The Seattle Mariners have optioned right-handed pitcher Will Klein to Triple-A Tacoma earlier on Friday. The Mariners acquired Klein from the Athletics earlier in the winter. During spring training, Klein has logged five innings and tallied eight strikeouts with three walks. He has allowed five hits with two earned runs. Last summer, the 25-year-old made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals before being shipped to Oakland. Across 7 1/3 total frames, he allowed nine earned runs while holding a 6:7 BB:K. At the Triple-A level, the Eastern Illinois product logged 43 innings of relief and posted a 3.77 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP. He tallied nine saves but held an underwhelming 32:43 BB:K. When he returns to the big leagues, fantasy managers should expect him to earn a low-leverage role in the Seattle bullpen, which will not make him viable in any fantasy format.

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The Chicago White Sox have optioned left-handed pitcher Jared Shuster to Triple-A Charlotte. Shuster was competing for a spot on the major-league roster but will instead begin his campaign in the minor leagues. Through seven innings at spring training, Shuster has allowed 15 hits and nine earned runs. He tallied eight punchouts and served up one free pass. Last summer, the southpaw logged a career-high 73 2/3 innings in the major leagues. Across this stint, he held a 4.30 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP. He tallied strikeouts at a low 17.4 percent rate and served up walks at a high 10.3 percent rate. He also generated a 4.71 xERA, placing him in the 19th percentile among qualified pitchers. When he does return to the major leagues, he will only carry value in AL-only formats given his lack of proven success.

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According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, New York Mets right-handed pitcher Jose Butto (groin) is dealing with a minor groin injury. Butto has been unable to pitch in Grapefruit League games over the past week. However, he did throw a bullpen session earlier on Friday, which is a positive sign. DiComo noted that the team does not view this as a major injury. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status but it appears he will not be in danger of missing Opening Day. Last season in Queens, Butto logged 74 innings with a 2.55 ERA and a strong 1.07 WHIP. He tallied 79 strikeouts and held a high 12.3 percent walk rate. He was deployed primarily out of the bullpen but did make seven starts. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Butto to have a similar role in 2025.

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Cincinnati Reds catcher Jose Trevino (hand) exited Friday's spring training contest early after a foul tip hit him on his hand. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as the team has yet to provide information on the severity of the injury. This is also not a good sign as top catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) is set to begin the season on the injured list. The Reds acquired Trevino earlier in the offseason in a trade from the Yankees in exchange for Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson. Last season in the Bronx, the 32-year-old backstop posted a .215/.288/.354 line with five doubles and eight long balls. He showed a strong eye at the plate, holding a 17.5 percent strikeout rate. If Trevino were to miss time, fantasy managers should expect Austin Wynns to operate as the No. 1 backstop.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez (back) received a cortisone injection in his back. However, the team expressed optimism and expect the 25-year-old to be ready for Opening Day. Perez has been dealing with lower-back tightness over the past two weeks. Fantasy managers should monitor his status but it appears the injury is not overly serious, given Detroit's optimism. While Perez remains sidelined for the time being, Riley Greene should continue to see opportunities in center field. However, once Perez is cleared for action, he will likely have a starting role in the everyday lineup as Parker Meadows (arm) and Matt Vierling (shoulder) are both expected to miss Opening Day. Last summer, Perez made his MLB debut and held a .242/.300/.383 line with nine home runs and nine stolen bases across 112 contests. He will have short-term value in deeper formats while he holds a spot in the starting nine.

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San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said he doesn't foresee second baseman Jake Cronenworth playing first base this year. "I don't see it on the radar at the moment," Shildt said. Cronenworth enters the 2025 season with eligibility at both second and first base after splitting time at the two positions in 2024. Losing Ha-Seong Kim in free agency means that Xander Bogaerts will be at shortstop full time and Cronenworth will be at the keystone full time. At first base, Luis Arraez is expected to handle most of the playing time. The 31-year-old left-handed-hitting Cronenworth batted .241/.324/.390 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, five steals and 72 runs in 653 plate appearances last year. He makes plenty of contact but only has middling power. Given the fact that he rarely runs, Cronenworth settles in as useful middle infield depth to target late in fantasy drafts.

