MLB Player News
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Ty France 1B | SD
Padres' Ty France: Makes Opening Day roster
France will be part of the Padres' Opening Day roster, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
France joined the Padres in mid-February on a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. He played well at the plate across 17 Cactus League games, posting a .318/.367/.545 slash line with two home runs and 12 RBI in 49 plate appearances. With Sung-Mun Song (oblique) expected to open the season on the IL, France could see a fair amount of playing time as a utility man for San Diego.
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Victor Bericoto 1B | SF
Giants' Victor Bericoto: Sent to MiLB camp
The Giants reassigned Bericoto to minor-league camp Friday, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Bericoto joined the Giants for spring training for the first time in his career, slashing .429/.432/.714 with 13 RBI, eight runs scored, three long balls and three doubles across 44 plate appearances in 19 games. The 24-year-old outfielder is a candidate for a big-league call-up at some point this season, and manager Tony Vitello spoke highly of Bericoto's work ethic. "He doesn't want anyone to outwork him," Vitello said. "He wants reps. I think we all know with experience, he's going to play at this level."
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Dominic Smith 1B | ATL
Braves' Dominic Smith: Could make Opening Day roster
Atlanta signed Smith to a one-year split contract Saturday.
Smith was invited to spring training by Atlanta in mid-February and slashed .242/.342/.364 with one home run and four RBI in 38 plate appearances over 12 Grapefruit League games. If he makes the Opening Day roster, Smith could see some work as the designated hitter against right-handed pitching for as long as Sean Murphy (hip) is sidelined.
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Rowdy Tellez 1B | TEX
Braves' Rowdy Tellez: Inks MiLB pact with Atlanta
Tellez signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Tellez spent time with the Mariners and Rangers last season, slashing .228/.276/.443 across 312 total plate appearances. He's spent the entire offseason on the open market but still saw a little bit of action while playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, during which he went 1-for-9 with two walks and two strikeouts across four games. The 31-year-old will almost certainly begin 2026 as an organizational depth piece at Triple-A Gwinnett, but he'd be likely to join the big club if Matt Olson were to miss any amount of time.
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Bryce Eldridge 1B | SF
Giants' Bryce Eldridge: Excluded from Opening Day roster
The Giants optioned Eldridge to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
Eldridge posted an .830 OPS with six RBI and eight runs scored through 19 Cactus League games, but 19 of his 40 at-bats resulted in a strikeout. The 21-year-old had been in the running to open the regular season as San Francisco's primary designated hitter, but he will instead report to Sacramento, which will allow him to continue developing his discipline while making regular starts at first base. Now that Eldridge is out of the picture, Jerar Encarnacion figures to be the most likely candidate at DH for the Giants.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Clubs first spring homer
Freeman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Wednesday in a Cactus League win over San Francisco.
Freeman left the yard for the first time this spring with a solo shot in the third inning. The steady first baseman has hit well this spring, posting a .429/.500/.643 slash line with three doubles, 10 RBI and six runs scored. Freeman should be an everyday fixture in the Dodgers' lineup this season and could see a few more RBI opportunities with his anticipated move to the cleanup spot.
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Carlos Santana 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Carlos Santana: Returns to Cactus League
Santana started at first base and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's spring game against the Cubs.
Santana played in his first Cactus League game since returning from the World Baseball Classic, in which he played for Team Dominican Republic. For the Diamondbacks, Santana is expected to share first base with Pavin Smith (forearm) and get regular turns as a designated hitter.
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Buddy Kennedy 3B | SF
Giants' Buddy Kennedy: Sent out to MiLB camp
The Giants reassigned Kennedy to minor-league camp Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Kennedy had been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and ultimately fell short in his fight for a utility role with the Giants. The 27-year-old is expected to report to Triple-A Sacramento to begin the season. Kennedy saw 13 games of big-league action in 2025, slashing .069/.156/.103 across stops with the Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
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Abimelec Ortiz 1B | WAS
Nationals' Abimelec Ortiz: Sent to Triple-A
The Nationals optioned Ortiz to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Ortiz was part of the haul the Nationals received from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore trade over the winter. The 24-year-old Ortiz will have to wait to make his MLB debut. He slashed .257/.356/.479 with 25 home runs, 89 RBI and 85 runs scored across 130 games at Double-A and Triple-A last season but struggled during spring training, hitting .136 with a .478 OPS across 27 trips to the plate.
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Keston Hiura 2B | LAD
Dodgers' Keston Hiura: Available for Wednesday's game
Hiura (hand) is listed as an available bench option for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Hiura's last spring appearance came back on Feb. 28, when he exited a game against the Cubs early after getting hit on the hand by a pitch. The Dodgers reassigned him to minor-league camp shortly thereafter, but Hiura's inclusion on the lineup card for Wednesday implies that he's moved past the hand injury.