MLB Player News

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Monday that Nootbaar (heels) will be evaluated this week for potential placement on the 60-day injured list, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Bloom noted that the team's current wish is to avoid the 60-day IL with Nootbaar, as the transaction would leave him ineligible to make his season debut until late May. However, that decision will be made after the Cardinals get a better sense of how far Nootbaar is along in his rehab from offseason surgery on both heels. Per Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com, Nootbaar is slated to take batting practice with minor leaguers at the team's spring training complex Tuesday. St. Louis will use a combination of Nathan Church, Thomas Saggese and Jose Fermin in left field until Nootbaar is ready.

Wetherholt is likely to bat leadoff on Opening Day against the Rays, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Wetherholt not only won the Cardinals' second-base job, but the top prospect is also in line to receive the team's first at-bat of the season against right-hander Drew Rasmussen. The left-handed-hitting Wetherholt could hit lower in the order versus southpaws, with Masyn Winn a candidate for the leadoff spot those days. Wetherholt finished Grapefruit League play with a .386 on-base percentage thanks in large part to a 9:7 BB:K, and he added two home runs and two stolen bases.

Friedl started in left field and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Monday's spring game against Milwaukee.

Friedl is capping off a productive spring, during which he's slashed .326/.400/.442 with six walks, two doubles, one home run, six RBI and nine runs scored over 16 Cactus League games. The start in left field was his fourth, as manager Terry Francona continues to toy with various outfield alignments. Friedl is expected to mostly play center field and be the team's leadoff batter in the regular season.

Singer allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings in Monday's spring start against the Brewers.

After retiring the side in order the first, Singer got knocked around by the Brew Crew, who scored three times in the second inning, once in the third and another two in the fourth. Other than that, it was a successful outing for Singer, who upped his pitch count to 78 and was blister-free, after he was removed from his previous Cactus League outing when a blister developed on his right index finger. He's scheduled to start the third game of the regular season on Sunday at home against the Red Sox.

Ginkel will be one of two right-handed relievers that will be counted on to get lefty hitters out, Michael Reynolds of MLB.com reports. Juan Morillo is the other.

As it stands a few days before Opening Day, the Diamondbacks bullpen is made up of all right-handers. As such, Ginkel and Morillo are charged with getting tough lefties out. Ginkel's career splits are neutral (.312 OBP vs. RHH, .311 vs. LHH), but he fared better against lefties than righties in 2025, when he had a 90 OPS+ against them compared to 137 OPS+ when facing righties. Being designated to such a role, in which he could be needed for a high-leverage situation in the seventh or eighth innings, could impact his save opportunities. Arizona doesn't have a set closer, and Ginkel is expected to be part of a committee that also includes Paul Sewald and Ryan Thompson.

Lawlar started in left field and batted ninth in Monday's spring game against Cleveland. He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Hitting at the bottom of the order appears to be Lawlar's landing spot, whether he's in left or center field. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo plans for Lawlar and Alek Thomas to toggle between the two positions until Lourdes Gurriel (knee) returns. Lawlar reached base at a .446 clip this spring after posting a .364 OBP last September, which bodes well for his projected deployment out of the No. 9 spot ahead of Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo.

Carroll started in right field and went 0-for-3 in Monday's spring game against the Guardians.

Carroll made his first appearance in the field since returning from surgery to remove a broken hamate bone. His previous five Cactus League appearances were as the designated hitter. With no setbacks as a fielder, Carroll will be the Opening Day starter in right field, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. He's had just 17 at-bats over six games this spring, far fewer than in previous years, so there could be some lag to start the regular season while he gets his timing down.

Moniak was removed from Monday's exhibition after injuring his right ring finger while diving back into first base, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Skipper Warren Schaeffer stated after the game that Moniak was removed simply as a precaution, and he expects the 27-year-old to be fine, per Henry. However, it'll be worth keeping a close eye on Moniak's status with Opening Day looming.

The Cubs and Crow-Armstrong reached an agreement Monday on a six-year, $115 million contract extension, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Crow-Armstrong is coming off a stellar sophomore season in which he hammered 31 home runs and swiped 35 bags while playing in 157 of 162 games during the regular season. His patience is expected to pay off tremendously after he declined to participate in extension talks ahead of the 2025 season. With his finances now in order, the 23-year-old can focus solely on putting together another terrific campaign as Chicago's everyday center fielder.

Kelly (back) will make a rehab start at Triple-A Reno before being reinstated from the 15-day injured list, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

This update shouldn't be much of a surprise for fantasy managers, as the D-Backs want to see how Kelly fares in a game setting before activating him from the IL. If all goes according to plan, the right-hander could be ready to make his 2026 debut at some point during Arizona's second road trip of the season, either in New York or Philadelphia.