MLB Roster Updates:
It has been roughly about a month since I posted my MLB Team Preview series as part of this year’s MLB Betting Guide, which we hosted on the website instead of creating a PDF. Injuries obviously happen and there have been a lot of noteworthy ones as we head into the season.
With Opening Day on Thursday, I wanted to update the odds for the teams and some of the more noteworthy personnel happenings. I still encourage you to check out the team previews (linked on team name) since the majority of that information is still plenty relevant, including the players to watch if you are looking at the awards markets or have a late fantasy draft.
Top MLB Resources:
For daily intel, Greg Peterson and I will both be doing our own versions of best bet articles and you can see Greg’s Daily MLB Lines here.
Odds are listed as World Series / Pennant / Division / Win Total from DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publish.
AL East
Baltimore Orioles (+1600 / +650 / +270 / 87.5)
Starting 2B Gunnar Henderson will start the season on the IL, but the expectation is that he should be back relatively soon.
SP Grayson Rodriguez is “going through Spring Training again” after experiencing elbow soreness and he’ll be out indefinitely.
Boston Red Sox (+2000 / +900 / +350 / 86.5)
Some good news first, as Kristian Campbell officially made the Opening Day roster. He’s the second favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year at +500.
OF/DH Masataka Yoshida will start the season on the IL after offseason shoulder surgery, but that’s not the biggest story with Boston. Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito are all hurt to begin the year, so three rotation pieces will get off to a slow start.
New York Yankees (+850 / +330 / +135 / 89.5)
The AL East favorites will be without Gerrit Cole for the season, as he had Tommy John surgery. Luis Gil also suffered a severe enough lat injury to be out for a while, made worse by the fact that Clarke Schmidt has a bum shoulder. Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco look to be in the rotation.
Giancarlo Stanton remains out and DJ LeMahieu will start on the IL. It sounds like Paul Goldschmidt could bat leadoff against lefties, which could be very valuable in prop markets.
Tampa Bay Rays (+5000 / +1700 / +800 / 81.5)
The big story here is that Shane McClanahan is once again dealing with an arm injury. This one is said to be triceps soreness in a nerve and there is no timeline for his return.
Toronto Blue Jays (+6000 / +3000 / +1300 / 78.5)
The Blue Jays are still the long shot in the AL East, but everything that has happened in Spring Training has been to their benefit. Daulton Varsho’s ongoing rehab from shoulder surgery allowed Alan Roden to make the team, a guy that has hit well at every level in the minors. Fanduel has him at +2000 to win AL Rookie of the Year after it was announced that he is on the 26-man roster.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox (LOL / LOL / LOL / 53.5)
Newcomers Josh Rojas and Mike Tauchman both suffered mid-March injuries and start the season on the IL. Semi-promising pitching prospect Drew Thorpe was shut down in the Spring and will undergo Tommy John surgery shortly.
Cleveland Guardians (+4000 / +1400 / +300 / 82.5)
All things considered, for a team that made a decent playoff run and used their best relievers extensively, it has been a pretty good Spring for Cleveland. There were no major injuries, though prospect Chase DeLauter is out for a while after sports hernia surgery. Pitchers Slade Cecconi and Erik Sabrowski may have made the roster, but they’re both hurt.
Detroit Tigers (+3500 / +1300 / +270 / 83.5)
Some position player injuries of note for the Tigers include Parker Meadows, Wenceel Perez, and Matt Vierling. Alex Cobb spent a lot of time in the trainer’s room, which we have come to expect.
Meadows is actually on the 60-day IL with his arm issue after playing just one Spring Training game. This is a pretty worrisome one for me, as I felt like he was a potential breakout guy this season. Perez is out at least a month and Vierling’s return is moving slowly.
Kansas City Royals (+3000 / +1300 / +270 / 83.5)
It was a good Spring for the Royals on the health front. Depth starter Alec Marsh is out indefinitely with a shoulder impingement, but it is all systems go otherwise.
Minnesota Twins (+2500 / +1000 / +210 / 84.5)
This will shock you, but Royce Lewis is hurt again. Byron Buxton did not get hurt in Spring Training, so cash that plus-money ticket, but Lewis is out with a “moderate” hamstring strain. INF Brooks Lee may have made the team, but he’s hurt, too. The Twins are still the AL Central favorites, but this is obviously a wide-open division.
AL West
Athletics (+25000 / +10000 / +3000 / 71.5)
The A’s will be without Zack Gelof following hamate bone surgery. Sometimes a power decline follows a return from hamate surgery, so we’ll see how the Sacramento team works around that. Otherwise, depth SP Brady Basso is out with a strained shoulder.
