MLB Player News

Pirates manager Don Kelly indicated Monday that Santana will not be the only reliever he uses for save opportunities, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

Santana notched 16 saves for Pittsburgh last season, with 10 of those coming in the final two months after David Bednar was traded. The 29-year-old is the heavy favorite to lead the Pirates in saves in 2026, but Kelly noted that he could use Santana earlier in games at times if the situation calls for it. Gregory Soto looks to be next in the pecking order and could be used to close when the opposition has lefty bats due up.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The 28-year-old outfielder got hold of a Nick Martinez cutter in the first inning for a two-run homer, one of three Toronto long balls off the right-hander. It was Sanchez's first home run of the spring, and he's been heating up with Opening Day approaching, going 5-for-13 over his last three Grapefruit League games. Sanchez has never been able to fully capitalize on some impressive metrics during his MLB career, including 93rd percentile bat speed in 2025 and a 95th percentile hard-hit rate in 2024, but the Blue Jays have a track record of helping big swingers unlock another level of production.

Murray (finger) went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run and an RBI while appearing in three Cactus League games last week.

Murray had previously exited a March 7 game after being struck in the right pinky finger by a pitch, but he was cleared for action just over a week later. The 26-year-old infielder finished Cactus League play with a .238/.333/.619 slash line to go with two home runs and one stolen base across 27 plate appearances. He'll open the season at Triple-A Charlotte but should make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 after being added to the White Sox's 40-man roster over the winter.

Guerrero went 2-for-2 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The first-inning homer off Nick Martinez was Guerrero's first in eight Grapefruit League games, although he also slugged two in five contests for the Dominican Republic during the WBC. Guerrero is batting .444 (8-for-18) with a 4:1 BB:K for the Jays this spring, and the 27-year-old looks locked in for the start of the regular season.

Bassitt is scheduled to make his Orioles debut March 30 against the Rangers, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The Orioles will roll out Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz in their opening series versus the Twins before Bassitt and Zach Eflin round out the rotation. Bassitt's final spring training tuneup will come Monday against the Nationals when he follows Baz. The 37-year-old Bassitt holds a 2.51 ERA and 9:8 K:BB over 14.1 innings this spring.

Cease struck out six over five scoreless innings Sunday, allowing three hits and two walks in a Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The Blue Jays' big offseason signing fired 50 of 83 pitches for strikes in his final game of the spring. Cease has been impressive in camp, posting a 0.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB over 9.2 innings, and he'll head into 2026 looking for his sixth straight 200-strikeout campaign in his first season with Toronto.

Wheeler (shoulder) threw 29 pitches over two simulated innings on the back fields of Phillies camp Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The 35-year-old righty is still slated to open the season on the 10-day injured list while he builds back up from venous thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, which he underwent Sept. 23. While facing off Monday against some of the Phillies' lower-level farmhands, Wheeler reportedly looked sharp and ramped up his velocity in the second inning. Wheeler is expected to continue increasing the volume and intensity of his sim games over the next week or two before potentially kicking off a rehab assignment shortly after the minor-league season gets underway. Though he's currently without a firm target date for making his 2026 Phillies debut, Wheeler appears likely to return from the IL at some point in April.

Varland struck out one and gave up a solo home run to Carson Williams in an inning of relief during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Varland has a 5:2 K:BB through 5.1 innings this spring but has been tagged for two homers. Keeping the ball in the yard has been an issue for the right-hander in the past -- he served up 12 homers in only 49.2 innings for the Twins in 2024, leading to a bloated 7.61 ERA -- but he reined in those tendencies last season en route to a 2.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a career-high 23 holds over 74 appearances between Minnesota and Toronto. Varland will begin 2026 as one of the top setup man in front of closer Jeff Hoffman.

Clement went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Getting the start at second base and batting second, Clement swiped third base in the fourth inning after a leadoff single, his first stolen base of the spring. After being deployed as a super-utility player in 2025 and playing at least 15 games at all four infield positions, the 30-year-old will get a crack at the full-time job at the keystone this season on the heels of a .277/.313/.398 slash line with nine homers and six steals in 157 contests.

Hamilton is a "leading candidate" to share playing time at third base with Luis Rengifo, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Rengifo is widely expected to serve as the Brewers' primary third baseman, though McCalvy notes that it's possible the left-handed-hitting Hamilton draws the start at the hot corner Opening Day against righty Shane Smith of the White Sox. Hamilton has slashed just .222/.283/.359 in the majors but has had a great spring, hitting .298/.365/.468 with one home run, five stolen bases and a 5:8 BB:K. The 28-year-old is most known for his speed, and he is likely to be an asset in the stolen-base department if the at-bats are there.