MLB Player News

Freeman batted third in the order for both Seoul Series games against the Padres as well as throughout the Cactus League slate, contradicting a comment by manager Dave Roberts early in camp that the first baseman would remain the Dodgers' No. 2 hitter despite the offseason signing of Shohei Ohtani.

Freeman batted second in each of the 161 games he played in last season, but it appears he'll move down a slot with Ohtani now in the fold. The veteran first baseman should get plenty of run-producing opportunities with Mookie Betts and Ohtani hitting ahead of him, and he'll also remain protected with the solid bat of catcher Will Smith behind him for most games. Freeman slashed .282/.333/.667 along with four homers and a team-leading 16 RBI over 42 plate appearances in spring action and went 1-for-6 with four walks in the Seoul Series versus San Diego.

Susana struck out two in a perfect eighth inning during Tuesday's exhibition game between the Nationals and the organization's top prospects.

Just a few days after his 20th birthday, Susana nearly produced an immaculate inning against big-league hitters, but after Joey Gallo and Riley Adams struck out on six pitches, Jacob Young was able to weakly ground out. Per Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports, Susana topped out at 102.4 mph with his fastball and sat around 101 mph while also working in his potentially plus slider. Part of the package the Nats received for Juan Soto from the Padres, Susana made 16 starts at Single-A Fredericksburg last season and posted a disappointing 5.55 ERA and 56:38 K:BB over 58.1 innings. Washington isn't going to give up on him working out as a starting pitcher quite yet, but if he were to shift to a relief role, the young flamethrower could climb the ladder very quickly.

Kelenic hit a solo home run in his only at-bat during Tuesday's exhibition game against the Twins.

The 24-year-old outfielder took Louie Varland deep in the third inning, giving Kelenic his first long ball of the spring. The Adam Duvall signing puts significant pressure on Kelenic to produce right away to begin the season, but after a slow start in camp while he made some swing adjustments, he went 5-for-14 over his final six spring games with a triple, Tuesday's homer and only one strikeout.

McLain underwent surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage damage and the labrum in his left shoulder, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said that while the team hopes to get McLain back at some point this season, the timetable for this type of surgery has a wide range of possibilities. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues that had stashed McLain with the hope of a quick return from the injured list probably shouldn't be counting on him being a major contributor this season and may be better off using his roster spot elsewhere. With McLain out indefinitely, Jonathan India is once again poised to be Cincinnati's regular second baseman.

Davis won't join Triple-A Iowa on Friday for the start of the minor-league season and will remain at the Cubs' spring facility while he recovers from a minor undisclosed injury, Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register reports.

Davis isn't expected to be headed for an extended absence, as Birch relays that the outfielder will stay in Arizona for about a week or two before reporting to Iowa. The 24-year-old was once viewed as one of the top prospects in the Cubs' farm system and was the MVP of the 2021 All-Star Futures Game, but an assortment of injuries has derailed his development over the past couple of seasons. Davis possesses a spot on the Cubs' 40-man roster, but his big-league debut doesn't appear to be imminent.

The Marlins acquired Smith from the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations and selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Smith exercised the upward mobility clause in his minor-league deal with Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old will appear in the majors for the first time since 2021, assuming he gets into a game. Smith holds a career 6.03 ERA over 102 appearances (13 starts) across parts of five major-league seasons. He figures to operate in long relief in Miami.

Yastrzemski will likely go on the paternity list during the first weekend of the season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Yastrzemski still expects to be available Thursday for the Giants' first regular-season game, but the 33-year-old outfielder will be away from the team shortly afterward to spend time with his expanding family.

Pfaadt allowed one run on three hits and struck out four over five innings in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Guardians.

Pfaadt made his first start since March 10, although he's pitched on the back fields between then and now. He finished spring training with a 6.75 ERA and a 6:1 K:BB over 10.2 innings. He's expected to start the fourth game of the season Sunday at home against the Rockies.

Montgomery agreed to terms on a one-year, $25 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Montgomery had been rumored to be in talks with the Yankees regarding a potential reunion, but he will instead join the Diamondbacks with only two days left before the start of the regular season. Adding the 31-year-old southpaw will provide the D-backs with insurance in their rotation with Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) set to miss the first several weeks of the year. Because Montgomery was without a team all offseason and therefore missed spring training, he will likely sit out the first couple of turns through the rotation but should be able to make his Diamondbacks debut within a few weeks. Montgomery's new deal also includes a vesting player option for 2025 if he starts at least 10 games this season.

Cuas will begin the regular season in the Cubs' bullpen, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Cuas was solid last year, compiling a 3.99 ERA and 71 strikeouts across 65.1 innings with the Royals and Cubs, and he looked sharp in spring training as well. The righty will parlay that into an Opening Day role, and while he should slot in behind Adbert Alzolay and Hector Neris, he could still see some high-leverage innings for Chicago.