MLB Player News

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.

The Cardinals optioned Fitts to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.

Fitts' demotion signals that Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante have beaten him out in the camp competition for the final two spots in the Cardinals' Opening Day rotation. After being acquired from the Red Sox over the winter, Fitts had an uneven performance over his three Grapefruit League starts, posting a respectable 9:3 K:BB but allowing six earned runs on nine hits across 9.1 innings.

Allen agreed to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

After spending the 2025 season in the Korea Baseball Organization with the NC Dinos, Allen became a free agent this winter and initially agreed to a deal with Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. However, following a couple of strong appearances for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, Allen will wind up forgoing the opportunity in Mexico to join the Dodgers organization. The 28-year-old lefty will likely open the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, though it's unclear whether he'll work out of the bullpen or rotation after serving as a full-time starter in the KBO in 2025.

Urias (elbow) will start at third base and bat third in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Urias will make his return to the St. Louis spring lineup for the first time since March 9, after he had been temporarily held out of action due to elbow soreness. The Cardinals' willingness to deploy him in the infield rather than at designated hitter in his return suggests that the elbow issue is no longer affecting his throwing. Urias is likely to serve as a utility infielder for the Cardinals, with most of his starts expected to come against left-handed pitching when St. Louis is at full strength.

Herrera (knee) will start at catcher and bat second in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Herrera is expected to play behind the plate for the first three innings of Wednesday's contest in what marks his first game action since March 6. The 25-year-old has been slowed by knee inflammation over the past two weeks, but assuming he emerges from Wednesday's contest without any setbacks, he should be ready to go for Opening Day. Herrera is expected to a regular part of the St. Louis lineup this season, seeing the bulk of his action at designated hitter while occasionally spelling Pedro Pages at catcher.

Marte started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's spring game against Cleveland.

Marte gave the Reds an early lead with his second-inning homer, his third of the Cactus League. Normally a right fielder, Marte made a third consecutive start in center field, as the club seeks to expand its outfield options. TJ Friedl remains the primary center fielder. Marte is batting .275 (11-for-40) with four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI through 14 Cactus League contests.

Lodolo allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out seven over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Guardians.

Lodolo made his fourth Cactus League start and upped his pitch count to 77 (46 strikes), with one start remaining before the regular season begins. The lefty allowed a home run for the third consecutive outing but was much improved from his previous outing, when the Dodgers touched him for six runs. Lodolo is set to start the Reds' second game of the regular season.

The Diamondbacks plan to have Crisantes open the 2026 season as the starting second baseman at Double-A Amarillo, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

Crisantes had his 2025 season cut short in May by a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder at High-A Hillsboro. At the time of the injury, he was slashing .252/.358/.415 with four homers in 34 games to begin his age-20 campaign. More impressively, he walked more than struck out and had an in-zone contact rate of 93 percent. The organization feels confident in pushing the 21-year-old up a level.

The Diamondbacks plan to have Waldschmidt begin the 2026 season as the starting center fielder at Triple-A Reno, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

Waldschmidt came up through the system as a corner outfielder -- the result of a knee injury during his junior at the University of Kentucky that pushed him to left field. After his promotion to Double-A Amarillo last year, the organization re-introduced Waldschmidt to center field and were impressed by the results. If the experiment of using former top prospect Jordan Lawlar in center field at the MLB level doesn't pan out, Waldschmidt will be another option to play the position.