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"What else did you expect?!!!"

Those were Kiké Hernández's own words when he broke the news on his Instagram Thursday morning that he was re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The defending back-to-back World Series champions also announced a one-year extension of third baseman Max Muncy's contract. As had been mostly expected all offseason, the two stalwart veterans are re-joining the Dodgers just ahead of spring training.

In a corresponding move, the Dodgers placed right-handed pitcher Evan Phillips on the 60-day injured list.

"[Three] in a row has a nice ring to it," Hernández said in his post, accompanied by a picture of him at the Dodgers' World Series parade from November.

Kiké Hernández contract details

According to multiple reports, Hernández's deal is for one-year, $4.5 million. The longtime fan favorite at Dodger Stadium underwent surgery on his left elbow over the offseason and is not expected to be ready for Opening Day, which is part of the reason he and the Dodgers waited until spring to get the contract done. That way, the club could place him on the 60-day IL and keep a 40-man roster spot open.

The 34-year-old utilityman's numbers during the regular season declined in 2025 -- his .621 OPS was a career-low -- but the legend of "October Kiké" once again rose to the occasion. Starting in 17 postseason games, Hernández put together multiple clutch performances, including back-to-back multi-hit games in the Wild Card and a crucial two-run double as the Dodgers rallied to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in game one of the NLDS.

But his biggest moment -- maybe of his career -- came in Game 6 of the World Series when Hernández possibly saved the Dodgers season when he turned a game-ending double play with the bases loaded on a running catch in left field that he immediately threw to Miguel Rojas at second base to force a game seven.

“October Kiké is something pretty special,” manager Dave Roberts said at the time. “And the track record speaks for itself. Throughout history, he's one of the best throughout history of the postseason.”

The Philadelphia Phillies have released outfielder Nick Castellanos, per multiple reports. Castellanos had one year left on the five year, $100 million deal he signed with the Phillies prior to 2022 season.

It had been a given that the Phillies were not going to open camp with Castellanos still on the team, and the only question was whether they could find someone to take Castellanos and pay a small portion of the $20 million he is owed in 2026, or if they’d end up simply cutting him. In his four seasons with the Phillies, Castellanos slashed .260/.306/.426 and put up a 1.3 bWAR.

We had previously talked about the possibility of the Rangers taking a look at Castellanos as a potential platoon DH when he hit the market. However, this piece in the Athletic by Matt Gelb, where Gelb says that “many teammates had come to resent Castellanos for his attitude” even before he sat in the dugout in a June game in Miami drinking a beer while displaying his displeasure at being lifted for defense late in the game. Gelb also paints a picture of a player who views himself as a star and is unhappy if he is not being treated like one, and not wanting to accept a part-time role.

So yeah, thinking that’s a no on Castellanos for the Rangers.

TAMPA — It only took a day for the first injury concern of Yankees camp to pop up, even if they insist it is not much of a concern at all.

Cam Schlittler is dealing with mid-back inflammation that he is also feeling in his left lat, the right-hander said Thursday, though he described his level of concern as “zero” and claimed the Yankees are just being cautious by keeping him off the mound for a few days.

Last year’s breakout star indicated he has been dealing with the issue for a few weeks, but he will continue to throw on flat ground and hopes to get back on the mound for a bullpen session by next week.

“It’s just so insignificant,” Schlittler said at Steinbrenner Field. “It’s very minor. We’re just taking some precautions for a few days and that’s really it. … . I’ve been dealing with it for a little bit, so just want to make sure I’m on top of it and ready for Opening Day and that week in San [Francisco].”

The Yankees are already set to open the season with Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt on the injured list, and while they say they feel good about their starting depth, they can ill afford to lose Schlittler on top of all that.

There have been some examples in recent years of the Yankees initially downplaying an injury only for it to turn into something more serious, so while back inflammation sounds harmless enough in the middle of February, it will bear watching in the coming days as Schittler tries to return to building up for the regular season.

The 25-year-old, who posted a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts last season before dazzling against the Red Sox in the American League wild-card series, recently got tests done on his back that came back with “good news,” manager Aaron Boone said.

“Just want to make sure we don’t turn this into something else,” Boone said. “He’s felt a little tweak here and there, but has been doing his lives. He’s already done two [innings] in lives, so I don’t think it’ll slow him that much.”

Boone and Schlittler both said the righty was already ahead of other pitchers in his progression, having faced hitters multiple times.

If he is able to get back on the mound by next week and advance without issues, he still should have plenty of time to start the season on time.

“That setback, it’s really minor in terms of the longevity when you’re looking to throw a full season,” said Schlittler, who has been working out here for about a month. “There’s really no concern or worries when it comes to that stuff.”

The Yankees are banking on Schlittler being a staple in their rotation and building off what he did last year after being called up midseason to make his MLB debut as an injury replacement for Schmidt.

He delivered beyond expectations, after having started the year at Double-A, and punctuated his season mowing down the Red Sox with a memorable 12-strikeout gem in the playoffs.

“I feel like I found my identity a little bit those last three outings I had,” Schlittler said. “It took two months up there to really figure out how I need to pitch and all that. For me, it’s just the routine and making sure I’m taking care of myself on and off the field. Going out there with what I learned at the end of last season and really taking off.”

The potential of having Schlittler pitch a full season is part of the reason why the Yankees are so high on what their rotation could give them this year, especially once Rodón and Cole return.

Now they just need this “minor” back issue to remain minor so he can have the chance to deliver on that promise.