Houston Astros (+1500 / +650 / +125 / 87.5)
No news is good news for the Astros. Cam Smith may get the first crack to replace Kyle Tucker after being acquired from the Cubs. Hayden Wesneski and Isaac Paredes also made the roster, so that could be a huge deal for one year of Tucker. Injured pitchers are still returning in Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers, but no huge setbacks in Grapefruit League action.
Los Angeles Angels (+20000 / +12000 / +3000 / 71.5)
It isn’t even worth mentioning Anthony Rendon again because we all already just assume he’s not playing. Yoan Moncada will miss a little bit of time. Zach Neto is still out after shoulder surgery last year. Most importantly, Mike Trout is healthy.
Seattle Mariners (+2800 / +1100 / +250 / 84.5)
The Mariners will begin the season without George Kirby, who is still working on strengthening his shoulder. Kirby is up to throwing about 75 feet as the season is set to begin, so he’s on a very methodical path back to the roster.
Texas Rangers (+2500 / +900 / +225 / 85.5)
Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter Jr. start their seasons with the Rangers, as Texas had some innings available and those guys stayed healthy and impressed enough to make the Opening Day roster. Cody Bradford, my Player to Watch in my team preview, is out with shoulder pain and Jon Gray has a fractured wrist.
NL East
Atlanta Braves (+750 / +425 / +110 / 93.5)
All things considered, it was a decent Spring for the Braves. Spencer Strider looks incredible in his return from Tommy John surgery, though he’ll still start the year on the IL. So will Ronald Acuna Jr., as he returns from a torn ACL.
The newest injury is C Sean Murphy, who has a cracked rib and should return in mid-April or thereabouts.
Miami Marlins (+50000 / +25000 / +25000 / 63.5)
The Marlins don’t have high expectations for this season and a rough Spring Training on the health front won’t make it any easier. Ryan Weathers is likely out long-term and Edward Cabrera is dealing with a blister that will delay his start to the season.
Unfortunately, that’s not all, as Connor Norby and Jesus Sanchez, two of the few promising position players, are dealing with strained obliques and will miss the beginning of the campaign.
New York Mets (+1200 / +700 / +240 / 90.5)
With Sean Manaea sidelined, as well as Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes gets the Opening Day assignment for the Mets. They’ll also be without Francisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil to open up the year.
The Mets were 58-27 when Alvarez started last season and 31-46 when he did not. They were 65-35 when he played and 24-38 when he didn’t. It would appear that he’s a pretty valuable player.
Philadelphia Phillies (+1200 / +650 / +215 / 91.5)
It was mostly smooth sailing for the Phillies in the Spring. Ranger Suarez is dealing with a barking back and will start the season on the IL. The hope is that he’ll be back some time in April, but I am always skeptical of pitchers that get hurt in March because they have to get prepared for the season all over again and often rush it.
There is some good news regarding top prospect Andrew Painter, who should start pitching in extended Spring Training in April and may be an option late in the year.
Washington Nationals (+30000 / +10000 / +6500 / 72.5)
It was a mostly good camp for the Nationals, with one notable exception. DJ Herz has a left UCL sprain and that means Tommy John surgery is likely on the horizon. They’re already without Josiah Gray from that and Cade Cavalli is still recovering from TJS.
All of the young position players got through camp unscathed, so the lineup is good to go as the season gets underway.
NL Central
Chicago Cubs (+3000 / +1500 / +125 / 85.5)
The Cubs begin the season 0-2 after losing both games in the Tokyo Series to the Dodgers. They also open the season missing Javier Assad, who is down with the dreaded strained oblique. It happened pretty early in camp, so he should be back sometime in late April or early May after getting built back up for the season. Reliever Tyson Miller is another IL casualty with a hip issue.
Ben Brown, who made eight starts and seven relief appearances at the MLB level last season, slots in for Assad as the No. 5 starter to open the year.
Cincinnati Reds (+9000 / +5000 / +650 / 78.5)
A big season for the Reds under first-year skipper Terry Francona begins with a few big concerns. Closer Alexis Diaz is down with a strained hamstring and will get a slow start to 2025. So will Andrew Abbott, who missed the end of last season and is still working to get back to full strength.
On the position player side, the injury to Tyler Stephenson forced the Reds to sign Jose Trevino to be the starting backstop. It’s an oblique for Stephenson, so it shouldn’t be a long-term thing and Trevino will be a solid backup anyway. Spencer Steer is working his way back from a bum shoulder and should be on a good timeline to be back sooner rather than later.
