MLB Player News

Albies went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Team Netherlands' 4-3 win over Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic on Saturday.

With the Netherlands down to its last out, Albies took Angel Obando deep for a three-run shot -- the first walk-off homer in WBC history. The 29-year-old second baseman has two 30-homer campaigns on his MLB resume, but he's coming off a down 2025 in which he slashed .240/.306/.365 with 16 home runs and 14 steals in 157 games.

Team Dominican Republic manager Nelson Cruz said that Perdomo is on the bench for Sunday's game against Team Netherlands due to an illness, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

With Perdomo battling the flu, Cruz will turn to Erik Gonzalez to man shortstop in the Dominican Republic's second game of pool play. Perdomo will rest up and recover with the aim of returning to the starting nine Monday versus Team Israel.

Stock (shoulder) said Sunday that he'll require surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome and could be sidelined for the remainder of the season, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Stock is leaving the door open to pitch late in the season, but since he had been attending Mets camp on a minor-league deal, he's unlikely to surface in the majors at any point in 2026. The right-hander first experienced discomfort in his shoulder following his start Tuesday for Team Israel in an exhibition game against the Marlins.

Team Venezuela manager Omar Lopez said Saturday that Chourio (hand) should rejoin the lineup for Monday's World Baseball Classic game against Nicaragua, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

Chourio has been out of Venezuela's lineup for both of the last two games while nursing a left hand injury that he suffered in an exhibition game Wednesday, when he was hit by a pitch. The good news for Chourio is that the injury isn't considered a long-term concern, and the 21-year-old should be back in the lineup in short order.

Harrington allowed two hits and one walk while striking out two across four scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

This marked Harrington's second appearance of the spring, and he worked efficiently while ramping up to 44 pitches. He put 29 of those in the strike zone, while punching out Riley Greene and Colt Keith. Harrington has now allowed one earned run across six innings while striking out two and walking three this spring. He has an outside chance to earn a rotation role to begin the season, but he will more likely begin the campaign at Triple-A Indianapolis.

Barco added a changeup, sweeper and sinker to his pitch mix this offseason, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Barco featured a fastball, spltter and slider during his brief big-league debut at the end of 2025, but believed he needed to add to his arsenal to stick in the rotation. He threw six changeups among his 57 pitches in Saturday's Grapefruit League outing against the Tigers, during which he surrendered three earned runs across three innings while striking out three and walking one. Despite the bumpy outing, Barco showed improved control, registering his first appearance of the spring without giving up multiple free passes.

Tucker (personal) is expected to rejoin the team Sunday and serve as the Dodgers' designated hitter against the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Tucker has been away from spring camp since Tuesday to spend time with his wife and newborn child. Before leaving, the 29-year-old outfielder had gone 1-for-7 with four walks and three runs scored in four Cactus League contests.

The Cardinals optioned Crooks to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

With five catchers on St. Louis' 40-man roster, Crooks had a considerable amount of competition for an Opening Day spot, and despite going 4-for-12 at the plate with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored in the Grapefruit League, he will ultimately fall short. He's had consistent success hitting in the minors, posting a .773 OPS in 435 plate appearances at Triple-A last season, and he could be called up to St. Louis later in the year if the trend continues.

The Cardinals optioned Bernal to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Bernal spent all of 2025 at Double-A Springfield, where he slashed .247/.332/.394 with 13 homers, 69 RBI, 58 runs scored and 13 steals over 107 games. After going 2-for-5 with two walks in Grapefruit League play, he'll receive a promotion to Triple-A to begin the season.

The Cardinals optioned Torres to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Torres enjoyed a breakout campaign at Triple-A last season, slashing .326/.441/.456 across 414 plate appearances with the Redbirds. However, he followed it up with a 2-for-10 performance in the Grapefruit League and will fall short in his pursuit of an Opening Day roster spot.