MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Ford to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.

With Ford starting the season in Triple-A, it appears Drew Millas will open the 2026 campaign as the backup to Keibert Ruiz at catcher. Ford was acquired from the Mariners over the winter and was thought to be in the mix to beat out Ruiz for the starting gig. Ford, however, didn't do much at the plate this spring to force Washington's hand, slashing .214/.353/.286 across 17 plate appearances. He hit .200 with a .694 OPS in four games at the World Baseball Classic for Team Great Britain. Ford should be in the majors at some point this season.

Morel is expected to begin the season as the Marlins' starting first baseman, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

This was always the plan after the 26-year-old career outfielder was signed to a one-year, $2 million deal in December, but Morel needed to show he could handle the position defensively in camp first. His glovework has been acceptable, but how he performs with his bat looms as the bigger issue. Morel is batting just .135 (5-for-37) this spring with zero homers and a 3:13 BB:K, after he managed a .204/.288/.363 line over the last two seasons between the Cubs and Rays with a 29.3 percent strikeout rate. Morel is capable of punishing a mistake -- he clubbed 32 homers in 257 games during those two seasons -- but if he struggles overall, it could open the door later in the year for someone like Griffin Conine to take on a larger role at first base.

Campusano is likely to open the regular season as San Diego's No. 2 catcher, per MLB.com.

Campusano has mostly struggled with the big-league club in parts of previous campaigns, and he went a miserable 0-for-21 with a 6:11 BB:K over 10 games last year. However, he also posted a 1.024 OPS with 24 home runs and 92 RBI across 466 plate appearances with Triple-A El Paso, so he has nothing left to prove in the minors. Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado are no longer with San Diego this season, and the Padres seem content to have Campusano back up primary catcher Freddy Fermin despite Campusano's struggles this spring, as he slashing just .172/.250/.241 with no RBI through 13 games.

Lopez gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, He struck out six.

While the right-hander's final line wasn't pretty, Lopez got stretched out to 73 pitches (48 strikes) and remains on track for a spot in the Opening Day rotation. He isn't yet showing the velocity he carried prior to last year's shoulder injury, however -- Lopez topped out at 94.3 mph with his four-seamer Tuesday and had trouble reaching 90 mph consistently in his final inning of work, after he averaged 95.5 mph with the pitch in 2024. With Atlanta already down Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and other starting options, the team needs Lopez to be both healthy and effective in 2026, so his 2.84 ERA and 14:6 K:BB over 12.2 spring innings is at least encouraging.

Marquez allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out nine over five innings in a Cactus League start against Seattle on Tuesday.

Marquez had his swing-and-miss stuff working, as he racked up 13 whiffs among his 78 pitches. It wasn't all good news for the veteran hurler -- he gave up two homers -- but this was easily his best start of the spring. Marquez still has a poor 9.26 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over four outings spanning 11.2 frames in exhibition play, though his strong performance Tuesday may have solidified his place in San Diego's Opening Day rotation, which will be missing Joe Musgrove (elbow) and Griffin Canning (Achilles).

Birdsong said Wednesday that he recently met with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister for a second opinion on his right forearm and is weighing whether to undergo surgery or treat the injury through rest and rehab, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Recently diagnosed with a Grade 2 right forearm strain, Birdsong looks destined to miss extended time to begin the season regardless of how he elects to treat the injury. While surgery would provide a more permanent fix for the forearm injury than rest and rehab, Birdsong would likely be sidelined through at least the middle of the 2027 season if he opts for a procedure to repair his UCL and/or flexor tendon. Expect Birdsong to make a decision on his treatment plan within the next few days.

Hiura (hand) is listed as an available bench option for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Giants, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Hiura's last spring appearance came back on Feb. 28, when he exited a game against the Cubs early after getting hit on the hand by a pitch. The Dodgers reassigned him to minor-league camp shortly thereafter, but Hiura's inclusion on the lineup card for Wednesday implies that he's moved past the hand injury.

The Giants announced Wednesday that Harber has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will require 4-to-6 weeks of recovery time, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

One of the top position prospects in the Giants organization, Harber wasn't in serious consideration for a spot on the Opening Day roster but had impressed nonetheless throughout the spring, slashing .357/.424/.571 over 33 Cactus League plate appearances before sustaining the hamstring injury Saturday. He now appears on track to miss at least the first month of the minor-league season while recovering from the injury, but once he's back to full health, Harber is expected to report to Double-A Richmond, according to Pavlovic.

The Dodgers optioned Hurt to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

With a 12:2 K:BB and 1.09 WHIP over 7.1 innings across three Cactus League appearances, Hurt made a good case for winning a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, but the Dodgers' ample pitching depth along with the fact that he had two minor-league options remaining ended up working against the right-hander. Hurt has been deployed as a starter for much of his minor-league career, but he appears set to operate as a full-time reliever for Oklahoma City to begin the upcoming season.

Burleson went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts during Monday's spring game against the Nationals, but he has a .286/.459/.393 slash line with one homer and eight walks through 38 Grapefruit League plate appearances.

The 27-year-old has a 6.6 percent walk rate since making his MLB debut in 2022, but he apparently entered camp looking to take a more patient approach. Burleson clubbed 18 homers with an .802 OPS in 139 games last season and is poised to operate as St. Louis' primary first baseman in 2026.