MLB Player News

Painter threw his first live batting practice session of the spring Friday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Painter entered Phillies camp fully healthy, but the club has been bringing him along slowly this spring after he missed nearly all of the last two seasons due to Tommy John surgery in July 2023. He will not make any Grapefruit League appearances and is expected to remain at extended spring training initially as he continues a slow build-up. Painter could be a rotation option for the Phillies around midseason.

Tromp will likely back up rookie Drake Baldwin at catcher on Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Sean Murphy (ribs) will begin the season on the IL, opening the door for Baldwin to make his big-league debut. Had Murphy not been injured, Tromp likely would have been the No. 2 backstop anyway, as he's out of minor-league options, but if Baldwin shows he's ready for the majors over the first weeks of the year, Tromp could be squeezed off the roster when Murphy returns.

Herrera is 6-for-12 with one home run and a 0:3 K:BB over his last five Grapefruit League contests.

The nice stretch at the plate came after he went hitless in his first six games of the spring. There isn't much question about Herrera's offense. Where he needs to improve is on the defensive side, and more specifically, with his throwing arm. Herrera trained this offseason at Driveline's facility in Tampa, where he was put on a program to build arm strength and alter his throwing motion, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The 24-year-old Herrera is competing with Pedro Pages for reps at catcher for the Cardinals, and the consensus is that Herrera will, at minimum, split the duties, and perhaps receive the lion's share of work.

Johnson was removed from the Pirates' Spring Breakout game roster due to a bone bruise in his left foot, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It's not clear how long the injury might keep Johnson sidelined. The 20-year-old finished last season at Double-A Altoona and is likely headed back there for the start of the 2025 campaign.

Baldwin is fine Friday after being scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League lineup due to an allergic reaction, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old had an accidental exposure to walnuts but has since recovered from the allergic reaction. Baldwin is Atlanta's top prospect and has yet to make his MLB debut, but that could change soon with No. 1 backstop Sean Murphy (rib) set to begin the season on the injured list. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution projects Baldwin to be the team's Opening Day starter behind the plate.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona suggested Thursday that Candelario and Gavin Lux could be part of a platoon at third base, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Francona wants to get as many competent bats into the lineup as possible, but that's shaping up to be a tricky task. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (three HRs, 1.000 OPS) has hit well this spring and looks like the best option for first base, which removes a potential path to playing time for Candelario. He could slot in at designated hitter if Spencer Steer (shoulder) is not ready for the start of the regular season. Lux can also handle second base or left field, which would allow both he and Candelario to be in the lineup against righties.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Thursday that Lux and Jeimer Candelario could be part of a platoon at third base during the regular season, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I think Lux and Candelario, you'll see [Santiago] Espinal there sometimes. It depends on who is pitching," the manager said.

While Lux has seen action at several positions this spring, he's made the majority of his 2025 Cactus League starts at third base. Francona likes the idea of getting a platoon edge without weakening the team's defense at the hot corner. Lux also has experience at second base and in left field. The job share may not be an issue early in the regular season, as Spencer Steer (shoulder) could land on the injured list and push Candelario to first base or DH, but eventually Francona will need to find at-bats for all three on a semi-regular basis.

Lodolo allowed three hits and one walk while striking out six over four scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Athletics.

Lodolo was at his best in his third Cactus League start. He was aided by a runner getting thrown out at the plate in the fourth inning, but other than that, the left-hander cruised through 66 pitches (41 strikes). He then got in additional work in the bullpen. Reds manager Terry Francona was particularly pleased with Lodolo's curveball, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Lodolo has a 3.12 ERA with nine strikeouts over 8.2 Cactus League innings.

Lockridge went 1-for-2 with a run, a stolen base and a caught stealing Thursday in a Cactus League loss to Kansas City.

Lockridge has performed well through 13 spring contests, posting a .370/.414/.519 slash line with two doubles, a triple, four runs, one RBI and five stolen bases. The theft total is tied for second among all players this spring and highlights Lockridge's biggest strength -- he stole 48 bases in 54 attempts at Triple-A last season. Lockridge is competing for one of San Diego's final roster spots for position players, though the impressive play of Gavin Sheets (five homers, 11 RBI) and Tirso Ornelas (.324 BA, 6:3 BB:K) has created a tight competition.

Kolek completed four innings in a Cactus League appearance against the Royals on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits while issuing one walk and striking out two batters.

Yu Darvish started the game and tossed four frames for San Diego, and Kolek followed with four innings of his own. The latter held Kansas City to a lone run, which is the only run he's surrendered through nine frames this spring. Kolek's five punchouts over that span isn't impressive, but he's walked just one batter and given up only five hits. The right-hander is among several pitchers competing for the Padres' final rotation spot this spring, and to this point it's unclear who among the group -- which also includes Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron and Randy Vasquez -- has the upper hand.