobe remains arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball, and I'd be shocked if he didn't open the season in the Tigers rotation. I'll be drafting him everywhere I can as long as his ADP remains outside the top-200. 

Quinn Mathews was reassigned to minor-league camp – Okay, well, that's kind of the opposite of what this section is supposed to be about, but I don't have a "Prospects who were sent down to Triple-A, as expected." There just isn't a spot in the rotation for Mathews right now, and the fact that he's not on the 40-man roster yet was an added hurdle to making the Opening Day rotation – as was the fact that he stumbled a bit when he got to Triple-A last season. Still, Mathews looks major-league-ready to me, and I suspect it won't be long until he forces his way up. A few dominant starts at Triple-A should be all it takes, and I fully expect Mathews to be up as soon as the opportunity presents itself. It's tough to draft a true minor-league stash, but Mathews absolutely needs to be on your radars for the early part of the season. 

Richard Fitts is looking pretty interesting in Boston – Fitts is a pretty fringe-y prospect, ranking just 13th in BaseballProspectus.com's Red Sox list this offseason. But maybe he deserves a bit more attention after opening this spring throwing more than 3 mph harder with his four-seamer – he averaged 97.6 mph in his most recent outing, higher than his max velocity last season. Fitts has also continued to build out his arsenal, further differentiating his slider and sweeper and adding a curveball to the mix to give him six separate pitches. He generated a whopping nine whiffs on 36 pitches in his most recent outing, and with the Red Sox dealing with injuries to Kutter Crawford (knee) and Brayan Bello (shoulder) this spring, Fitts could have a path to some early-season sleeper potential. He's a name worth watching in deeper leagues.