Mining the News (2/13/25)

• It seems that MLB.com will be updating their injury report pages this season. A reminder that these are not articles but rather pages where info can be added or deleted anytime. For example, here is a report from the Cubs site on Nico Hoerner likely missing the season’s start.

2B Nico Hoerner
Injury: Right flexor tendon
Expected return: Early 2025
Status: Underwent surgery on Oct. 11. Currently in Arizona training and doing light baseball activities. Rehab could linger early into the season

American League

Angels

• Anthony Rendon could be done “playing”.

News: Anthony Rendon is having hip surgery, and is expected to miss a long amount of time.

He had a setback in his rehab the last few weeks.

Another injury for Rendon, and it now becomes unclear if and when he’ll play for the Angels again.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 12, 2025

Astros

• The team wants to improve their base running.

After finishing 2024 as the sport’s third-worst baserunning team, the Astros will incorporate baserunning drills into their live batting practice sessions early in spring training in an effort to emphasize its importance.

“We can do a better job of our baserunning. Guys ran into a few outs last year and I think Joe’s been really focused in talking to me about that,” Brown said. “I’m kind of looking forward to that part. I think baserunning is that one thing that defines the character of the player. So we’re looking forward to seeing that with the guys.”

Blue Jays

• Erik Swanson is dealing with forearm fatigue.

Erik Swanson had a little forearm fatigue and may be “a little behind”, but he’s optimistic that there’s enough time for him to be ready for Opening Day. #BlueJays

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 13, 2025

Orioles

• Cade Povich worked on some “stuff” this offseason.

“I think my mindset really is similar to how it was at the end of the year going into the postseason,” Povich said at the Birdland Caravan.” I’ve put in some work this offseason working on stuff and in communication with (Drew) French and Plass (Mitch Plassmeyer) and the rest of the coaching staff. Just take spring training as an opportunity.”

• Trevor Rogers is dealing with a knee injury and won’t be ready for the start of the season.

LHP Trevor Rogers has a right knee subluxation. He’s weeks behind schedule and unlikely for Opening Day roster, per #Orioles GM Mike Elias.

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) February 13, 2025

Rays

• Shane McClanahan has found it easier to spin his pitches.

McClanahan can tell a difference on the mound, too, saying he has better feel for his pitches and an easier time spinning the ball than before surgery. But just being part of the group is his biggest point of pride at this point.

• Ha-Seong Kim 김하성 will not be ready to contribute until late May.

No major news from #Rays media session: All starters enter camp healthy, late May remains target for Ha-Seong Kim, they are confident offense will be improved.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 11, 2025

Red Sox

• The team is still considering going with a six-man rotation.

Meanwhile, with six big-league starters entering camp, Breslow noted the club is still “definitely considering” the six-man rotation, but will work through the decision as camp progresses.

• The team expects Lucas Giolito, Liam Hendriks, and Garrett Whitlock to be ready by Opening Day.

Lucas Giolito (internal brace procedure) and Liam Hendriks (Tommy John surgery) have been throwing off a mound for several weeks as well. While there has been some speculation about Whitlock and Giolito missing Opening Day as they finish their recoveries from internal brace procedures last spring, Breslow said both are “absolutely tracking toward” Opening Day, with the caveat of avoiding any setbacks once they get into games. Hendriks nearly returned to games in September and he too is expected to be ready to break camp with the team.

• The manager plans on using Garrett Whitlock as a multi-inning reliever.

Cora said Whitlock has already been inquiring about his bullpen role and while it’s not set in stone how that will look, Cora reiterated he liked how he used Whitlock in 2021 as a late-game, multi-inning reliever. It offered a hint as to how Whitlock might be used this season.

• The DH spot might be open for a while with Masataka Yoshida possibly starting the season on the IL.

The other scenario has Bregman at third base, with Story at short, Campbell or Grissom at second, Casas at first and Devers at designated hitter. The Red Sox still have Masataka Yoshida at DH, but Cora has hinted recently — perhaps with an eye toward this deal nearing completion — that they might need Yoshida to play some outfield this season. Yoshida, however, might miss the start of the regular season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

Royals

• Alec Marsh will be delayed because of a bad shoulder.

#Royals starter Alec Marsh experienced right shoulder tightness this offseason. He’s back on track throwing every day but might be delayed slightly facing hitters, manager Matt Quatraro said. Taking it day by day.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) February 12, 2025

Tigers

• Alex Cobb will not be ready by Opening Day.

