MLB Player News

The Dodgers placed Hernandez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

The move creates space on the Dodgers' 40-man roster for Jack Suwinski, who was claimed off waivers from the Pirates on Saturday. Hernandez is expected to miss the first several months of the regular season while he recovers from offseason elbow surgery, though the team is hopeful that he'll resume a hitting program soon.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Saturday that the signing of Ramon Urias could lead to more playing time in the outfield for Saggese, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.

Saggese has never played the outfield in pro ball, but he's been working out there during spring training and could see starts in the outfield, especially against lefties. The 23-year-old also figures to see some starts at designated hitter, or in the field while others are getting a DH day. Saggese has hit only .250/.292/.336 with a 28 percent strikeout rate in his first 100 games in the majors.

Schmitt (wrist) will start at third base and bat sixth during Saturday's Cactus League game against Seattle, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After undergoing offseason surgery to remove the carpal boss in his left wrist, Schmitt has officially been cleared for game action ahead of San Francisco's first spring exhibition game. The 26-year-old slashed .237/.305/.401 with 40 RBI and 34 runs scored across 348 plate appearances last season and is expected to begin 2026 as infield depth on the Giants' bench.

Lawlar will start in center field in Arizona's Cactus League opener Saturday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

This will be Lawlar's first start in center field in a Diamondbacks' uniform. He was given reps in center during winter ball and has been working with outfielders during spring drills. As part of the team's adjustment to being without injured outfielders Corbin Carroll (hand) and Lourdes Gurriel (knee) for rest of spring training, Lawlar is expected to see time in the outfield in camp and into the regular season.

Perdomo batted second and went 1-for-3 in Friday's Cactus League opener against the Rockies.

Perdomo should be a regular presence in spring lineups over the next two weeks, before he joins the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He's expected to bat leadoff against right-handers and second against left-handers for Arizona during the regular season.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Wednesday that it "would be a tough ask" for Griffin to make the Opening Day roster, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan reports.

Griffin is a 19-year-old with only 21 games of experience above A-ball, so cracking the Opening Day roster would indeed be a difficult leap. It's also not a surprise that Kelly is tamping down expectations for the top prospect this early in spring training. It should become clearer the deeper we get into camp as to whether Griffin has a real chance to head north with the big club. Griffin hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases across three levels in his first professional season in 2025.

Swanson is willing to swap some power for more contact in 2026, Bruce Levine of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Swanson has clubbed at least 22 home runs in four of the past five seasons, but he also has a strikeout rate over 25 percent during that span and would like to cut that down. The 32-year-old's chase rate has been consistently above league average, but his in-zone contact rate has been well below average, as he ranked 129th out of 144 qualifiers in that metric in 2025. Swanson went 20-20 last season but still finished outside the top-12 in fantasy at a loaded shortstop position.

Rojas, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland were mentioned by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as candidates to begin the campaign as the starter at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) likely to be placed on the injured list, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Rojas re-signed with Los Angeles in December ahead of what he has stated will be his final season in the majors. The veteran infielder provided steady but unspectacular offense last season, slashing .262/.318/.397 with seven home runs, 27 RBI and five stolen bases over 317 regular-season plate appearances. Beyond that, though, he provided excellent defense and staked his place in Dodgers lore with his game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning during Game 7 of the World Series. Among the trio mentioned by Roberts, Rojas has the lowest offensive upside, but he could still win the starting second-base job until Edman returns if the team favors his defense and veteran presence (especially if Kim and Freeland fail to impress during the spring slate).

Freeland, Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas were mentioned by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as options to begin the regular season as the starter at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) expected to be placed on the injured list, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Freeland struggled during his first experience in the majors last season, posting a .602 OPS with a 36.1 percent strikeout rate over 97 plate appearances. However, he recorded an .835 OPS with 16 homers, 18 stolen bases and 82 RBI across 106 games at Triple-A, so he doesn't have much left to prove at that level. Freeland, Kim and Rojas appear to be in a truly open competition to be the Opening Day starter at the keystone, and Freeland probably has the most to gain since he may begin the campaign in the minors if he doesn't win the positional battle.

The Cubs are expected to start Shaw in right field against left-handed pitchers, Bruce Levine of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Per Levine, manager Craig Counsell said that Shaw will play a lot in the outfield, and that will likely include starting in right field versus lefties while Seiya Suzuki slides into the designated-hitter spot. Shaw played the outfield a bit in college and in summer ball but has not spent an inning there at the professional level. The 24-year-old appears poised to operate in a super-utility role for the Cubs this season.