Milwaukee Brewers (+5000 / +2200 / +260 / 83.5)
It was a rough Spring for the Brewers pitching staff. Aaron Ashby and Tobias Myers are both down with strained obliques and DL strained a lat in February. Nick Mears has been sick and has only made three appearances covering three innings. For a team that seemingly has a thin margin for error, they’ll need to get healthy quickly.
At least there has been some positive progress for Brandon Woodruff in his quest to return, as he’s pitching in minor league games. On the position player side, Blake Perkins fractured his shin. He’s a poor hitter, but has good speed and is a strong defensive outfielder.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+12000 / +6000 / +700 / 77.5)
The obvious top story for the Pirates is that Jared Jones is not going to throw for at least six weeks. A second opinion found that Tommy John surgery was not necessary, but he’s clearly dealing with an elbow issue. That pushed Carmen Mlodzinski into the rotation for the time being, whether that means Bubba Chandler and/or Thomas Harrington come up after the Super Two deadline for the frugal franchise or somebody else starts.
Offseason acquisition Spencer Horwitz is back to baseball activities and should be back sooner rather than later.
St. Louis Cardinals (+12000 / +5500 / +600 / 76.5)
Not much to report with the Cardinals. Phil Maton was signed in March and he’ll make the Opening Day bullpen. Otherwise, everybody is healthy heading into the season.
One disappointing development is that Tink Hence and Quinn Matthews were assigned to minor league camp during the first week of March, but we probably shouldn’t read too much into that.
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks (+2500 / +1300 / +600 / 86.5)
One of my personal favorite pitchers, Jordan Montgomery, is done for the season due to Tommy John surgery. He was going to be pushed to the pen anyway, but it is still a bummer. High-leverage reliever Kevin Ginkel is dealing with a bad shoulder and veteran swingman Kendall Graveman has a barking back.
Other than that, the Diamondbacks are pretty much ready to go, as there were very few personnel questions in the lineup or rotation.
Colorado Rockies (+50000 / +25000 / +25000 / 58.5)
The Rockies, who have the second-lowest win total in baseball, acquired Tyler Freeman for Nolan Jones in an eyebrow-raising late-March deal. Freeman is some insurance for Thairo Estrada, who fractured his wrist two days before the deal.
Otherwise, there isn’t a ton to report. It looks like Nick Martini, who signed a minor league deal in January, will make the club. Austin Gomber is dealing with a sore shoulder and fringe starter Jeff Criswell had Tommy John surgery. Keep an eye out for Chase Dollander, who is Colorado’s top prospect and will start the season in the Triple-A Albuquerque rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers (+275 / +160 / -500 / 103.5)
The Dodgers open the season 2-0 after sweeping the series in Tokyo against the Cubs, despite a mystery illness that forced Mookie Betts to miss the trip after losing a lot of weight. Numerous pitchers remain hurt for the Dodgers, with Tony Gonsolin (back) and Michael Grove (shoulder) added to the list.
Grove is done for the year. Gonsolin’s recovery is moving slowly. So is Michael Kopech’s, as he had forearm issues late last season and now has a shoulder impingement.
San Diego Padres (+2800 / +1300 / +1000 / 85.5)
Tirso Ornelas didn’t do enough to impress the team to stay and a lot of bench spots were up for grabs. The Padres may carry as many as four non-roster invites on the Opening Day roster – Gavin Sheets, Martin Maldonado, Yuli Gurriel, and Jose Iglesias.
But, the far bigger story is on the pitching side, where the Padres have a lot of rotation concerns. We already know Joe Musgrove is out for the year, but Yu Darvish is out with an inflamed elbow and Matt Waldron is out with a strained oblique. Furthermore, depth options Jhony Brito and Bryan Hoeing are also hurt with arm problems. Darvish has no timeline for a return and Waldron is likely looking at mid-May or so at the earliest.
San Francisco Giants (+8000 / +3500 / +1800 / 80.5)
No big updates on the injury front for the Giants, who appear good to go for the season. Jerar Encarnacion had a good shot at making the club, but broke his hand, likely opening up a spot for Rule 5 pick Christian Koss.
Landen Roupp won the last rotation spot over a strong cast of options and there are a lot that are excited about his promise with a revamped arsenal and more movement. Sean Hjelle was sent down in something of a surprise, but the Giants prioritized Spencer Bivens and Hayden Birdsong in the pen instead.
