MLB Player News

Basallo (abdomen) is starting at catcher and batting cleanup in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The 21-year-old departed Thursday's spring game due to abdominal discomfort, but he's ready to retake the field after getting a couple days off. The fact that Basallo is immediately working behind the plate rather than being eased back in as the designated hitter is a good indication that the injury wasn't a serious concern.

Leiter allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings in Saturday's Cactus League start against the Dodgers.

Leiter needed 45 pitches to get those four outs, spread across three different innings. The three up-and-downs were a positive this early in camp, but the right-hander allowed three extra-base hits, including a Dalton Rushing home run in the first inning, and he managed to throw just 24 strikes. Leiter also featured more of the cutter he's been working on during the offseason, delivering seven of them, so the results may be less important than the process in this outing.

Bibee allowed three runs on three hits over three innings in Saturday's Cactus League start against the White Sox.

Bibee increased his pitch count to 47 (29 strikes) in his second spring outing. After a forgettable first inning in which he allowed a home run and all three runs, the right-hander retired the final six batters he faced. Per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, Bibee acknowledged putting too much pressure on himself last season after inking a five-year contract extension in March 2025, and he battles his mechanics all year. He eventually found a groove late, going 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in four September starts, and he was the starting pitcher in the Guardians' lone postseason victory.

Melton (thumb) is starting in center field and batting second in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old was scratched from the lineup Thursday due to soreness in his left thumb, but he's good to go a few days later. Barring an aggravation of the injury, Melton should be in the clear as he competes for a spot on Tampa Bay's Opening Day roster.

Vargas is set to serve as the everyday third baseman for the White Sox in 2026, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Vargas earned a nearly full allotment of plate appearances for the first time in 2025, but he split his defensive responsibilities fairly evenly between first and third base. With Munetaka Murakami (fatigue) expected to serve as the White Sox's first baseman in 2026, Vargas will have a more stable defensive home. Vargas believes the stability could help him hit better as well, as he'll look to improve on his .234/.316/.401 line across 569 plate appearances in 2025.

Smith allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk across three innings during Saturday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

This marked Smith's second start of spring training, and he worked up to 41 pitches. He threw 25 of those offerings for strikes in a relatively sharp outing. After posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHP across 146.1 innings in 2025, Smith is a candidate to start Opening Day for the White Sox.

Rutschman went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

It was the first big fly of spring training for Rutschman, who's now gone 4-for-15 (.267) with a double and two walks over his first 15 at-bats of the spring. The switch-hitting backstop was a big disappointment in 2025, as evidenced by a career-worst .673 OPS across 365 regular-season plate appearances, but Rutschman is all set to reprise his role as Baltimore's top catcher in 2026. Although top prospect Samuel Basallo (abdomen) does present some competition for action behind the dish, he's more likely to serve as the Orioles' primary designated hitter.

De Vries was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to stomach issues and possible dehydration, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

De Vries grounded out to second base in his lone plate appearance before being pulled, but he isn't expected to miss much time going forward. De Vries received an invitation to spring training from the Athletics after being acquired from the Padres in late July in a trade that centered around Mason Miller being sent to San Diego. De Vries was promoted to Double-A in mid-August and appeared in 21 games for Midland, where he posted a .910 OPS with two steals, five home runs and 16 RBI across 103 plate appearances.

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Bellinger's back "went out on him a little bit," Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Boone added that Bellinger is expected to sit out the Yankees' next few Grapefruit League games before returning Tuesday, so it doesn't sound like an issue that will impact his Opening Day status. The 30-year-old outfielder is 4-for-9 with an RBI and a run scored through his first three exhibition matches.

Marte signed a one-year contract with the Royals on Saturday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Marte is coming off his most efficient season in three years, as he finished 2025 with a .270/.335/.410 slash line to go with nine homers, 34 RBI, 37 runs scored and seven steals in 329 plate appearances. That being said, the 37-year-old outfielder hasn't appeared in more than 100 games since 2022, and he likely isn't slated for a full-time role in Kansas City either. Instead, he'll presumably work in tandem with Jac Caglianone in right field and Carter Jensen at DH, filling in for one of the two against left-handed starters.