MLB Player News

Call will start in right field and bat second in Monday's game versus the Dodgers.

It marks the fifth start over the last five games for Call and his highest placement in the batting order this season. He's earned the playing time by sporting a robust 1.279 OPS in the early going for the Nationals. With Call's emergence as a regular for Washington, Dylan Crews has become the team's primary center fielder and Jacob Young has been a reserve.

Young is out of the lineup for Monday's tilt versus the Dodgers.

Though manager Dave Martinez said that he expected Young to return to the starting nine Monday after the 25-year-old received the last two games off to address his hitting mechanics, the Nationals will keep Young on the bench for the series opener versus Los Angeles. Young will now sit for the fourth time in five games, and he could be moving into a fourth-outfielder role after slashing .067/.263/.133 through his first 20 plate appearances of the season. The Nationals will again go with Dylan Crews in center field and the hot-hitting Alex Call in right field.

Abrams is not in the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Dodgers.

It's the first day off this season for Abrams, who is slashing .257/.289/.571 with three home runs and two stolen bases in his first nine games. Paul DeJong will slide over to start at shortstop, while Jose Tena will get the call at third base in Monday's series opener.

The Pirates are expected to promote Cheng from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of Monday's game against the Cardinals, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

He'll be joining the 26-man active roster as a replacement for infielder Jared Triolo (back), who is headed for the 10-day injured list. Cheng, 23, produced a .225/.329/.347 slash line to go with 11 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 132 games between Triple-A and Double-A Altoona in 2024. He's gotten off to a poor start to 2025 at Indianapolis by going 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts, so the Pirates aren't likely to hand him meaningful playing time right off the bat. His main value to the Pirates will come from his ability to play three infield spots (second base, third base and shortstop).

The Pirates placed Triolo on the 10-day injured list Monday with a lumbar spine strain, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The team had viewed Triolo as day-to-day, but the injury is apparently now considered significant enough to keep him out at least until mid-April. Triolo has started half of the Pirates' 10 games so far, bouncing around between second base, first base and third base. Tsung-Che Cheng was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to replace Triolo on the active roster.

The Marlins recalled Bellozo from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday.

Bellozo will make a spot start Monday against the Mets in place of Sandy Alcantara, who was placed on the paternity list. The right-handed Bellozo held the Pirates to one run over 4.1 innings in a start on March 29 but will face a better lineup this time around. He's likely to be sent back down to the minors after the game.

The Marlins placed Alcantara on the paternity list Monday.

Alcantara had a scheduled start Sunday versus Atlanta rained out and he will now likely miss the full three-game set against the Mets that begins Monday before rejoining the rotation Friday versus the Nationals. Valente Bellozo was called up from Triple-A Jacksonville to start Monday in New York.

Stovall was held back in extended spring training due to a hamstring injury and will be assigned to High-A Dayton when cleared, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.

Stovall is a bat-first second baseman that Cincinnati selected in the fourth round last year. He played briefly at Single-A after signing, and while he walked more than he struck out, he slugged .333 with zero home runs in 16 games.

Triple-A Louisville placed Phillips on the 7-day injured list due to shoulder fatigue, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.

Phillips enters 2025 with a lot to prove, beyond his health, as he walked batters at a 15.3 percent clip at Triple-A in 2024 after walking 13.5 percent of the batters he faced in the majors in 2023. He has the stuff for late-inning work, but he would still need to improve his control to succeed in a high-leverage relief role.

High-A South Bend placed Gray on the 60-day injured list due to a shoulder injury, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.

Injuries and inefficiency have limited Gray to 118 pro innings since he was drafted in the third round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. The 21-year-old lefty logged a 4.39 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 97:73 K:BB in 80 innings across 22 starts last year at High-A.