MLB Player News

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Thursday that Tatis (illness) will make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Mariners, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Tatis returned to Padres camp Wednesday after being away for a few days while battling the flu. The star outfielder appears back up to speed now and is ready for game action.

Helsley said recently that he has not had any discussions with the Cardinals regarding a contract extension, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

While Helsley -- who will be a free agent after this season -- said he would "definitely be open" to talking about a long-term deal, he does not expect those discussions to occur anytime soon. The Cardinals will transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom as their president of baseball operations after the season and are not looking to add to their payroll right now, so an extension for their closer isn't at the forefront of their plans. Helsley will make $8.2 million in 2025 and is a good bet to be dealt at the trade deadline.

Hoerner (forearm) won't travel with the Cubs to Japan for the team's two-game, season-opening series versus the Dodgers on March 18 and 19 and will instead remain in Arizona to continue his rehab, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Though manager Craig Counsell said earlier in spring training that Hoerner was bouncing back well in his recovery from October surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm, the 27-year-old has yet to be cleared for Cactus League action. Per MLB.com, Hoerner is continuing to hit in the batting cage and working through a throwing program, but he's not on track to be ready to play in Japan in three weeks. The Cubs could turn to Jon Berti or Vidal Brujan to hold down the fort at second base in the two-game series against the Dodgers, but Hoerner may still have a chance at being ready to go for the team's domestic season opener March 27 versus the Diamondbacks.

Shaw (oblique) said Thursday that he expects to make his Cactus League debut within the next few days, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Shaw suffered an oblique injury back on Feb. 5 before camp began, but he's been working out with no issues lately and is not expected to have any restrictions once he's officially cleared for games. The Cubs' season-opening series in Tokyo versus the Dodgers is less than three weeks away, and it's not clear whether Shaw will have enough time to fully ramp up for that two-game set. Shaw is the favorite to serve as the Cubs' primary third baseman this season.

Hjerpe (elbow) allowed one run over an inning of work in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday versus the Blue Jays.

Hjerpe didn't pitch after July 2 last season due to left elbow inflammation, but he had a normal offseason and entered Cardinals camp with a clean bill of health, per Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The lefty has had elbow issues in each of his two pro seasons and changed his diet this offseason with the goal of reducing inflammation and soreness in his body. Hjerpe had a 13 percent walk rate but also a 35.2 percent strikeout rate in his 52.1 innings between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2024. He'll rejoin the Springfield rotation for the start of the 2025 campaign as he hopes to stay healthy and cut down on the free passes.

Urena agreed Thursday with the Mets on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Urena will give the Mets a swingman option after their rotation depth took a hit with recent injuries to Frankie Montas (lat) and Sean Manaea (oblique). The 33-year-old made nine starts and 24 relief appearances with the Rangers last season, collecting a 3.80 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 109 innings.

Collier reported to camp in much better shape after improving his diet in the offseason, Charlie's Chalkboard reports. "I went into the offseason a bit overweight," Collier said. "They told me at instructs make sure you come in next year in shape and can play over a lot of games. I cut out the fast food, the sweet stuff and the snacks. I ate good meals. It's night and day. It allows me to be more mobile. It allows me to move and stretch a lot more and get a lot more of my legs in my swing."

Collier is already one of the Reds' better hitting prospects and posted a .798 OPS at High-A last year as a 19-year-old, and the improved conditioning should help as he moves into the upper minors. The 2022 first-round pick is in big-league camp but is likely to begin the campaign at Double-A Chattanooga.

Gorski is making a push to break camp as the Pirates' fourth outfielder and is also an option as a backup first baseman, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Gorski was formerly a well-regarded prospect in the Pirates' system, but he's stalled at Triple-A Indianapolis for the last two seasons. Now 27, he has three home runs across six at-bats in three Grapefruit League games. Gorski is also working at first base with Spencer Horwitz (wrist) sidelined, though he still faces an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster given that he isn't on the 40-man roster.

McLain went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Wednesday's spring game against the Angels.

McLain made his third Cactus League appearance, all coming as the second baseman. He's led off in two of those games, including Wednesday, and could be the leadoff batter against left-handers this season. The lefty-hitting TJ Friedl is expected to lead off against righties.

Encarnacion-Strand started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a home run in Wednesday's spring game against the Angels.

Encarnacion-Strand has appeared in three games -- two at first base and one at third -- as the corner infield spots are not yet set. He and Jeimer Candelario have seen action at each corner thus far in Cactus League action, but C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic observed that Encarnacion-Strand has spent most of his time at first base during workouts while Candelario's logged plenty of time at third.