MLB Player News

Gage picked up a hold in Monday's 10-2 exhibition victory over Sultanes de Monterrey, throwing one scoreless inning.

Gage forced two groundouts and a flyout in San Francisco's penultimate spring game, throwing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes. The left-hander is in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster ahead of Wednesday's game against the Yankees. Over seven Cactus League outings, he allowed two earned runs on three hits, including one home run, while striking out nine in 6.1 innings.

Beck picked up the win in Monday's 10-2 exhibition victory over Sultanes de Monterrey, striking out two across one scoreless inning.

Beck entered in the third inning and threw nine of his 13 pitches for strikes in San Francisco's penultimate spring game. The right-hander is a candidate to begin the season in the bullpen, and the Giants have one more exhibition game against the Sultanes before Wednesday's Opening Day matchup against the Yankees. Beck appeared in 31 outings (one start) last season, recording a 4.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 41:16 K:BB while allowing seven long balls across 56.2 innings.

Johnston made the Rockies' Opening Day roster, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Johnston was claimed off waivers by the Rockies in November, and he earned a place on the Opening Day roster with a .973 OPS across 22 spring training games. The 28-year-old is expected to begin the season in a reserve role, but he could get an opportunity for regular playing time at some point given Colorado's lack of established pieces.

The Rockies optioned Halvorsen to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Halvorsen entered spring training as a candidate for high-leverage work but pitched his way into a stint in the minors by yielding 12 runs with an ugly 4:12 K:BB over five innings of work. The hard thrower will try to get back on track at Albuquerque and could still have an important role in the Colorado bullpen down the line.

The Rockies are expected to place Freeman on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to lower-back inflammation, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Freeman didn't make his Cactus League debut until March 5 due to back problems and he encountered a setback last week. While he does not appear to have any structural damage in his back, the fact that the injury has lingered for so long could point to longer than a minimum stay on the IL. Once healthy, Freeman projects for a super-utility role in Colorado.

Chaparro is expected to begin the season as the Nationals' primary designated hitter, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

Luis Garcia is shifting to first base and Daylen Lile should be the primary right fielder, leaving DH available for Chaparro. The 26-year-old hasn't done much yet in the majors to suggest he's capable of providing consistent offense, however, slashing .203/.268/.358 in 205 plate appearances for the Nats over the last two years with just five homers. He's also struggled this spring, batting .154 (6-for-39) with two home runs and a 6:12 BB:K. If Chaparro can't step up, he could be the player who loses his spot when it's time for Dylan Crews or Robert Hassell -- both of whom will begin the year with Triple-A Rochester -- to get another look.

The Cubs hope Hodge (elbow) is ready to play catch around April 1, MLB.com reports.

Hodge was diagnosed with a right flexor strain in early March. Given that he will be shut down for nearly a month, at minimum, it's going to take a while for him to get built back up. Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 36 appearances with the Cubs in 2025.

McLain (illness) is starting at second base and batting second in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Brewers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain was unavailable for Monday's exhibition game due to an illness, but he's good to go after taking a day to recover. The second baseman will begin the season batting second for the Reds after posting a .220/.300/.343 slash line with 15 homers and 18 steals in 147 regular-season games last year.

Nunez appears to be in line to be the Nationals' regular second baseman this season, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

Luis Garcia is expected to shirt to first base, opening up the keystone for Nunez. The 25-year-old should provide a defensive upgrade over Garcia, but it remains to be seen how much offense Nunez can supply, as he comes into 2026 with a career .238/.329/.343 slash line in 170 big-league plate appearances. Nunez could make an impact on the basepaths, however, having gone 17-for-20 on steal attempts so far in his career before being successful in all seven of his SB attempts this spring.

Garcia could see most of his playing time at first base this season, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The Nationals' decision to send Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell to Triple-A to begin the season created a domino effect that put Daylen Lile in right field, opening up regular DH at-bats for Andres Chaparro and allowing Garcia to slide from the keystone to first base-- a position he has only two games of big-league experience at. Washington is hoping the reduced defensive responsibilities will help the 25-year-old's bat find another level after he slashed just .252/.289/.412 in 2025 with 16 homers and 14 steals in 139 games.