St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Cooper Hjerpe (undisclosed) will open the Double-A regular season on the injured list. Hjerpe was limited by numerous injuries during the 2024 campaign and will now start the 2025 campaign sidelined. Last season, the former 22nd overall pick was only able to log 52 1/3 innings of work split between High-A and Double-A. With High-A, Hjerpe held a 3.35 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP across 37 2/3 innings. He struck out an impressive 56 batters. He then made his Double-A debut and continued to pitch well, posting a strong 3.07 ERA with a stellar 0.95 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings of work. During this brief taste, he tallied 20 punchouts and served up eight free passes. Dynasty managers should monitor his status as an extended injury could prevent him from reaching Triple-A this season.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez finished last year with 39 home runs, 39 doubles and 41 stolen bases in 158 games, leaving him just shy of the elusive 40-40-40 club, which only Alfonso Soriano in 2006 was able to pull off. Ramirez said he worked even hard this past offseason to try and reach that unique goal. The 32-year-old Dominican is already a six-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger award winner. He said he's the same weight now as he was at the end of the 2024 season -- he's listed at 5-foot-9, 200 pounds -- but he was strict with his intake and increased his muscle mass while trimming body fat over the winter. J-Ram has been as dependable, durable and productive as any hitter in recent seasons, and he's played 681 of a possible 708 games from 2020-24. He's gotten off to a strong start in 2025, too, hitting .294 (5-for-17) with a homer, two doubles and two RBI in five games.

Chicago White Sox starting pitching prospect Grant Taylor will begin the 2025 regular season with Double-A Birmingham. The White Sox drafted Taylor with the 51st overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old has been unable to pitch through most of the start of his professional career as he underwent Tommy John surgery while still in college at LSU. Last season, Taylor made his professional debut. He logged just 19 1/3 innings, split between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A. At Low-A Kannapolis, Taylor tossed 16 innings and held a strong 1.13 ERA with a stellar 0.63 WHIP. He held a near-perfect 1:25 BB:K. In spring training, the right-hander tossed four shutout innings and held a 1:9 BB:K. Taylor will join a top-heavy Birmingham rotation that features Noah Schultz, one of the top pitching prospects in the sport, and Hagen Smith.

Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group reports that Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Cobb (hip) is scheduled to throw live batting practice at Comerica Park early next week. The 37-year-old missed all of spring training due to right hip inflammation. Cobb dealt with injuries last season, limited to just 16.1 innings pitched over August and September. Unfortunately, injuries have already hampered him once again, but it appears he's turning a corner as he'd only thrown bullpen sessions thus far. It's unclear if the former fourth-round pick will be ready to go when he's first eligible or return to the rotation at all when he's healthy, as injuries have been a concern for him. Despite pitching well during his limited 2024 with the Cleveland Guardians -- holding an ERA of 2.76 -- Cobb held an xERA of 5.01.

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt will begin the season with Double-A Biloxi. The Brewers drafted the 20-year-old in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Later that summer, Pratt received a brief taste in the Arizona Complex League where he held a strong .326/.424/.444 slash line across 12 contests. He opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A, where he spent most of the season. In a 73 game-stint, Pratt posted a .295/.394/.395 line with 11 doubles, three triples, and three home runs. During this stint, he swiped 25 bags and held a 38:57 BB:K. He then earned a 23-game taste of High-A, posting a modest .221 AVG. However, Pratt has shown enough to earn a vote of confidence to open the campaign just one step away from the top of the minor leagues.