MLB Player News

Sanchez went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

The 26-year-old outfielder has been making steady contact in camp, and through nine spring games, Sanchez is batting .333 (8-for-24) -- albeit with just one double and a 0:5 BB:K. He's coming off a 2023 campaign that saw him slash .253/.327/.450 with 14 homers in 125 games, but the Marlins believe he can find another gear, and he should be locked in to the starting right field job.

Bell went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

The veteran first baseman hasn't made a lot of contact this spring, but when he has it's been loud. Bell is batting .200 (5-for-25) through 10 games with a 2:6 BB:K, but four of the hits have gone for extra bases with three doubles and a homer. After posting a .270/.338/.480 slash line over 53 contests for the Marlins in 2023 following a trade from the Guardians, Bell will try to do enough to establish a long-term spot in the Miami lineup -- since leaving the Pirates after the 2020 campaign, he's played for four different teams over the last three seasons.

Perez still believes he'll be able to build up properly ahead of Opening Day despite the fingernail issues that have plagued him this spring, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The precocious 20-year-old right-hander threw only 14 pitches Wednesday due to a recurrence of the issues -- which is problematic when he was scheduled to get up into the 70-pitch range and days are running short on the Grapefruit League calendar. Perez says his early exit wasn't due to his nail splitting again however, but rather that the fake nail he was wearing to protect it began to lift up. "I don't know yet," Perez said Wednesday when asked what the next step in his preparations for the regular season would be. "I spoke with [head athletic trainer] Lee [Meyer], and he told me that we will tackle this early [Thursday], and we're going to make sure we have a plan so this doesn't happen during the season." As yet, Perez's availability for Opening Day doesn't appear to be in real jeopardy, but one more truncated spring outing simply won't leave him enough time to get built up.

D'Arnaud went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and two runs scored in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

The veteran backstop has had a solid start to his spring, batting .333 (5-for-15) through seven games, but Wednesday's double was his first extra-base hit. With Sean Murphy locked into the starting role behind the plate and Marcell Ozuna an everyday designated hitter, d'Arnaud could see his workload decline a bit further this season -- he went from 426 plate appearances in 2022 to 292 in 2023. Atlanta also signed Adam Duvall to bolster its outfield, likely further locking in Ozuna as a DH.

Elder gave up five runs on five hits and three walks over 4.1 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. He struck out three.

He did manage to keep the ball in the yard, something his Baltimore counterpart Cole Irvin failed to do, and Elder got closer to being fully stretched out, but there otherwise weren't many positive takeaways from this performance. The 24-year-old right-hander saw his control erode in the second half last season -- he posted a 4.0 BB/9 after July 1, following a 2.6 BB/9 over the first three months of 2023 -- and those issues have persisted this spring, as he's managed a 13:6 K:BB through 12 Grapefruit League innings. Elder remains in the mix for Atlanta's fifth starter role, but Reynaldo Lopez appears to be the favorite to begin the season with the job.

Smith disclosed this week in an interview with Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic that he's dealt with some form of right wrist or hand pain since reaching the majors in 2017.

Smith suffered a displaced fracture of his hamate bone in a Jan. 5 workout and underwent surgery Jan. 20 to remove the bone. The first baseman was diagnosed with tendinitis in the wrist years ago but suspects he might have been dealing with a small fracture all along that just worsened in January. Smith is in Cubs camp as a non-roster invitee and is competing for one of the final bench spots.

Toglia (neck) will start at first base and bat cleanup in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Toglia was scratched from the starting nine ahead of Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks while he dealt with neck stiffness, but the injury doesn't look to be anything that will derail his bid for the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old corner outfielder/first baseman has made a compelling case to win a bench role with the Rockies this spring, as he's slashing .333/.429/.700 through his first 14 Cactus League games.

Suzuki is likely to begin the season batting second for the Cubs, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Suzuki hit second some in 2023 but spent most of the season batting fourth, fifth, or sixth. His 183 wRC+ from Aug. 1 on last season was the third-best mark in all of baseball and the Cubs are hoping Suzuki will be able to offer more consistent production in 2024. Suzuki is likely to be preceded in the lineup by Nico Hoerner and followed by Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Nootbaar (ribs) will have his progress re-evaluated by doctors Saturday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Marmol noted that Nootbaar was able to do some rotational exercises Wednesday and "feels better every day." However, the skipper added that the discomfort in Nootbaar's ribs is still lingering, and a timetable for his return to game action won't become clear until he's able to swing a bat pain-free. Nootbaar appears to be trending toward beginning the season on the injured list, but the Cardinals haven't officially ruled him out for Opening Day just yet.

Schwarber (groin) will serve as the Phillies' designated hitter and leadoff batter in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

Just as manager Rob Thomson suggested would be the case, Schwarber will return to the lineup one day after being scratched from the starting nine due to right groin tightness. Schwarber has now made six starts as a designated hitter and four in left field through 10 Grapefruit League games, but he's expected to see an even larger share of his playing time in the non-defensive role during the regular season.