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MLB Player News

  • Braves' Drake Baldwin: Goes yard in Friday's opener

    Baldwin went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

    The reigning NL Rookie of the Year got hold of a 93.4-mph fastball from Cole Ragans in the third inning, giving Atlanta its second of three long balls on the night against the left-hander. Baldwin slugged 19 homers in 124 games in his MLB debut last year, and expectations are sky high for the 25-year-old in 2026 as he figures to be a near-everyday player while splitting his time between catcher and DH.

  • Padres' Freddy Fermin: Takes seat in second game

    Fermin is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Tigers.

    Fermin was behind the dish for Thursday's opener, but he will yield to Luis Campusano for the second game of the series. The playing time between the two catchers this season will likely tilt slightly toward Fermin.

  • Braves' Drake Baldwin: Draws start at DH versus lefty

    Baldwin will start at designated hitter and bat second in Friday's opener versus the Royals.

    Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Atlanta manager Walt Weiss noted Thursday that he planned to use Baldwin at DH and Jonah Heim at catcher against left-handed pitching, and that's how things are set up Friday against Royals southpaw Cole Ragans. The left-handed-swinging Baldwin had virtually even splits in his rookie season, slashing .299/.358/.460 against lefties and .267/.336/.472 versus righties. Being used in the DH slot on days he doesn't catch is a big boost to Baldwin's outlook for counting stats.

  • Rockies' Braxton Fulford: Summoned from minors

    The Rockies recalled Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

    He's taking the roster spot vacated by Mickey Moniak (finger). Fulford was beaten out by Brett Sullivan for the No. 2 catcher job in Colorado but will wind up making the Opening Day roster after all. With three catchers available, the Rockies could give Hunter Goodman more time at designated hitter while Moniak is shelved.

  • Brewers' William Contreras: Drives in three

    Contreras went 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, three RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 14-2 win against the White Sox.

    The 28-year-old carried a hot bat during spring training with three homers and a 1.025 OPS in eight Cactus League games, and he carried over that success into Opening Day. Contreras came to the plate with the bases loaded in the second inning Thursday and cleared them with a double, and he followed with a single and a run scored in the sixth. His offensive production dipped last year with a .754 OPS in 150 regular-season games while playing through a left middle finger fracture, but Contreras is positioned to produce something closer to his career .805 OPS in 2026 now that he's healthy.

  • Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Goes yard on Opening Day

    Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

    The 24-year-old catcher went back-to-back with rookie Carson Benge in the sixth inning off Justin Lawrence. Alvarez has been slowed by injuries the last couple seasons and hasn't come close to the 25 homers he launched in his first full big-league season in 2023, but he could be ready to put things together in 2026 if he can stay in the lineup.

  • Will Smith C | LAD

    Dodgers' Will Smith: Homers on Opening Day

    Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in an 8-2 victory versus Arizona on Thursday.

    Smith's first RBI came on an infield single in the fifth inning. He followed up that hit with a two-run blast in the seventh frame to cap the scoring in the contest. Smith probably isn't going to challenge for the NL home run crown, but he's been pretty consistent in the long-ball department with between 17 and 25 homers each of the past five regular seasons. He batted .296 across 436 plate appearances during the regular season last year and is one of fantasy's most productive backstops.

  • Drew Millas C | WAS

    Nationals' Drew Millas: Will handle backup catching duties

    Milias will begin the season on the Nationals' 26-man roster, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

    The 28-year-old beat out Harry Ford and Riley Adams for the job of backing up Keibert Ruiz, giving the Nats a rare combo -- two switch-hitting catchers. Milias has seen brief action in the majors in each of the last three seasons but has never seen more than 62 plate appearances in a campaign, amassing a more-than-respectable .276/.340/.396 slash line with two homers and six steals in 49 games.

  • Jonah Heim C | ATL

    Braves' Jonah Heim: Will begin season as backup catcher

    Heim has secured a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

    It will likely be a temporary assignment while Sean Murphy (hip) is on the IL, but Heim will back up Drake Baldwin to begin the season. Heim hasn't been able to match his career-best 2023 campaign with the Rangers, and over the last two seasons the 30-year-old switch hitter managed just a .217/.269/.334 slash line.

  • Giants' Daniel Susac: Wins backup catcher job

    The Giants named Susac to their Opening Day roster Wednesday.

    A Rule 5 Draft selection over the winter, Susac was able to beat out Jesus Rodriguez and non-roster invitee Eric Haase for the No. 2 catcher job during spring training. So long as top backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy, Susac will likely play sparingly, and the Giants will need to stash him on the major-league roster throughout the season, or else he'll have to be offered back to the Athletics. The 24-year-old showed some potential with the bat in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season with a .275/.350/.486 slash line to go with 18 home runs and seven stolen bases across 403 plate appearances, though he struck out at a 26.8 percent clip.

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