MLB Player News

Sears was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Sears will head to Triple-A after producing an 8.44 ERA and 1.69 WHIP with 10 strikeouts over 10.2 innings in four appearances, including two starts, with the Padres during spring training. The 30-year-old signed a one-year contract with San Diego in January, and he will now have to earn another shot with the major-league roster down the road.

Bell went 0-for-2 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit win over Atlanta. He hit cleanup in the order in a lineup that was likely a preview of the regular lineup for the start of the regular season, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.

Bell is having a solid spring, as he's hitting .286 (12-for-42) with a home run and .839 OPS and a surprising steal of third base. He looks to have an everyday role between 1B and DH.

Funderburk will make the Twins' Opening Day roster, manager Derek Shelton told MLB.com.

Funderburk was thought to be the odd man out of the bullpen as the fourth lefty behind Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Andrew Chafin. However, Chafin was released earlier in the week, so Funderburk will be in the major-league bullpen. Funderburk had a 2.61 ERA and a 21:8 K:BB in 20.2 innings after the All-Star break last season, which showed promise for 2026.

Sheehan could operate in a hybrid role within the Dodgers' pitching rotation to open the season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Sheehan may not slot in as a traditional starter in the rotation to open the season; either he or southpaw Justin Wrobleski will follow Shohei Ohtani in his starts. Sheehan piggybacking Ohtani's starts would allow the Dodgers to limit both of their workloads in the early portion of the 2026 campaign. Sheehan remains a high-upside starting pitcher for Los Angeles, and the team is expected to turn to a six-man rotation at some point early in the campaign, which could put Sheehan into a traditional starting role.

Kim will play every day and at multiple positions with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Michael Huntley of the Orange County Register reports.

Kim was sent down to Triple-A on Sunday, which came as a surprise to many, but manager Dave Roberts clarified the team's rationale. Roberts explained that the 27-year-old would not have seen consistent enough opportunities with the major-league roster, and the team felt that Kim would benefit from getting everyday work with Oklahoma City. Kim will get opportunities at second base, shortstop and center field with the Triple-A squad, per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports. With the major-league club, Alex Freeland is expected to get the bulk of the starts at second base against right-handed pitchers in the absence of Tommy Edman (ankle).

Lee will not be a part of the Opening Day roster with the White Sox, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Lee is set to be the odd man out after Chicago signed Reese McGuire to a one-year deal Sunday. Lee is getting moved/released by the team in the near future according to manager Will Venable, per Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. Lee remains with the organization for the time being, and he's batting ninth in a spring game against the Mariners on Sunday night. To this point in spring training, he has produced a .297 average with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs scored and four stolen bases over 37 at-bats in 14 contests.

Zulueta was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.

Zulueta was traded to Seattle from the Reds in January, and he was able to produce a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 10 strikeouts over seven innings in eight appearances with the Mariners during spring training. The right-hander struggled to a 6.14 ERA over 7.1 innings in seven appearances out of the bullpen with Cincinnati in 2025. He'll look to get into a groove at Tacoma in an attempt to get a shot with the Mariners' major-league roster this season.

Wilcox was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.

Wilcox appeared in eight games with the Mariners during spring training, producing a 4.32 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 11 strikeouts over 8.1 innings. The right-hander was traded to Seattle in November after making his major-league debut with the Rays in 2025. Wilcox will now look to impress with Tacoma in an attempt to get a shot with Seattle's major-league roster down the road this year.

The Athletics optioned Thomas to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

With Lawrence Butler (knees) making his Cactus League debut this past week to clear up any concern about his readiness for Opening Day, the Athletics didn't have regular playing time in the outfield available for Thomas to begin the season. Rather than keeping Thomas around as a platoon bat, the Athletics will let the 25-year-old continue his development at Las Vegas, where he'll be able to play on an everyday basis. Thomas should rank near the top of the list for a call-up if the Athletics have an opening in the outfield or at designated hitter at any point.

Pereda was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.

Pereda was traded from the Twins to Seattle in January, and he was able to participate in spring training with the big-league club. The catcher batted .200 with a run scored and a stolen base over 25 at-bats in 15 contests. He'll now head to Tacoma ahead of the 2026 campaign.