MLB Player News

Diaz "seems to have moderately separated himself" in the competition to be the Padres' No. 1 catcher, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Diaz first came to San Diego on a minor-league deal last August and ended up going just 4-for-21 over 24 regular-season games with the Padres. However, the offseason departure of Kyle Higashioka opened up a battle for the team's primary catcher role, and none of the club's backstops has seized hold of the opportunity this spring. Diaz is just 3-for-18 with five strikeouts and one walk, but Luis Campusano has been even less productive with a 2-for-16 line, while Brett Sullivan has gone 2-for-15 and Martin Maldonado is 0-for-13. Ethan Salas is viewed as the catcher of the future for San Diego, but he won't turn 19 until June and has just 33 plate appearances at Double-A under his belt. Cassavell speculates that Diaz's reputation as a good defender could earn him the starting role come Opening Day, though the catcher situation could be fluid throughout the campaign and tilt at any time this spring if one of the backstops goes on a hot streak.

Bryant went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Padres.

Bryant began the spring positively with a two-run home run with an exit velocity of 111.8 mph. However, he's gone just 2-for-19 with six strikeouts since. Positively, Bryant has remained healthy and is still projected to serve as Colorado's primary DH.

Martini has a chance to crack Colorado's Opening Day roster as a reserve outfielder, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Martini is in Rockies' camp as a non-roster invitee, but he's hit .308 with six walks and a pair of homers across 26 at-bats. He's unlikely to be a regular in the lineup, but the struggles of Sam Hilliard and even Jordan Beck this spring have opened the door for Martini to make the Opening Day roster.

Suarez allowed four runs on five hits and one walk over one-third of an inning in a Cactus League contest against Colorado on Wednesday.

Suarez entered in the fourth inning and surrendered a single to five of the first six batters he faced to allow the Rockies to plate three runs. The right-hander walked the final batter of his outing to load the bases before being pulled. Suarez has given up eight runs over 3.2 frames across five appearances this spring while posting a 4:4 K:BB, and it's worth noting that Suarez struggled with a 5.24 ERA over the final two months of the regular season last year. However, he's almost certain to open this season as San Diego's closer, with Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada next in line should Suarez's struggles continue beyond the exhibition slate.

Gonzales is expected to serve as the Pirates' primary second baseman in 2025, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Gonzales got his first prolonged look in the majors in 2024 and held his own by posting a 94 wRC+ and .709 OPS. That performance combined with his prospect pedigree sets him up as a key contributor for the 2025 season, with the majority of his playing time likely coming at second base. Across 28 plate appearances this spring, Gonzales has struck out only 14.3 percent of the time, though that's also come with just two extra-base hits.

Falter is projected to begin the season in the Pirates' rotation, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Falter's role was precarious after Andrew Heaney was signed, though Bubba Chandler was since reassigned to Triple-A and Johan Oviedo (lat) placed on the 60-day injured list. That should keep Falter in the rotation to begin the campaign. In two spring starts, he has allowed two earned runs across 4.2 innings with a 7:3 K:BB.

The Cardinals optioned Roby to Double-A Springfield on Wednesday.

Roby had a nice showing this spring, allowing four runs (three earned) with a 10:2 K:BB over nine innings of work. He was never going to make the Opening Day roster, though, after another injury-shortened season in 2024. Roby has some of the best stuff among the Cardinals' pitching prospects but has totaled only 96.2 innings over the last two seasons because of arm problems.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Abrams was lifted from Wednesday's spring contest versus the Astros due to cramping in both quads but is scheduled to return to the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Abrams' quads cramped up following a leadoff triple in the first inning Wednesday, but he's going to be fine. The young shortstop is 9-for-30 with a home run in 10 Grapefruit League games this spring.

Rosario was a late scratch from the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros after his knee "didn't feel right" while taking part in defensive drills prior to the contest, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Shortly before first pitch, the Nationals pulled Rosario from the lineup in favor of Cayden Wallace, who started at second base and batted eighth. Rosario suggested that the knee injury was minor, noting that he would have been able to play if it was a regular-season game.

Winn went 0-for-3 with one strikeout in Wednesday's game versus the Mets and is now hitting .094 with a 10:3 K:BB this spring.

Winn struggled last year in Grapefruit League play, too, with a .638 OPS and no home runs, before going on to have a solid rookie season in which he had 15 homers and 11 steals with a .730 OPS. He has batted leadoff in every one of his starts this spring and appears poised to hit at the top of the order for the Cardinals on Opening Day.