MLB Player News

The Cubs sent Wiggins to minor-league camp Sunday.

Wiggins got a taste of MLB action during spring training, but he's not on the 40-man roster and has only three career games at the Triple-A level, so a return to the minors always seemed likely. The 24-year-old is Chicago's top pitching prospect, and a strong season for him at Triple-A Iowa could force the Cubs to open up a 40-man spot at some point later in the year. Wiggins could be a fantasy force as soon as he arrives in the majors, though he may experience the typical growing pains that many young pitchers endure.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Wicks has been diagnosed with radial nerve irritation in his left forearm and will begin the season on the injured list, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Expect Chicago to officially place the 26-year-old southpaw on the IL shortly before Opening Day, when the club sets its 26-man roster. Wicks had yet to make any appearances during the Cactus League before the nerve issue was detected. Once he's cleared to resume activity, he'll need to complete a full throwing progression before beginning what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Hodge has been diagnosed with a right flexor tendon strain and will be shut down from throwing for two weeks before being re-evaluated, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

The timing of the injury will remove Hodge from contention for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, as he'll instead be ticketed for the injured list. Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 36 appearances with the Cubs in 2025 and didn't help his chances of breaking camp with the big club by yielding seven earned runs and issuing seven walks over two innings in the Cactus League before being diagnosed with the injury.

The Cubs optioned Neely to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Neely delivered three scoreless frames with six strikeouts in three spring appearances, but it wasn't enough to give him a chance of cracking the Opening Day roster. The right-hander struggled to a 6.23 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 28 outings with Iowa last year.

The Cubs optioned Ramirez to Double-A Knoxville on Sunday.

The 21-year-old infielder was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster over the winter but will need more seasoning in the upper levels of the minors before receiving his first taste of the big leagues. Ramirez will return to Knoxville for a second straight season after slashing .280/.346/.386 with eight home runs and 28 stolen bases across 563 plate appearances in the Southern League in 2025.

The Cubs optioned Triantos to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Chicago protected Triantos from the Rule 5 Draft over the winter by adding him to its 40-man roster, but the 23-year-old was never viewed as a likely candidate to break camp with the big club. Triantos is slated to begin the season at Iowa, where he slashed .260/.318/.371 with seven home runs and 28 stolen bases across 444 plate appearances in 2025.

Velazquez is among the competitors for playing time in left field for the Cardinals while Lars Nootbaar (heels) is sidelined, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Nootbaar is expected to get a late start to the season as he continues his recovery from surgery on both heels. In camp as a non-roster invitee, Velazquez entered play Sunday having gone 5-for-17 with one home run, one double and a 2:1 BB:K over his first six Grapefruit League contests. The Cardinals' lineup leans lefty-heavy, which helps Velazquez's case as a right-handed hitter, but working against him is that he's the only one in the mix that's not already on the 40-man roster. Nathan Church, Jose Fermin and Thomas Saggese are also competing for reps in left field.

The Cubs optioned Cowles to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Cowles was jettisoned from Chicago's 40-man roster last September and again at the beginning of spring training, but each time he's ended up reuniting with the Cubs after being claimed and waived by another team. Now back on the 40-man, at least for now, the 26-year-old is expected to handle an everyday role in Iowa to begin the season and could receive his first big-league call-up if the Cubs require an extra infielder at any point.

The Pirates optioned Brannigan (nose) to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Brannigan has been out of action since suffering a fractured nose after being hit in the face by a bad hop in his Grapefruit League debut back on Feb. 22. The injury isn't considered significant, but it's an unfortunate setback after the 24-year-old infielder missed the final three months of the 2025 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. The Pirates haven't revealed if Brannigan will be ready for game action by the time spring training concludes, so he could open the season on Indianapolis' 7-day injured list.

Leahy struck out five across four perfect innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League start against the Mets.

Leahy bounced back from a rough second spring training outing with a stellar effort Saturday, requiring only 47 pitches to cruise through his four frames. The right-hander remains a favorite to capture one of the final spots in the Cardinals' rotation, and that the club is considering opening the year with a six-man setup would only increase his chances.