MLB Player News

Castellanos is absent from the lineup in Thursday's opener versus the Tigers.

Left-hander Tarik Skubal is on the bump for the Tigers, but the right-handed-hitting Castellanos will yield to lefty Gavin Sheets at first base and righty Miguel Andujar at designated hitter. It's an indication that the former Phillies castoff's playing time will be sporadic in San Diego.

Shaw is starting in right field and batting ninth in Thursday's season opener against the Nationals.

Michael Conforto was expected to step in as the Cubs' primary right fielder versus right-handed pitching with Seiya Suzuki (knee) on the injured list, but Shaw will instead get the call Opening Day against Washington righty Cade Cavalli. Shaw almost exclusively played third base as rookie last season, but he prepared to fill a super-utility role during the offseason and will immediately get a look at one of his new positions Thursday. The 24-year-old struggled to a .689 OPS in 126 regular-season games last year in his first taste of the majors but is coming off a strong spring training, during which he batted .320/.417/.500 in 60 plate appearances.

Winn is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup in Thursday's opener versus the Rays.

Winn is an atypical cleanup hitter -- this will be just his fourth career start in the slot -- but the rebuilding Cardinals don't have many middle-of-the-order options. It's a boost for Winn's RBI outlook, as he should have chances to drive in runs with JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson batting ahead of him.

Church is starting in left field and hitting seventh in Thursday's opener against the Rays.

Church is lined up to receive the bulk of the reps in left field versus right-handed pitching for the Cardinals while Lars Nootbaar (heels) is shelved. Nootbaar was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, so Church should receive an extended look. Thomas Saggese and Jose Fermin are also in the left-field mix for St. Louis.

Wetherholt will start at second base and bat leadoff in Thursday's opener versus the Rays.

The Cardinals will not ease Wetherholt into his major-league debut, putting him atop their batting order. The team's other potential option in the leadoff spot, Masyn Winn, will hit cleanup. Wetherholt earned a spot on St. Louis' Opening Day roster by collecting a .386 on-base percentage with two home runs and two stolen bases during Grapefruit League action.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said on MLB Network on Thursday that Yelich "wants to play the outfield, and I think that he will" in the wake of Jackson Chourio's (hand) placement on the injured list, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The veteran slugger made just 19 appearances in the outfield across his 150 regular-season games last year, as he primarily served as a designated hitter for the first time in his 13-year career. It helped Yelich to stay healthy and total 29 home runs and 103 RBI, which are his best marks since 2019 and 2018, respectively, but he could play the field more early in 2026 with Chourio sidelined for at least the next couple weeks.

The Brewers recalled Perkins from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

The 29-year-old was optioned to Nashville last week but will rejoin the big club ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the White Sox with Jackson Chourio (hand) hitting the injured list. Perkins isn't likely to be a lineup regular but should see occasional starts in the outfield, which is now expected to have Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick as the primary options from left to right. Perkins played in 54 regular-season games last year and had a .226/.298/.348 slash line with three homers and seven steals.

The Brewers placed Chourio (hand) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Chourio was hit on the left hand by a pitch while playing an exhibition game with Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic back on March 4. He returned to action a few days later, but a recent MRI revealed a hairline fracture at the base of his third metacarpal, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Chourio is expected to be sidelined 2-to-4 weeks. Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins and Brandon Lockridge should see more reps in the outfield for the Brewers as a result of Chourio's injury. The club could also use designated hitter Christian Yelich more in the outfield while Chourio is out.

Baty will start at designated hitter and bat sixth in Thursday's opener against the Pirates.

With righty Paul Skenes on the bump, the left-handed-hitting Baty gets the call over righty-swinging Mark Vientos. Baty is also likely to see starts at first base against right-handed pitching, but Jorge Polanco is getting his first career start there Thursday.

Vientos is not in the lineup for Thursday's opener versus the Pirates.

With right-hander Paul Skenes on the bump for the Pirates, the Mets will go with Jorge Polanco at first base and the left-handed-hitting Brett Baty at designated hitter. The right-handed-hitting Vientos is unlikely to be a strict short-side platoon bat, but he could sit regularly against tougher righties.