MLB Player News

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday that Miller (back) has increased his rehab activities but is not yet swinging a bat, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The nagging back injury has been bothering Miller going back to the fall, and his baseball activity is apparently still pretty limited as he's opened the campaign on Triple-A Lehigh Valley's injured list. Once cleared for all activities, the 21-year-old top prospect will need some time to build up to game readiness after missing all of spring training.

Cruz will start in center field and bat eighth in Tuesday's game against the Reds.

It's the first start for Cruz against a left-handed pitcher since Aug. 2 of last season, as he was out of the lineup the final 12 times the Pirates faced a lefty last year and the first time they went up against a southpaw in 2026. The left-handed-hitting Cruz is a career .174/.249/.315 hitter against southpaws.

Barger is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies.

The 26-year-old will head to the bench Tuesday for the second time in Toronto's first five games, with this absence coming against Colorado righty Ryan Feltner. It'll be a chance to reset for Barger, who has gone 0-for-12 with two walks, two RBI and five strikeouts. Nathan Lukes is instead starting in right field for Toronto.

Young went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Monday's 2-1 win over the Yankees.

Young opened the scoring Monday with a two-out single off Ryan Weathers in the second inning, tallying his fourth RBI through five games this year. Young has carried over his strong spring training performance into the regular season -- he's now 6-for-18 (including 3-for-6 against left-handed pitching) with a home run as he's settled into an everyday role at second base.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday on the "Talkin' Yanks" podcast by Jomboy Media that Volpe (shoulder) will take live batting practice Wednesday.

It's a significant step for Volpe, who is working his way back from October 2025 surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. Boone added that, if all goes well, Volpe should be ready to begin a rehab assignment in two weeks. That should put Volpe on pace to return around May 1, which has been the approximate timeline. Jose Caballero has been handling shortstop for the Yankees while Volpe recuperates.

Matthews went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-1 win over the Red Sox.

Matthews extended Houston's lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning with a 434-foot blast off Ranger Suarez, his first homer of the year. The right-handed hitting Matthews has been platooning with Joey Loperfido to open the year, starting in three of the Astros' first five contests. He's now 2-for-9 with six strikeouts and no walks.

The Mariners signed Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million contract extension Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The deal includes a club option for a ninth year and can top $130 million if all incentives are reached. It's a record contract for a player yet to reach the majors. Emerson came close to winning a roster spot with the Mariners in spring training and now, with a new long-term contract, is a good bet to be promoted to the big club sooner rather than later, though he will remain at Triple-A Tacoma for now, per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. J.P. Crawford (shoulder) is on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder injury that's nagged at him since the start of spring training and faces an uncertain timetable. Leo Rivas has been filling in at shortstop for Seattle, but the club could eventually look to Emerson to fill that void. Emerson, 20, slashed .285/.383/.458 with 16 homers and 14 steals over three levels in the minors in 2025 and is 5-for-14 with a home run in his first three games at Tacoma in 2026.

Merrill went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Monday in a loss to the Giants.

The Padres were down to their last out and in danger of being shut out before Merrill breathed life into the offense with a two-run blast off Giants closer Ryan Walker. The long ball was Merrill's first of the season and just his third hit through 15 at-bats. The Padres offense has been struggling as a whole, and Merrill will be among those most counted on to turn things around for the team given his spot in the middle of the lineup.

Brannigan (nose) was placed on the 7-day injured list Monday.

Brannigan suffered a fractured nose during spring training and will need some more time before returning to game action. The injury isn't considered significant, so he figures to be back on the field in the near future for Double-A Altoona.

Tovar went 3-for-6 with two doubles, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Monday's 14-5 win over Toronto.

The shortstop put his fingerprints all over this one, even flashing the leather on an outstanding throw to first base to put out Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning. Tovar has hit safely in each of his first four games of the season, batting cleanup in all of his appearances so far. Tovar posted an .885 OPS at home last year as opposed to a .514 OPS on the road, so he'll likely be a more attractive fantasy option when he gets to perform at Coors Field.