MLB Player News

Carlson was informed Tuesday that he will make Chicago's Opening Day roster, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

With Seiya Suzuki (knee) set to begin the year on the injured list, the Cubs are bolstering their outfield depth with Carlson and fellow veteran Michael Conforto. Carlson was in camp as a non-roster invitee after stumbling to a .203/.278/.336 line across 83 games with the Orioles last season. He'll likely serve in a depth role with limited fantasy utility, though he does have a path to increased playing time if any other Chicago outfielders go down with injuries. Carlson will ultimately make the team over Kevin Alcantara, who has options available and will begin the season with Triple-A Iowa.

Lodolo (finger) will begin the regular season on the injured list, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lodolo began playing catch Tuesday -- his first time throwing since leaving his start Sunday with a finger blister -- but the Reds have officially concluded that the 28-year-old is better off beginning the season on the IL. The move will give him all the time he needs to recover fully; meanwhile, Brandon Williamson will step in to fill the void in Cincinnati's rotation.

The Giants optioned Seymour to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Although he finished the Cactus League with a strong 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 12.1 innings, Seymour will come up short in the race for a spot in San Francisco's bullpen. The 27-year-old righty may reclaim a middle-relief role with the Giants if he continues to cruise on the mound to begin the Triple-A season.

The Giants optioned McDonald to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McDonald got off to a fast start this spring and looked to have a real chance at making the Giants' Opening Day bullpen as a long reliever. However, after finishing the Cactus League with a 6.94 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 11.2 frames, he'll head to Sacramento to get back on track. The 25-year-old righty has looked good during his limited MLB opportunities (1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP through 18 IP), so the Giants may still be willing to add him to their rotation if injuries begin to arise among their starters.

The Giants optioned Gilbert to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Gilbert's battle for an Opening Day roster spot lasted until the final day of spring training, but he'll officially head back to Triple-A to begin 2026 after turning in a .648 OPS through 37 Cactus League plate appearances.

The Giants optioned Brennan to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Brennan's .325/.386/.500 slash line through 44 plate appearances in the Cactus League made a strong case for him to break camp with the big club, but he'll ultimately head back to the minors to begin the year. The 28-year-old outfielder has routinely batted above .300 at the Triple-A level and could earn a spot on the Giants' bench if he continues to swing a hot bat.

The Giants optioned Bivens to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bivens logged a 4.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 81 innings last year while spending the entire year with San Francisco, but he'll be sent back to Triple-A to kick off the 2026 campaign. The 31-year-old boasts a 3.68 ERA in his MLB career and allowed just four earned runs in 10.1 Cactus League innings, so he'll likely be one of the first relievers called up whenever the Giants need a fresh bullpen arm.

The Giants optioned Beck to Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Beck made 31 appearances with the Giants last season, during which he recorded a 4.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 56.2 innings, but he'll head back to the minors to begin the regular season. The 29-year-old logged a 2.59 ERA in 31.1 Triple-A frames last year, and he could be welcomed back into San Francisco's bullpen if he returns to that level of production.

Bader (hamstring) will start in center field and bat second during Tuesday's exhibition game against the Sultanes de Monterrey, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bader has been dealing with left hamstring tightness since Friday, but he's now been given the green light to return to a game setting. Assuming his hamstring holds up, the 31-year-old outfielder figures to be good to go for San Francisco's season opener against the Yankees on Wednesday.

Marquez hurled 4.2 innings in an exhibition start against Seattle on Monday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.

Marquez actually worked as a reliever Monday, though he followed opener Kyle Hart after just one inning. Marquez logged a starter's workload with 81 pitches, and he racked up a whopping 22 whiffs -- 18 of which came on his knuckle curve. The veteran pitcher hasn't been a big strikeout guy in recent seasons, averaging less than a punchout per inning every year since 2019, but having Coors Field as your home park can have that kind of impact. Over his final two outings this spring, he's racked up 17 strikeouts across 9.2 frames. It remains to be seen if Marquez has rediscovered something in his arsenal or if he's just thriving in the atmosphere of exhibition games, but he seems to be headed for a role in San Diego's Opening Day rotation, and there's suddenly a reason to at least consider his name at the end of fantasy drafts in deep leagues.