MLB Player News

Leahy will open the season in the Cardinals' rotation, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Leahy's regular-season debut will occur March 30 with a start at home against the Mets. The right-hander has not been used as a starting pitcher regularly since 2022, but he often worked multiple innings out of the Cardinals' bullpen last season and was stretched out as a starter this spring, finishing with a 4.58 ERA and 20:5 K:BB over 17.2 frames. Leahy has not reached 90 innings in any of the last three seasons while being used in the bullpen, so he's sure to face some form of workload restrictions in 2026.

Atlanta is expected to turn to Suarez as its fifth starter to begin the season after manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Spencer Strider (oblique) will be placed on the injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Non-roster invitee Martin Perez is also a candidate to fill the open spot in the rotation, but Suarez looks primed to get the first chance to replace Strider since he's already on the 40-man roster and was built up as a starter during spring training. Prospect Didier Fuentes, who also made the Opening Day roster, will remain in the bullpen for now. Before Strider suffered the oblique injury, Suarez had secured a long-relief spot in the Atlanta bullpen after logging a 3.38 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB in 16 innings over five Grapefruit League outings. Assuming he's indeed called upon to fill in for Strider when a fifth starter is first needed, Suarez would line up to make his Atlanta debut March 31 versus the Athletics at Truist Park.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Strider will begin the season on the injured list with an oblique strain, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Strider had been slated for his final Grapefruit League tune-up outing Monday versus the Pirates, but that assignment will now go to Didier Fuentes. Jose Suarez is expected to slide into Strider's rotation slot once the regular season gets underway, with Fuentes still set to open in the bullpen. Atlanta is hoping Strider will be back in action in a couple weeks, but that's no safe bet given the fickle nature of oblique injuries. Strider has dealt with depressed velocity this spring, though the results have been there, as he allowed three runs with an 11:2 K:BB over 8.1 innings.

Lopez said Monday that he is fine physically and mechanical issues are to blame for his diminished velocity during Sunday's Grapefruit League outing versus the Twins, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Lopez averaged just 89.2 mph with his four-seamer in the start, yielding four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 frames. The right-hander's velocity has been down all spring, though not to the level it was Sunday. Lopez could see an uptick in velocity after the regular-season adrenaline kicks in, but it's also possible this is the new normal for him as he comes back from shoulder surgery. The 32-year-old is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday against the Royals and should probably be left on fantasy benches for the time being.

The Diamondbacks informed Ross on Sunday that he'll be included on the Opening Day roster, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Ross, who had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee, submitted a 7.71 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 6:5 K:BB in seven innings during Cactus League play. The 32-year-old has worked primarily as a starter during his career but will operate as a multi-inning reliever for Arizona.

The Pirates informed Urquidy on Monday that he'll be included on the Opening Day roster, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Urquidy didn't have a good spring, logging a 9.28 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and eight strikeouts in 10.2 innings. However, he'll break camp with the big club as a long reliever after signing a $1.5 million contract in the offseason.

The Pirates informed Barco on Monday that he'll be included on the Opening Day roster, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Barco has been trending up, making his big-league debut at the end of last season and following that up with a strong spring training. The 25-year-old lefty had a 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB in 9.1 innings in Grapefruit League play. Carmen Mlodzinski won the fifth starter spot, but Barco and Jose Urquidy also made the club in long-relief roles. The Pirates could look to have Barco piggyback another starter during the first turn through the five-man rotation.

The Pirates reassigned Clevinger to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

He was in camp as a non-roster invitee and logged a 5.02 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB in 14.1 innings this spring. Jose Urquidy beat out Clevinger for the final long-relief spot in the Pirates' Opening Day bullpen.

Suarez was slotted fifth in the batting order in the two games since he returned from the World Baseball Classic, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Since Suarez was signed by Cincinnati at the beginning of February, the general consensus was that he'd bat fourth, and that's where he was in four of his first five Cactus League games before departing for the WBC. Reds manager Terry Francona explained the batting-order experiment, indicating the reconfigured lineup (with Sal Stewart batting cleanup) might generate more RBI opportunities for Suarez. However it shakes out, Suarez will be a middle-of-the-order bat for the Reds in 2026.

The Padres reassigned Gillaspie to minor-league camp Sunday.

Gillaspie is likely to open the upcoming season as a swingman at Triple-A El Paso, where he finished the 2025 campaign after being outrighted off the Padres' 40-man roster in July. Prior to losing his roster spot, Gillaspie appeared in three big-league games for San Diego last season, covering seven innings while allowing two earned runs on seven hits and four walks.