MLB Player News

Alvarez (back) will start behind the plate and bat ninth in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez was lifted from Thursday's exhibition due to back tightness, a move which left fantasy managers holding their breath, but he has made a quick turnaround. Assuming no further issues, Alvarez should be fine to catch for Freddy Peralta on Opening Day.

Bart has gone 5-for-31 with 13 strikeouts across 12 Grapefruit League games.

Bart is likely the favorite to win a roster spot as Pittsburgh's second catcher alongside Henry Davis, and his path became clearer earlier in the week when Endy Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Rafael Flores also remains in the mix, though he has hit poorly this spring.

Flores has gone 2-for-25 with 10 strikeouts during Grapefruit League games.

Flores is vying for a roster spot as a second catcher alongside Henry Davis, with Joey Bart being his primary competition. Neither has made much of an impression, as Bart has struck out 13 times across 31 at-bats with only five hits. Flores made his major-league debut to close 2025 but had only 17 plate appearances.

Ballesteros was informed Friday that he will be on the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Ballesteros impressed in his MLB debut last season, slashing .298/.394/.474 across 66 plate appearances. The 22-year-old hasn't skipped a beat this spring, going 11-for-31 (.355) with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBI. Ballesteros has the inside track to begin the season as the Cubs' DH, but with fellow catchers Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya on the team, opportunities behind the plate will likely be limited.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday that Alvarez (back) is feeling "better" and could rejoin the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday if he continues to improve, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old backstop was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League contest due to back tightness, but he may end up missing only one spring game. The Mets are likely to exercise caution with Opening Day less than a week away, but at this point Alvarez doesn't appear to be in danger of missing significant time.

Alvarez was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Houston due to back tightness, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Alvarez struck out in the third inning in his only plate appearance and was replaced by a pinch hitter in the fourth. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the backstop's exit was precautionary, though it's not clear if Alvarez will miss additional time. He's been having a strong spring, slashing .364/.423/.636 with one home run, three doubles and four RBI through 10 games.

Moreno (forearm) will start as Arizona's designated hitter and bat fifth in Thursday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Moreno has sat out the Diamondbacks' last several spring games while managing forearm tightness, but he's now ready to return to action after a few days of rest. After beginning Cactus League play 5-for-28 at the dish, he will now use the next week to prepare to work as Arizona's primary backstop.

The Pirates optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Rodriguez made a strong case to make the Pirates' Opening Day roster while posting a .977 OPS across 30 plate appearances this spring, but he will instead return to Triple-A to begin the regular season. The 25-year-old would likely be recalled to Pittsburgh if the big club needs extra depth behind the plate or at first base.

Bailey went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 5-1 Cactus League loss to the Dodgers.

Bailey went hitless Wednesday and is now slashing .241/.281/.345 with four RBI, four runs scored and three doubles across 32 plate appearances in 11 games this spring. The Gold Glove catcher remains an elite defender but is coming off a lackluster 2025 campaign at the plate. In 135 regular-season games last season, he slashed .222/.277/.325 with 55 RBI, 47 runs scored, six home runs, one stolen base and a career-worst 29.4 percent strikeout rate across 452 plate appearances.

The Marlins reassigned Navarreto to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Navarreto received 15 plate appearances over eight games with the Marlins in 2025, but he was never expected to have much of a shot at breaking camp with the big club so long as the team's top two backstops, Agustin Ramirez and Liam Hicks, were both available heading into Opening Day. The 31-year-old Navarreto will presumably open the campaign at Triple-A Jacksonville.