MLB Player News

Peralta and the Brewers won't face the Mets on Thursday after the game was postponed due to rain being in the forecast at Citi Field.

The season opener for both teams will be pushed back to Friday, which had been an off day for the three-game Brewers-Mets series. Peralta will presumably be moved one day back in the schedule to start Friday's game, with the Mets set to counter with Jose Quintana.

Wheeler and the Phillies won't face Atlanta on Thursday after the game was postponed due to forecasted rain in Philadelphia.

The season opener for both clubs has been rescheduled for Friday at 3:05 p.m. ET. Wheeler, who had been slated to take the hill Thursday, will presumably be bumped back one day in the schedule to go head-to-head against Atlanta's Opening Day starter, Spencer Strider.

Smith agreed Wednesday with the Dodgers on a 10-year, $140 million contract extension, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Smith had been eligible for free agency after the 2025 season, but the extension -- the longest for a catcher in MLB history -- will keep him in Dodger blue through his age-38 campaign in 2033. Since posting a career-best .980 OPS in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Smith's OPS has dropped in each of the last three seasons, but his .797 mark in 2023 was still good for fifth among all backstops who logged at least 400 plate appearances. The 29-year-old got off to a strong start to the regular season during last week's Seoul Series, going 5-for-10 with a double, a walk, two RBI and one run in the Dodgers' two games versus the Padres. Smith occupied the cleanup spot in both of those contests, and if health prevails in 2024, he should have a prime opportunity to surpass his previous career high of 87 RBI while hitting behind the likes of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

Quintana and the Mets won't face the Brewers on Thursday after the game was postponed due to rain being in the forecast at Citi Field.

With heavy rain expected to hit the East Coast, the decision was made to go ahead and delay the season opener one day. Quintana will oppose the Brewers' Freddy Peralta on Friday, which had previously been a scheduled off day in the season-opening three-game series.

Bride could now make the Marlins' Opening Day roster following the trade of Jon Berti, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Bride was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier this month, but with an ability to handle multiple infield positions he makes for a natural replacement for Berti. However, the Marlins already have utility options Nick Gordon and Vidal Brujan on the roster, so they may not feel the need to add a third. The 28-year-old Bride was acquired from the Athletics in February.

The Marlins acquired Cruz and outfielder Shane Sasaki on Wednesday in a three-team trade involving the Yankees and Rays, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Cruz, 18, hit an impressive .294/.376/.531 with 10 home runs in 48 games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League last season. He certainly has a long ways to go before being ready for the majors, but the young outfielder is a promising low-level prospect for the Marlins.

Vargas appears set as the Nationals' primary utility infielder to begin the season.

A big spring from prospect Trey Lipscomb created some drama toward the end of camp as to who would claim the final roster spots, but Vargas' job seems secure after Lipscomb was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday. With Luis Garcia and Nick Senzel both question marks at second base and third base, Vargas could see more playing time than expected in the early going, but he offers little fantasy upside after slashing .252/.304/.363 over 286 plate appearances for the Nats in 2023.

Nunez is expected to begin the season on the 26-man roster after Trey Lipscomb was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday.

A Rule 5 pick from the Marlins, Nunez was a favorite to win a bench role when camp began, but Lipscomb's big spring created some uncertainty on how the Nationals would configure their infield. The 23-year-old Nunez stole 52 bases in 59 attempts at Double-A last season but slashed only .224/.341/.286, so he'll likely be limited to pinch-running duties in 2024 if he's able to stick on the big-league roster all year rather than being offered back to Miami.

Senzel batted .231 (9-for-39) over 15 Grapefruit League games with a 4:13 BB:K and only two extra-base hits, both doubles.

The former Red signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Nationals in December, and Senzel's new team is hoping it has the same success reviving his career that it did with Jeimer Candelario in 2023. Senzel showed little this spring to indicate he's headed for a breakout season though, and while he'll be the Nats' Opening Day starter at third base, he may need to hit the ground running to keep the job with Trey Lipscomb making a big impression in camp and Brady House potentially ready to push for a spot in the majors as well.

Senga (shoulder) played light catch at Citi Field on Wednesday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Senga began what is expected to be a six-week ramp-up process as he works his way back from a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. The timeline suggests an early-to-mid-May return for Senga in a best-case scenario. Senga finished seventh in the National League Cy Young Award voting in his rookie season in 2023, posting a 2.98 ERA and 202:77 K:BB over 166.1 innings covering 29 starts.