A.J. Hinch said Alex Cobb will be set back about a month.

He likely won’t be ready for Opening Day.

So another rotation spot is open https://t.co/mTHZsHJiWj

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) February 12, 2025

• Sawyer Gipson-Long will also not be ready by Opening Day.

RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long
Injury: Recovery from right elbow and left hip surgeries
Expected return: Early 2025
Status: Expected to be throwing in Spring Training. (Updated Feb. 11)

• Jackson Jobe has added two pitches, a curve and a sinker, to get more strikeouts.

Jobe added two pitches — curveball and two-seam fastball — to his pitch mix in the 2024-25 offseason at PitchingWRX in Oklahoma City while training under personal pitching coach Alex Marney. He now has six pitches: four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, sweeper, curveball and two-seam fastball.

He wants to generate more strikeouts.

National League

Braves

• Chris Sale’s back is normal again.

You threw a bullpen at Truist Park (after missing the playoff series) to test your back before you went home. Were you able to put that situation to rest and have a normal offseason?

Yeah, I took a couple of weeks off, to let everything calm down. We stayed in Atlanta for a little bit. There was a hurricane going on back home. So we stayed in Atlanta for a couple of weeks. And then when I got (to Florida), I started moving around a little bit. I’d say it was probably about two or three weeks after, then it was like, OK, I’m fully back to normal. So yeah, then just playing long toss, and I’ve been off the mound (throwing bullpen sessions) seven or eight times so far. So, excited for spring training to get going.

Brewers

• Trevor Megill is dealing with some injury.

Closer Trevor Megill, who is stepping in for Devin Williams, has been pushed back by some minor health issues in recent throwing sessions but seems “fine,” Murphy said. And left-handed prospect Robert Gasser remains on track for an August or September return from Tommy John surgery.

• Christian Yelich (back) might not be ready by Opening Day.

It isn’t a lock, but Yelich still has a chance to be ready for Opening Day after undergoing back surgery in August.

Cubs

• Javier Assad is dealing with an oblique strain.

RHP Javier Assad
Injury: Mild left oblique strain
Expected return: Early 2025
Status: Assad will be shut down from throwing until symptoms subside. Manager Craig Counsell said he did not expect the injury to be a long-term issue

• Nate Pearson will only be used as a multi-inning reliever.

Counsell also said that everyone who has started will get stretched out this spring at the beginning (easier to pull back later in spring than to stretch out), but that won’t really include Nate Pearson. He’ll be stretched out to multiple innings, but only as a reliever.

Diamondbacks

• Ryne Nelson did not change his arsenal this offseason.

“I did not add anything,” Nelson said. “I would love to be able to add a sinker, a knuckleball, a splitter, but I think that can be a little overwhelming sometimes.

“Jack of all trades, master of none. I tried to just keep what I had and sharpen and refine.”

• Drey Jameson added a curveball.

After showcasing an upper 90s fastball and wipeout slider, Jameson said he is getting the hang of a curveball.

• A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez, or Kevin Ginkel could win the closer’s job according to the manager.

Lovullo mentioned having had a couple conversations about hulking southpaw A.J. Puk in particular, but he said it would not be surprising for someone else like Justin Martinez or Kevin Ginkel to win the job should the D-backs stand pat.

The manager added Puk’s left-handedness is not an issue when it comes to picking a closer.

• A.J. Puk has been tinkering with a changeup.

Checking in on their offseasons, Puk said he tinkered with a changeup to pair with his heaters, sliders and sweepers. He wanted a different pitch to keep hitters guessing, he described.

• The team will not go with a six-man rotation.

“We’ve never had a six-man rotation here, and I don’t think we’re considering that now,” Lovullo said. “It might be a little bit of a challenge to get guys the work they need to go out and perform.”

• Jordan Montgomery lost weight.

A noticeably slimmed-down Montgomery was in camp, a change from last year when he was not signed as a free agent until the day after the regular season started.

Giants

• Ryan Walker will be the closer.

A couple takeaways from Bob Melvin’s first availability:

• There will be competition for the fifth spot in the rotation with Harrison/Birdsong leading the way
• Ryan Walker will be the closer
• Jung Hoo Lee and Tom Murphy are full go

— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) February 12, 2025

Marlins

• Sandy Alcantara has touched 95 mph.

