MLB Player News

Fulmer (elbow) struck out a batter over two perfect innings of relief Friday in the Pirates' 7-5 win over the Tigers in Grapefruit League play.

Fulmer was making his first appearance of the spring, after he had been delayed due to his late signing in addition to completing his recovery from a right elbow strain that caused him to close last season on the shelf. Since the right-hander is attending camp as a non-roster invitee, he'll be facing an uphill battle to win a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, but he put a strong foot forward Friday.

The Nationals reassigned Mervis to minor-league camp Friday.

Mervis has had a busy spring, going 3-for-12 with a 2:5 BB:K over seven Grapefruit League games and 3-for-11 with a pair of doubles over three games for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. The 27-year-old still wasn't able to make the Opening Day roster, despite Washington having a glaring hole at first base. After struggling mightily during his time in the majors with the Marlins in 2025, Mervis will likely need a hot start at Triple-A Rochester to garner any serious consideration for a promotion.

The Nationals reassigned Lipscomb to minor-league camp Friday.

Lipscomb has logged 214 plate appearances in the big leagues with the Nationals over the past two seasons, but he'll have a tougher time resurfacing in the majors in 2026 after he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in November. He'll open the season at Triple-A Rochester and should see ample playing time between multiple infield and outfield spots.

The Phillies reassigned Mercado (shoulder) to minor-league camp Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Mercado made three appearances out of the Philadelphia bullpen in 2025, but a right shoulder injury prevented him from making any Grapefruit League appearances and will end his bid for an Opening Day roster spot. The Phillies haven't shed much light regarding where Mercado stands in his throwing program, making it unclear if he'll be ready for the start of the minor-league season.

The Marlins announced Sunday that Acosta has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Acosta already looked to be facing an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, and the injury he suffered last week will bring an end to any chance he had. Once he heals up and resumes full baseball activities, the 23-year-old infielder will report to a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment. Acosta has two minor-league options remaining, so he could end up sticking around at Triple-A Jacksonville once he completes the rehab assignment and gets activated from the injured list.

Lowder allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out four over 3.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rangers.

The results weren't pretty, but Lowder was able to work around traffic on the bases. The righty also built his pitch count up to 76 (44 strikes). After a couple of breezy outings to open the Cactus League, Lowder has been stung for seven runs (four earned), 11 hits and four walks over seven innings in his last two starts. Still, he's probably done enough to nail down one of the two available spots in the rotation. Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson are also in the mix for those vacancies

The Mets reassigned Bae to minor-league camp Sunday.

Briefly a member of the Mets' 40-man roster in the offseason after being claimed off waivers in November, Bae was outrighted in January and attended spring training as a non-roster invitee. Despite posting an .871 OPS in Grapefruit League play, Bae was unable to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster. He should get the chance to play regularly at Triple-A Syracuse.

The Mets reassigned Edwards to minor-league camp Sunday.

Edwards, who made four appearances in the big leagues last season between the Angels and Rangers, had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee. He was impressive with 11 strikeouts in 8.2 innings while holding hitters to a .103 batting average, but the Mets didn't have a spot available for him in their Opening Day bullpen.

Gallen allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out one over 2.2 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Giants. He also hit a batter.

Gallen made his third Cactus League start and has one more to go before taking the ball Opening Day. He was pulled with two outs in the third inning and re-entered to begin the fourth but was gone for good after Daniel Susac jumped on a changeup left up in the zone for a home run. The right-hander told Jack Sommers of SI.com that he was working on his sinker and trying to improve the consistency of his changeup. Instead of tinkering with his arsenal in his final spring start, Gallen plans to approach it as he would a regular-season game, per Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic.

Pauley (forearm), who is batting sixth as the designated hitter in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, is expected to play defense in spring games next weekend, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old recently progressed to playing defense in back field games but still needs a bit more time before doing so in Grapefruit League action. Pauley has been limited to serving as a designated hitter while working his way back from forearm tightness. The injury hasn't notably affected his production at the plate this spring, as he has a .316/.409/.474 slash line with a double, a triple and a steal in seven games.