
Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) will throw a couple more live batting practice sessions in camp, with the first one coming on Wednesday and another coming on Thursday. The Orioles are just being extra cautious with their closer, who didn't pitch at all in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old threw 25 pitches in a live BP session on Sunday. The 6-foot-8, 285-pounder Dominican hurler was an All-Star in his second season with the O's in 2023, when he had an 8-2 record, 1.48 ERA (1.88 FIP), a 0.92 WHIP, 33 saves, 110 strikeouts and 26 walks in 61 relief innings. Fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect numbers that good in Bautista's return after a year layoff, especially since he's had issues with walks before, but you should still consider him a top-10 fantasy closer as long as he's healthy going into Opening Day.


Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the team is shooting for third baseman Rafael Devers (shoulder) to play in his first Grapefruit League game at third base a week from this Wednesday. However, Cora also said no final decisions have been made about which position Devers will play during the regular season. Meanwhile, Alex Bregman will play second base during spring training. Devers wants to stick at the hot corner, but Bregman is better defensively. If Devers were to move off third, he'd either move across the diamond to first base or serve as the team's regular designated hitter. The BoSox are keeping their options open. Devers declined defensively at third in 2024 and also battled injuries to both of his shoulders, so moving him off third would mainly be a decision to preserve his health. Offensively, Devers remains one of the best hitters in the game and is RotoBaller's No. 5 fantasy third baseman.



Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joey Loperfido (head, neck) left Tuesday's Grapefruit League game early against the St. Louis Cardinals with an apparent head/neck injury after crashing into the center-field wall awkwardly. Loperfido got up holding the back of his head/neck area and left the game after manager John Schneider and team trainers came out to check on him. We'll have an update on the 25-year-old's condition when the Blue Jays know more about his injury. Loperfido debuted in the big leagues in 2024 with the Houston Astros before being traded to Toronto. In 81 combined games, he hit .214/.264/.350 with a weak .614 OPS, four homers, 25 RBI and four stolen bases. Loperfido is competing for an outfield job this spring in Toronto. He'll need to cut down on his strikeouts to realize his 20-20 potential.


Seattle Mariners first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley (undisclosed) was scratched from Tuesday's Cactus League lineup for undisclosed reasons against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tyler Locklear replaced Raley in the starting lineup and is batting fifth and playing first base. We'll post an update on Raley if he was scratched due to an injury. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter enjoyed his first year in Seattle in 2024, slashing .234/.320/.463 with a career-high 22 home runs, 58 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 58 runs scored in 137 games and 455 plate appearances. He especially excelled at T-Mobile Park, although his fantasy value was limited because of the fact that he only started twice against left-handed pitchers. Twenty of his 22 home runs also came against righties. Raley has fanned at over a 30% clip in his career, but his power stroke from the left side makes him a valuable corner-infield commodity in deeper fantasy leagues.


Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Michael Grove (shoulder) will not be ready for Opening Day on March 18 in Tokyo, Japan, against the Chicago Cubs, according to manager Dave Roberts. It's not much of a surprise, as Grove was around a month behind scheduled in the offseason after he finished the 2024 campaign with a right-shoulder injury. The 28-year-old made a career-high 39 appearances (two starts) for the Blue last year and held a 5.12 ERA (3.87 FIP) and 1.22 WHIP with 54 strikeouts and 16 walks in 51 inning pitched. Grove was a bit unlucky in his relief role and showed much better velocity out of the bullpen. Because he won't be ready for the start of the regular season because of his shoulder injury, it's most likely that the Dodgers will leave him in a relief role in 2025 when he returns, which makes him one to avoid in fantasy.