Alcantara, who hasn’t pitched in a game since September 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, kept his velocity in the lower-90s — for the most part — when his adrenaline didn’t kick in too much. He mixed in his four-seamer, two-seamer, changeup and slider during his 21-pitch session.

“He was throwing hard,” said Nick Fortes, who projects to be Alcantara’s primary catcher for the first time in his career. “They told him he had to dial it back a little bit a couple times. He looked really good. Pitches were moving like crazy. He looked like his old self.”

The 29-year-old Alcantara’s competitive juices were flowing in a more game-like atmosphere, as evidenced by the 95 mph on the radar gun and a pitch that brushed back Norby.

Mets

• Kodai Senga will slowly ramp up after working on his pitch movements this offseason.

For Senga this spring, that’s all a bit big-picture. He’s focused on the here and now, which is his health. Mendoza said despite his return last October, Senga basically had to finish his rehab in the early part of the offseason. He’s not going to hit the ground running in spring like some of the other pitchers.

“I just need to ramp up slowly and get healthy,” Senga said through interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “This offseason has been really great in terms of evaluating what types of movements I need and don’t need, and I’ve been able to work on that. And I feel really good up to this point.”

• Ronny Mauricio will not be ready for the season’s start.

INF Ronny Mauricio
Injury: Torn ACL in right knee
Expected return: Early 2025
Status: Underwent a second arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 2 to remove scar tissue; currently performing baseball activities but won’t appear in games until mid-March (updated Feb. 11)

Nationals

• CJ Abrams gained weight to hit the ball farther.

“[Coles] said he looked great,” Martinez said. “He sent me videos of him hitting and his workouts, and he looked like he was engaged and ready to go. So for me, it was important that he had a really good offseason and came to Spring Training ready.”

Abrams gained muscle, now weighing around 200 pounds (he was listed at 191 pounds last season). He noted a lot of the weight was gained in his legs, which he hopes will help him hit balls harder.

Padres

• Matt Waldron plans on throwing his knuckleball more.

“I’m remembering what I need to remember with some of the failures,” said Waldron, who noted his plan to throw his knuckleball at a higher clip this year. “But I’m also remembering all of the positive things and building off of those. … I’m really just striving for a more consistent year.”

Pirates

• Ke’Bryan Hayes will always have back problems.

Hayes’ lower back might not be 100% — it probably never will be, he admits — but it’s a whole lot better than last year, when he made a pair of trips to the injured list and missed the final month and a half of the season. Even in the 96 games Hayes played, he was far from 100%. His Gold Glove defense regressed to being just good, and his OPS dropped from .762 in 2023 to .573.

…

“The [back] injury that I have, it’s chronic,” Hayes said. “It’s not something that’s ever going to go away. It’s just, how good can I manage it to where my symptoms are almost nonexistent? That’s the challenge I have. This offseason, I dedicated it toward anything I can do as far as recovery stuff, diet, all that. That’s something I’m going to continue to hit on the head with a nail every day, just to be out there.”

Reds

• Rhett Lowder is dealing with a sore shoulder.

When the Cincinnati Reds’ pitchers and catchers go through their first workout Wednesday, rookie right-hander Rhett Lowder will be there but won’t be participating because of soreness in his elbow.

Lowder started feeling soreness in his right elbow a couple of weeks ago, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. Lowder underwent an MRI and there was no structural damage and his delayed progression for the upcoming season is more of a precaution than anything, Krall said.

“With Lowder, we told him, ‘You’re not 37 trying to hang on, you’re a young kid and we need to keep an eye on you and take care of you,’” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “So we’ll do that.”

• Spencer Steer is dealing with shoulder soreness.

Infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer will be limited to begin spring training. Steer dealt with shoulder soreness at the end of the 2024 season and is still rebuilding strength in that shoulder. Krall said Steer will likely serve as a designated hitter in early Cactus League games before moving back to the field.

• Everyone is going to play everywhere in the infield.

Francona said he wants to see if Jeimer Candelario can be an option at third base. The team is also going to have to see where Gavin Lux can play in addition to second base. Lux, who came into last spring as the starting shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers before being moved back to second, is expected to get work at first, second and third base and in the outfield. Francona added that Christian Encarnacion-Strand came into camp in such great shape that he’d like to see him more at third base.

• The team will not use a six-man rotation.

Francona ruled out the notion of a six-man rotation.

“It sounds good maybe in theory. I don’t know if it works as well. At least personally, I’d prefer to stay where we are,” he said.