MLB Player News

Bae suffered a hand injury during Sunday's spring game against the Tigers, but manager Derek Shelton downplayed the injury, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Bae jammed his hand while sliding into third base but doesn't appear to be facing a serious injury. The 25-year-old struggled in 29 big-league games last season with a .463 OPS and spent most of the campaign in the minors.

Carroll was removed from Sunday's spring game against the Rangers due to lower-back tightness.

Carroll batted leadoff and started in right field Sunday, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout before exiting with the injury. The severity of the issue isn't yet known, and the 24-year-old should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.

Stephens signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Feb. 24.

Stephens is back with Atlanta after he spent each of the last three seasons with the organization. He made three relief appearances with the big club in 2024 but saw the bulk of his action at Triple-A Gwinnett, with whom he accrued a 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB in 46.2 innings. The 30-year-old will report back to Gwinnett to begin the 2025 campaign.

Megill (undisclosed) made his Cactus League debut in Friday's 9-2 loss to the Giants, striking out a batter and giving up one run on one hit in one inning of relief.

An unspecified injury kept Megill behind schedule compared to the team's other healthy relievers early on in camp, but now that he's made his spring debut, the 31-year-old right-hander looks like he'll be ready to go for the start of the season. He surrendered a solo home run to the first batter he faced (LaMonte Wade) on Friday, but Megill bounced back well, inducing a pair of groundouts before striking out Matt Chapman to close out the third inning. With Milwaukee trading away Devin Williams in the offseason, Megill appears to be the leading candidate to serve as the Brewers' closer in 2025.

Manager Clayton McCullough said Sunday that Sanchez will see the majority of his starts in center field during spring training since he's a known quantity in the corner outfield, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old saw most of his action in center field during 2022 (and posted plus-two Defensive Runs Saved and minus-two Outs Above Average), but he has made just nine appearances there across the past two seasons. Regardless of whether he ends up in center or right field, Sanchez has a secure spot in the heart of Miami's lineup after he finished 2024 with 18 homers, 16 steals and a .730 OPS.

Manager Clayton McCullough said Sunday that Sanoja is likely to see playing time at every position in the field except first base and catcher during spring training, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 22-year-old made his big-league debut in September and had a .229/.250/.286 slash line in his first 15 MLB games, and he's now attempting to earn a spot on Miami's Opening Day roster. Sanoja isn't likely to receive regular playing time even if he secures a roster spot, but the defensive versatility could allow him to carve out a larger role.

Black (back) is batting third as the designated hitter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

It's the first game action of the spring for Black, who suffered a minor back injury early in camp. The 24-year-old finished last season at Triple-A Nashville but received his first taste of the majors and had a .204/.316/.245 slash line and 29.8 percent strikeout rate in 57 plate appearances. He faces long odds to crack Milwaukee's Opening Day roster.

Anderson walked two batters without a strikeout over three scoreless, no-hit innings during Friday's Grapefruit league game against the Marlins.

The right-hander tossed 16 of 28 pitches for strikes against a Miami lineup that included a number of likely Opening Day starters, including Jesus Sanchez, Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby. Anderson is out of minor-league options, making him a favorite to secure a spot at the back of the Atlanta rotation this spring, but his 1:5 K:BB through 4.2 innings to begin the exhibition schedule isn't especially encouraging, even if it comes with a 1.93 ERA. On the bright side, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Anderson's fastball topped out at 94.9 mph Friday, and he appears close to consistently regaining the velocity that saw him average 94.6 mph with his heater over a 24-start stint for Atlanta in 2021 during which he posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Bell took Miles Mikolas deep in the first inning for his first long ball of the spring. The 32-year-old slugger is expected to be the regular DH for the Nationals this season while backing up Nathaniel Lowe at first base, and Bell posted the best numbers of his career during his first stint with Washington in 2021-22, slashing .278/.363/.483 over 247 games with 41 homers and 145 RBI.

Abbott (shoulder) expressed optimism Sunday that he'll be ready for Opening Day after he recently tossed his first live batting practice session of the spring, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "Big step, big checkmark," Abbott said. "I feel really confident where we are."

Just two days earlier, manager Terry Francona suggested that Abbott's availability for Opening Day was more of a question mark, but the southpaw's ability to face hitters is a big step in a positive direction. Abbott is likely to throw live BP sessions on at least a couple more occasions before the Reds include him in the Cactus League pitching schedule. He should still have enough time to get stretched out for starting duty before the Reds open their season March 27, but any minor snags in the buildup process would likely make him a candidate for a stint on the injured list.