“I came in here last spring training kind of as a no one, prospect, whatever it was,” Schlittler said. “But I was really trying to learn things. Come in here, get my work in. It was more of an experience last year. Now I feel like being over here, I’ve earned that role and I’m going to go out there, I know exactly what I need to do. When these games come up, I’ll work on things and prepare for the season.”

Nick Castellanos was released by the Phillies on Thursday after a tumultuous and disappointing tenure in Philadelphia.

And while the move wasn’t particularly unexpected, it did come with some drama.

After Castellanos’ release was announced by the team, the veteran outfielder acknowledged bringing a beer into the dugout after being removed from a game in Miami last June.

That led to Castellanos being benched the following game by Phillies manager Rob Thomson, who said at the time the outfielder was being punished for an “inappropriate comment” in the dugout, something the 33-year-old Castellanos addressed Thursday.

He sectioned this part of the note, “Miami Incident.”

“As a veteran of the game of baseball, there are rules, and I broke one in Miami,” Castellanos posted on Instagram. “After being taken out of a close ball game in front of my friends and family, I brought a presedente [sic] into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning. Shoutout to my teammates and Howie [Kendrick, assistant GM, who was in the dugout] for taking the beer out of my hands before I could take a sip. (I appreciate you guys).”

His benching made headlines at the time, in part, because Castellanos had a 236-game starting streak prior to the incident. He also grew up in the suburbs of Miami.

Castellanos, who has played 13 years in the majors, has one year and $20 million remaining on a five-year, $100 million deal he signed after coming off a career-best year in Cincinnati in 2021.

Castellanos also played parts of seven seasons with the Tigers.

His time with the Phillies didn’t go well, although he was an All-Star in 2023.

Castellanos’ production fell off sharply following that season and his departure from Philadelphia was almost a foregone conclusion, especially when the team signed Adolis Garcia this past offseason.

Team president Dave Dombrowski said of Castellanos during the offseason “sometimes a change of scenery can be beneficial for people.”

He was reportedly told not to report to spring training and there was no locker for him at the team’s spring training facility in Clearwater, Fla.

At two on the ante meridium, you’ll find me asleep. 

Most nights, this is no guarantee. Fiddling and futzing, filming and flamming, the unobserved hours of night offer me nourishing ease for my brain’s constructive efforts. It’s your fault, really, and Dominic Canzone is one of you, to be so damned compelling that in the decades I’ve determined my own bedtime that I’m rarely able to quell my mind until most of my world is at rest. But I’ve endeavored, dare I say vowed, to sleep soundly tonight. And for this, Canzone must be confronted on his terms: over the heart of the plate, in the light of day.

It’s a terrible gameplan for retiring the 28 year old Buckeye, whose outstanding second half caulked the corner outfield gap left by the injury-ridden seasons of Victor Robles and Luke Raley, as well as the better-the-sooner-we’re-rid-of-him Leody Taveras experiment. Canzone’s zone of influence is over the plate’s inner half, where his lean, wristy swing can deliver maximum impact with his whiplash hacks. Five of his 11 big flies came middle-in last year, and seven were on the inner half overall – just a single one was on the outer third of the plate. When Canzone connects, it’s thunderous.

Julio’s seemingly-annual second-half surge was a massive part of Seattle’s blistering finish to the season, but Canzone’s scalding September and solid season overall played a mighty role as well. Expected to take a strong-side platoon, if not near-daily role in the 2026 lineup between DH and corner outfield, Canzone was on the outside looking in (with glasses) at this time a year ago. Defensively limited, Canzone was a bat-first platoon man who wasn’t batting. A series of adjustments to his stance and approach, as well as improved health and the opportunity provided by the injuries to Victor Robles and Luke Raley were all necessary to put Canzone back into Seattle’s plans.

Canzone’s quality improved last year with some good fortune: a .354 BABIP that is the dream of the shift-banners, rewarding a hitter who seeks to pull the ball with authority. But accomplishing this task also came on significant strides in his approach. Those mechanical changes seem to have made major strides, with Canzone improving his average bat speed on his swing while lowering the length of his swing. That’s not unheard of, but broadly speaking, bat speed is its best in longer swings, a give and take of impact authority in exchange for adjustability – e.g. Giancarlo Stanton constantly leads the league in average bat speed, but is an infamous whiff risk when contact is not made. 

Ryan explored Canzone’s numbers in depth earlier this winter, which I implore you to read, because it gets at why Canzone is not like Stanton, nor even a more comparable feast or famine slugger in the same bat speed range: Teoscar Hernandez. Despite eschewing free passes to a deleterious degree, Canzone is able seemingly to better dominate the inner half of the zone while at least getting a piece of pitches he needs to spoil. In 2025, the slugger who will anchor a plucky Team Italy roster in the World Baseball Classic in less than a month struck out less than the league average, and whiffed barely a tick above the median.

In a slightly more ideal roster, Canzone could be confidently slated to DH for the Mariners heading into 2026. There’s not much sugar-coating Dom’s defensive shortcomings. He runs slowly, has a strong but inconsistent arm, and looks like a student of Randy Arozarena more than Julio or Victor Robles in his routes. In 2025, Canzone was dependent on the performance of others to have a chance at playing a role in the big leagues. This year, a major role has been earned, but the shape of it remains to be seen, ranging from platoon bat to full-time DH/RF given the small gains Canzone showed against southpaws.

Canzone will likely have to see what Robles can deliver this spring, as his fellow 28 year old is unequivocally a defensive superior who can allow Julio to better shade to cover his DH-worthy compatriot in left. Wherever he plays, however, Canzone has earned his way back into the center of the plan, well lit and looking forward.