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (calf, elbows) is dealing with a "fairly minor" calf injury on top of the tennis elbow he's dealing with in both of his arms. Stanton is back in camp after a third round of platelet-rich plasma injections in his arms, but the Yankees still don't have any kind of timetable on the right-handed slugger. The 35-year-old has already been ruled out for Opening Day on March 27, and it's anyone's guess as to when he might be able to make his 2025 debut. His tennis elbow is being described as a severe issue. While Stanton offers elite power for fantasy managers when he's healthy, the potential for a lengthy absence this year overshadows any kind of benefit he might offer statistically. Let someone else in your draft take on the headache and uncertainty.

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Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) will make his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, according to manager Joe Espada. McCullers has been cleared to pitch in his first game of the spring after looking good recently in a live batting practice session in which he touched 94 mph on the radar gun. The 31-year-old veteran last pitched in a game for the Astros in the World Series back in October of 2022, so it's been a while. He's making good progress this spring, but fantasy managers know by now not to get their hopes up. McCullers will have a rotation spot waiting for him during the regular season as long as he doesn't have any setbacks, but he will begin the year on the injured list. McCullers proved before that he's fantasy relevant in all leagues when he's healthy, but his lengthy injury history and innings limit this year will limit his upside in 2025.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (illness) will make his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves after gaining clearance from recent tests. Manager Alex Cora now thinks it's possible for Abreu to be ready for Opening Day in late March, which is a change from a week ago when the team was uncertain if he'd be ready. A gastrointestinal virus hit the 25-year-old particularly hard in camp and has prevented him from playing in any spring games until this point. However, he's feeling good enough to play this weekend and will have a few weeks to get up to speed before Opening Day. Boston could still ease Abreu into action when real games kick off as he gets his conditioning to where it needs to be. When fully healthy, Abreu is expected to see most of the time as the team's starting right fielder in 2025.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (illness) tossed three innings in a minor-league game on Friday after he was scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start on Thursday due to a stomach bug that is going around the clubhouse. deGrom should be able to make another spring outing soon and he will be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season, although the Rangers plan to ease him in at the back end of their starting rotation. The 36-year-old two-time Cy Young winner and four-time All-Star made only three starts in 2024 while coming back from Tommy John surgery. When considering the fact that he only made six stars for Texas in 2023, it makes complete sense for the Rangers to slow-play deGrom so that he can make it through the year healthy. deGrom is an extreme risk/reward in fantasy, but if he can stay healthy, he has league-winning ace upside.

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Baltimore Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) won't need more imaging done on his elbow before he's cleared to throw again, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Rodriguez's throwing progression, which will be a "restart," is expected to begin early next week. "So it's going to take a while," Hyde said. The Baltimore Sun's Jacob Calvin Meyer writes that the Orioles haven't put a timetable on Rodriguez's return, but it's going to be longer than a month. Fantasy managers should expect the 25-year-old to miss at least the first month of the season, barring any setbacks with his right elbow once he starts ramping up. He is dealing with elbow inflammation and was given a cortisone injection in camp. It's a tough break for a pitcher that was on his way to breaking out last year, too, before a lat strain in August ended his season early. Rodriguez's new elbow injury has dropped him all the way to No. 72 in RotoBaller's pitching rankings.

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Kansas City Royals right-hander Kyle Wright (hamstring, shoulder) is hoping that he can progress to live batting practice sessions in camp next week, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. After already missing all of the 2024 season due to right-shoulder surgery, Wright has missed more time this spring after injuring his hamstring. Even if the 29-year-old former Atlanta Braves pitcher starts facing live hitters next week, he's not going to be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. The Royals took a flier on Wright hoping that he can recapture his magical 2022 campaign with Atlanta in which he had a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 174 strikeouts and 53 walks in 180 1/3 innings. However, it was the only one of his six big-league seasons that stands out, and he's made just nine appearances in the last two years due to his shoulder injury. At best, he's stash-worthy in deep AL-only leagues, but don't expect much.

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Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh (shoulder) said he felt great in two innings of live batting practice in camp on Thursday and will continue to build his arm up. It's unclear when Marsh might be cleared to pitch in a Cactus League game, but he is making progress after arriving to spring training this year with right-shoulder tightness. Even if the 26-year-old is cleared to pitch in spring games before spring training is over, he's expected to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. In his second year in the big leagues in 2024, Marsh went 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA (4.34 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 123 strikeouts and 39 walks in 129 innings over 26 outings (25 starts) for the Royals. He showed better control last year but faded down the stretch in his first full big league season and was sent to the minors while also spending time in relief. Marsh will make more starts for KC this year but is out of the top-100 fantasy starting pitchers.

