MLB Player News

Schmitt will start at first base and bat seventh in Friday's game versus the Yankees.

Schmitt started at first base against lefty Max Fried in the opener and is now back at the position versus righty Cam Schlittler for the second game of the season. Meanwhile, Rafael Devers is again at designated hitter and Jerar Encarnacion is on the bench. Schmitt will likely need to get off to a hot start to remain an everyday player, but it's clear he's at least the preferred defensive option at first base for new manager Tony Vitello.

Alcala has opted out of his minor-league contract and will become a free agent, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Alcala failed to make the Blue Jays' big-league roster and triggered the opt-out clause in his contract. The 29-year-old will now hit the open market. He appeared in 56 MLB games last season between the Twins, Red Sox and Cardinals, posting a 6.22 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 61:30 K:BB across 55 innings.

Beeter struck out one and walked two in a scoreless eighth inning during Thursday's 10-4 win over the Cubs.

The Nationals held an 8-4 lead when Beeter took the mound to face the bottom half of Chicago's batting order -- not exactly a high-leverage spot for the 2026 debut of a pitcher generally projected to lead the team in saves this season. Washington doesn't have any established options at the back of its bullpen, however, so as long as Beeter remains effective, he should be in the mix to protect close ninth-inning leads. The 27-year-old right-hander will need to display more control than he did Opening Day to stay in the saves picture, as he tossed just 12 of 24 pitches for strikes against the Cubs. Cole Henry and potentially Cionel Perez, who worked the ninth Thursday, could also get save chances while new manager Blake Butera sorts out his bullpen.

Nunez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Cubs.

Getting the start at second base and batting seventh, Nunez made an immediate impact with his speed when he drew a one-out walk and stole second in the sixth inning before scoring on a Ben Brown wild pitch. Nunez came into the season with 17 steals in 20 attempts over 90 big-league games in a utility role, giving him significant stolen-base upside if he hits enough to hang onto a starting spot at the keystone for the Nats.

House went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Cubs.

The 22-year-old third baseman also struck out twice, but the contact he did make was extremely hard -- House scorched a single to center field in the fourth inning that left his bat at 106.7 mph, before crushing a first-pitch fastball from Jacob Webb in the ninth that had an exit velocity of 110.8 mph as it soared over the right-field wall. House was batting third for the Nationals on Opening Day against left-hander Matthew Boyd, and while he might slip down the lineup against righties, he'll retain a spot in the heart of the order on an everyday basis if he unlocks his power in 2026.

Young went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's win over the Cubs.

The light-hitting center fielder swatted a Ben Brown four-seamer the other way in the fourth inning, just clearing the right-field wall at Wrigley Field for the sixth homer of Young's career in his 304th MLB game. The 26-year-old is in the lineup for his glove, not his offensive contributions, after he slashed .231/.296/.287 over 364 plate appearances in 2025 with just two long balls and 15 steals in 26 attempts.

Lord (1-0) allowed one run on four hits over 2.1 innings of relief Thursday, earning the win in a 10-4 victory over the Cubs. He struck out one without walking a batter.

Cade Cavalli got the start but recorded only 11 outs on 75 pitches before getting the hook, and Lord was the Nat reliever handed the win by the official scorer. Lord is likely to have a versatile role out of the bullpen, getting used for longer stints but also potentially being a part of the high-leverage mix after the right-hander posted a 4.34 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 108:43 K:BB over 130.2 innings as a rookie in 2025 while starting 19 of his 48 appearances.

Robert went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

Batting fifth in his Mets debut, Robert was a big part of an offensive eruption that saw his new team score 11 runs and chase Paul Skenes from the game in the first inning. Robert's athletic gifts have never been in question, but the 28-year-old center fielder has rarely been able to stay healthy during his career, playing more than 110 games only once in six seasons with the White Sox and struggling to a .223/.288/.372 slash line with a 29.7 percent strikeout rate in 2024-25. If he's able to stay in the lineup for New York, he's still capable of putting together a big campaign.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The 24-year-old catcher went back-to-back with rookie Carson Benge in the sixth inning off Justin Lawrence. Alvarez has been slowed by injuries the last couple seasons and hasn't come close to the 25 homers he launched in his first full big-league season in 2023, but he could be ready to put things together in 2026 if he can stay in the lineup.

Lindor went 0-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The All-Star shortstop set the table for a Mets attack that erupted for 11 runs on Opening Day and chased Paul Skenes from the game in the first inning. Lindor didn't get much of a chance to show just how much he's recovered from his mid-February hamate bone surgery, but if this performance was a preview of things to come for the new-look New York offense, he could approach the career-high 129 runs he scored back in 2018 for Cleveland.