MLB Player News

Brannigan (face) was removed from Sunday's Grapefruit League game versus Philadelphia after being hit by a batted ball, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Brannigan started the split-squad game at third base but was replaced in the second inning after being hit in the face by a groundball, per Anthony Murphy of DKPittsburghSports.com. He subsequently underwent examination and treatment by local and team medical staffs. Jesus Castillo entered the game for Brannigan.

Ballesteros reported to spring camp Sunday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Ballesteros has officially joined the Cubs for spring camp after dealing with visa issues entering the United States. Just 22 years old, Ballesteros could compete for the Cubs' DH job after slashing .298/.394/.474 with two homers, 11 RBI and 12 runs across 66 plate appearances for the team in 2025.

Lawlar started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a walk and solo home run in Saturday's spring game against the Rockies.

Lawlar won an eight-pitch battle, delivering a solo home run to left field off Valente Bellozo in the second inning. He's set to see a lot of time in center field this spring, as Alek Thomas will cover left field for the injured Lourdes Gurriel (knee). Once all of Arizona's injured outfielders return, including right fielder Corbin Carroll (hand), Lawlar could earn playing time as the right-handed hitting complement to Thomas in center and in left field when Gurriel operates as the designated hitter.

Mauricio went 0-for-2 with a stolen base in the Mets' Grapefruit League opener against the Marlins on Saturday.

After reaching on a throwing error by Connor Norby in the second inning, Mauricio promptly swiped second base. It was an encouraging sign for the 24-year-old infielder. Prior to missing the entire 2024 season after ACL surgery, Mauricio had gone 31-for-38 on the basepaths over 142 games in 2023 split between Triple-A Syracuse and the majors, and per Statcast he recorded a sprint speed in the 60th percentile. In his return last season, he went just 4-for-4 in 61 big-league games on steal attempts with a 15th percentile sprint speed. If Mauricio has regained his wheels and is more confident in the health of his knee a year further removed from surgery, he could make a surprising impact in the SB category if he's able to earn consistent playing time.

Sanchez (knee) will DH and bat second in Sunday's spring training game against Kansas City.

Sanchez missed the final months of the 2025 season with a knee injury, but he's seemingly fully recovered from the injury. The veteran catcher returns to Milwaukee after a one-year stint in Baltimore, where he slashed .231/.297/.418 with five home runs, 24 RBI and 13 runs scored across 101 plate appearances. The 33-year-old catcher is slated to back up William Contreras, but could see occasional playing time at DH.

Acuna will hit in the leadoff spot for 2026, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Acuna bounced around Atlanta's batting order in 2025, leading off 43 times, batting third 46 times and batting sixth twice. He'll open the 2026 season as the team's leadoff hitter, a role which Jurickson Profar filled to end the previous campaign. Acuna, though limited to 95 games because of injury, slashed .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs, nine stolen bases and a 71:102 BB:K across 412 plate appearances in 2025.

Peguero (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Peguero was limited to start spring training due to soreness in his left hamstring, but the reliever is reportedly feeling much better and appears to be closing in on game action. The 28-year-old right-hander tallied a 2.42 ERA across 22.1 innings with the Giants last season and could push for a setup role in 2026.

Church went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Saturday versus the Nationals in his spring training debut.

He started the game in center field and took southpaw Shinnosuke Ogasawara deep in the second inning. Church could get significant reps in left field for the Cardinals early on in the season while Lars Nootbaar (heels) is out before eventually settling into a fourth outfielder role. The 25-year-old had a .504 OPS in 27 games with the big club in 2025, but slashed .329/.386/.524 with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases at Triple-A Memphis.

Holiday (elbow) is throwing bullpen sessions in the Cardinals' camp, Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com reports.

A third-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Holiday has yet to make his professional debut following Tommy John surgery last May. The right-hander remains in the rehab phase and is likely looking at a season debut around June 1.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Saturday after the signing of Ramon Urias that the roster addition wouldn't "get in the way, substantively, for the opportunities for (Gorman)," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 25-year-old infielder is in line to be the team's primary third baseman in 2026, and that won't change even after Urias was brought aboard. Urias does offer a short-side platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Gorman and is also a superior defender, so he'll get reps versus lefties and could handle third base while Gorman is used at designated hitter. Gorman is looking to bounce back from a two-year drought at the plate, having slashed just .204/.284/.385 with a 35.7 percent strikeout rate over that stretch.