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Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (forearm) is still feeling better on Friday and did some increased baseball activities at camp, including hitting, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Witt was hit by a pitch on his left forearm in a Cactus League game on Wednesday, but X-rays came back negative and he's just dealing with a forearm contusion. The 24-year-old All-Star is taking it easy, but there's a chance he'll be back in a spring game on Saturday, depending on how he feels by then. Even if he doesn't return to a game this weekend, though, Witt should be just fine for Opening Day in a few weeks. Fantasy managers that had already taken Witt early in the first round of fantasy drafts were surely holding their breathe on Wednesday after he was hit by reliever Andres Munoz. Last year's runner-up for American League MVP is ranked as the No. 2 player at RotoBaller, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

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Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz is going to stick around with the organization for a few more seasons. On Friday, the Rays picked up Diaz's $12 million team option for 2026 and added a vesting option for the 2027 season. This is noteworthy because Diaz was subject to plenty of trade rumors this offseason, but it appears the Rays want to hold onto the slugging corner infielder. Last season, Diaz slashed .281/.341/.755 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI across 145 games with the Rays. That was actually a down year for Diaz who hit .330 with 22 homers in 2023. He has been a reliable bat for a handful of years and that should remain the case heading into 2025.

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New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (knee) is expected to be ready in time to play on Opening Day. The veteran outfielder has been dealing with a lingering knee issue, but recently received a gel injection, which appears to be helping him. Nimmo believes he'll be ready to play designated hitter, but is unsure if he's ready for the outfield yet. Nimmo continued by saying he still feels soreness in his knee and is about 80 percent healthy right now. Fantasy managers should expect to have Nimmo as part of their lineup on Opening Day, but should check back in case of a setback.

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Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is reportedly near the top of the list for ninth inning options heading into the regular season. White Sox manager Will Venable said he might use multiple players in the closer role, but said Clevinger could be an early favorite for saves on the South Side. The veteran right-hander has done a nice job through a few spring appearances, but this will be his first time being a full-time reliever. Clevinger only made four starts for the White Sox last season, but posted a 3.77 ERA across 24 starts in 2023. Honestly, Clevinger might be a viable closing option, but the White Sox probably aren't going to give him enough chances to warrant rostering him in most fantasy formats.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows (arm) will open the regular season on the 10-day injured list, according to manager A.J. Hinch. This was expected to happen considering Meadows is still dealing with a nerve issue in his right arm. Meadows hasn't made much progress over the last few weeks, so his timetable to return to the field is unclear right now. The absence of Meadows means that Wenceel Perez has a path to everyday playing time in Detroit. Last season, Perez slashed .242/.300/.383 with nine home runs, 37 RBI, and nine stolen bases across 112 games. There could be some deep league value from Perez, assuming he gets everyday at-bats to begin the season.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon has been officially named the Opening Day starter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Well, this honor was going to be given to Gerrit Cole (elbow) before he suffered a season-ending injury. After that, Rodon and Max Fried became the favorites to take the ball on Opening Day. The Yankees have decided to give it to Rodon who is entering his third season in pinstripes. Last season, Rodon posted a 3.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 195/47 K/BB ratio across 32 starts with the Yankees. The Yankees are hopeful that the two-time All-Star can help pick up some of the slack left behind by the injury to Cole.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo (elbow) could get into some Grapefruit League games soon, but it will take him some time to ramp up and he remains doubtful to be ready for Opening Day, according to manager Brandon Hyde. It's good news that Mateo has progressed to the point where he's close to being cleared to play in games, but he'll almost certainly begin the 2025 regular season on the injured list after he had reconstruction surgery on his right UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow. It helps that the surgery wasn't to his throwing arm, but Mateo still won't be ready for the start of the season and will merely be a bench infielder for the Orioles once he's ready to make his season debut. The 29-year-old Dominican led the league with 35 stolen bases in 2022 and also stole 32 bags in 2023, but he's never hit for average and isn't guaranteed that type of playing time again.

From RotoBaller