MLB Player News

The Reds optioned Arroyo to minor-league camp Friday.

Arroyo netted a spot on the Reds' 40-man roster this offseason, but he wasn't under real consideration to crack the Opening Day roster. The 22-year-old will get his first taste of Triple-A Louisville this season.

Merrill went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two total runs and two total RBI in a Cactus League win over Seattle on Thursday.

Merrill's third-inning, two-run blast was one of eight long balls hit by San Diego during the 27-6 thrashing of the Mariners. It's been a strong spring so far for Merrill, who is slashing .333/.400/.778 with two homers and four RBI through eight games. He's locked in as the Padres' everyday center fielder and will look to rebound from a somewhat disappointing sophomore campaign, which saw him post a .774 regular-season OPS (down from his rookie .826 mark) while missing nearly 50 games due to injuries.

Winn (arm) will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Pirates.

Winn has been held out of action for the past few days after feeling some arm soreness as a result of a heavy workload on the backfields this past weekend. He'll be eased into things at DH on Thursday before working his way back in at shortstop.

Lindor (hand) took swings Wednesday for the first time since undergoing hamate bone surgery, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

It's a big step in Lindor's recovery, as he tries to ensure he's ready for Opening Day. The veteran shortstop has avoided setbacks in his rehab so far, but he's still a long way from having a firm timeline for spring game action. For now, Lindor will continue his hitting progression in controlled environments.

Troy started at second base and went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's spring game against the Athletics.

Troy rapped three singles, including a pair to the opposite field, and upped his spring line to 11-for-21 (.425) along with four doubles, two RBI, three runs and one stolen base over nine Cactus League appearances. He can play both infield and outfield, but Arizona manager Torey Lovullo told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports that the plan is keep Troy locked at second base for now.

Hernandez (elbow) said Wednesday that he's optimistic about being activated from the 60-day injured list when first eligible May 24, Jack Vita of the Los Angeles Times reports.

On the mend from Nov. 14 extensor repair procedure on his left elbow, Hernandez took a major step forward in his recovery process by hitting a baseball Wednesday for the first time since his surgery. Hernandez will still need to advance to facing live pitching in addition to proving that the elbow injury doesn't compromise him as a fielder before the Dodgers clear him for what will be an extended minor-league rehab assignment. Once activated, Hernandez projects to fill a utility role for the Dodgers and is likely to see most of his starts against left-handed pitching.

Lindor (hand) played catch Monday and will go through defensive drills and other baseball activities Tuesday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

The Mets are hoping that Lindor will be able to swing a bat Tuesday or Wednesday as he continues to work his way back from hamate bone surgery. It likely would be dry swings initially before he gradually ramps up his progression. Lindor has a chance to be ready by Opening Day for the Mets but cannot afford any bumps in the road in his recovery.

McLain batted second and went 2-for-2 with two walks, two home runs, six RBI and a third run scored in Monday's spring game against the Cubs.

McLain is wielding a hot stick early in the Cactus League and is 8-for-14 with three homers and nine RBI through five games. He appears poised for a bounce-back season after slumping for much of 2025 and landing in the bottom of the order. McLain is looking like he did in 2023, when he posted an .864 OPS and 127 OPS+ as a rookie.

Bogaerts has made the most starts out of the leadoff spot through the Padres' first 10 Cactus League games and would appear to be the leading candidate to open the season atop the batting order, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Fernando Tatis (150) and Luis Arraez (11) made all but one start out of the leadoff spot for the Padres during the 2025 regular season, but San Diego will be breaking in a new table setter in 2026 with Arraez now in San Francisco and with first-year manager Craig Stammen planning to move Tatis down to the third or fourth spot. Bogaerts primarily slotted somewhere between fourth and sixth in the lineup last season, but as a high-contact hitter with good speed on the bases, he should make for a logical choice to lead off. However, with Bogaerts away from the team until at least March 12 while he participates in the World Baseball Classic, Stammen will experiment with other options atop the order during Cactus League play. Jake Cronenworth will bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Athletics and could represent the top fallback option to Bogaerts once the season gets underway.

Winn didn't start Monday's spring training game versus the Marlins as initially anticipated due to right arm soreness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Winn is "fine" and the soreness is a result of a "heavy" workload on the backfields Sunday. The plan is for Winn to return to action Thursday or Friday, though Marmol said he's willing to adjust plans if Winn wants to play Wednesday in an exhibition versus Team Nicaragua. Winn is 2-for-8 with a 3:2 BB:K and one stolen base in his first four Grapefruit League contests.