MLB Player News

Urias (elbow) will start at third base and bat third in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Urias will make his return to the St. Louis spring lineup for the first time since March 9, after he had been temporarily held out of action due to elbow soreness. The Cardinals' willingness to deploy him in the infield rather than at designated hitter in his return suggests that the elbow issue is no longer affecting his throwing. Urias is likely to serve as a utility infielder for the Cardinals, with most of his starts expected to come against left-handed pitching when St. Louis is at full strength.

Herrera (knee) will start at catcher and bat second in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Herrera is expected to play behind the plate for the first three innings of Wednesday's contest in what marks his first game action since March 6. The 25-year-old has been slowed by knee inflammation over the past two weeks, but assuming he emerges from Wednesday's contest without any setbacks, he should be ready to go for Opening Day. Herrera is expected to a regular part of the St. Louis lineup this season, seeing the bulk of his action at designated hitter while occasionally spelling Pedro Pages at catcher.

Marte started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's spring game against Cleveland.

Marte gave the Reds an early lead with his second-inning homer, his third of the Cactus League. Normally a right fielder, Marte made a third consecutive start in center field, as the club seeks to expand its outfield options. TJ Friedl remains the primary center fielder. Marte is batting .275 (11-for-40) with four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI through 14 Cactus League contests.

Lodolo allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out seven over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Guardians.

Lodolo made his fourth Cactus League start and upped his pitch count to 77 (46 strikes), with one start remaining before the regular season begins. The lefty allowed a home run for the third consecutive outing but was much improved from his previous outing, when the Dodgers touched him for six runs. Lodolo is set to start the Reds' second game of the regular season.

The Diamondbacks plan to have Crisantes open the 2026 season as the starting second baseman at Double-A Amarillo, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

Crisantes had his 2025 season cut short in May by a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder at High-A Hillsboro. At the time of the injury, he was slashing .252/.358/.415 with four homers in 34 games to begin his age-20 campaign. More impressively, he walked more than struck out and had an in-zone contact rate of 93 percent. The organization feels confident in pushing the 21-year-old up a level.

The Diamondbacks plan to have Waldschmidt begin the 2026 season as the starting center fielder at Triple-A Reno, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

Waldschmidt came up through the system as a corner outfielder -- the result of a knee injury during his junior at the University of Kentucky that pushed him to left field. After his promotion to Double-A Amarillo last year, the organization re-introduced Waldschmidt to center field and were impressed by the results. If the experiment of using former top prospect Jordan Lawlar in center field at the MLB level doesn't pan out, Waldschmidt will be another option to play the position.

Across five appearances for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Palencia did not allow a hit while logging five scoreless innings and striking out nine.

Palencia closed out Venezuela's win over the United States on Tuesday to win the WBC, and it continued a dominant stretch for the flamethrowing righty throughout the tournament. Following a breakout 2025 campaign in which he recorded a 2.91 ERA, 22 saves and 61 strikeouts across 52.2 innings for the Cubs during the regular season, Palencia has already been named the team's closer heading into 2026 and could be in line for even better production now that his role in the bullpen is secure.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani will pitch in Wednesday's Cactus League game versus the Giants and added that the two-way star is lined up for the Freeway Series versus the Angels between March 22 and 24, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Ohtani is expected to pitch 3-to-4 innings in his first start during the regular season as a pitcher. Wednesday's Cactus League game will be the first time the four-time MVP will have pitched in a spring training game since 2023 when he was with the Angels. The right-hander did not pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, but he has been participating in bullpen and live batting-practice sessions in his progression.

Burns was told by the Reds that he has made the Opening Day roster, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Burns was informed along with fellow starters Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson. The three of them will occupy two rotation spots and back each other up in those spots due to their recent injury histories and/or lack of experience. Burns got his first big-league action in the second half of the 2025 season and struggled. The 2024 second overall pick started in eight of his 13 appearances and finished with a 4.57 ERA while compiling a record of 0-3. During spring training in 2026, the 23-year-old gave up four runs across 3.2 innings in one outing, but he has given up no more than one run in his other three.

Williamson was informed by the Reds that he has made the Opening Day roster, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports

The Reds have given a roster spot to Williamson along with fellow starters Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns. The three of them will occupy two rotation spots and back each other up in those spots due to their recent injury histories and/or lack of experience. Williamson went down with a full UCL tear in his left elbow in Sept. 2024, which required Tommy John surgery. With the southpaw securing an Opening Day roster spot, he will look to take the mound for the first time in a regular season game since going under the knife.