MLB Player News

Sheets will start at first base and bat sixth in Thursday's opener versus the Tigers.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said prior to spring training that the left-handed-hitting Sheets would play a lot against left-handed pitching. San Diego added righties Nick Castellanos and Ty France to the roster after that declaration, but Stammen is sticking to his guns with Sheets on Opening Day even as the Tigers send ace southpaw Tarik Skubal to the hill. Sheets -- who had a .669 OPS against lefties in 2025 and a .557 OPS versus them in his career -- will likely need to get off to a good start against left-handers to avoid falling into a platoon role.

The Red Sox released Nittoli (elbow) on Tuesday.

Nittoli attended spring training as a non-roster invitee but saw his bid for a spot in the Red Sox's Opening Day bullpen come to an end when he suffered an elbow injury earlier this month that he ultimately addressed with an internal brace procedure. The 35-year-old righty will miss the entire 2026 season, and his rehab program will likely bleed into the early part of the 2027 campaign.

The Red Sox released Rodgers (shoulder) on Tuesday.

Rodgers was scheduled to become a free agent over the winter and will miss the entire season after undergoing right shoulder labral revision surgery earlier this month, so the Red Sox's decision to cut him loose wasn't unexpected. Set to turn 30 years old in August and now in line to miss a full season with a major injury after mustering a lowly .544 OPS over 128 plate appearances with the Astros in 2025, Rodgers will likely face an uphill battle to make it back to the big leagues once he's healthy.

Castellanos is absent from the lineup in Thursday's opener versus the Tigers.

Left-hander Tarik Skubal is on the bump for the Tigers, but the right-handed-hitting Castellanos will yield to lefty Gavin Sheets at first base and righty Miguel Andujar at designated hitter. It's an indication that the former Phillies castoff's playing time will be sporadic in San Diego.

Shaw is starting in right field and batting ninth in Thursday's season opener against the Nationals.

Michael Conforto was expected to step in as the Cubs' primary right fielder versus right-handed pitching with Seiya Suzuki (knee) on the injured list, but Shaw will instead get the call Opening Day against Washington righty Cade Cavalli. Shaw almost exclusively played third base as rookie last season, but he prepared to fill a super-utility role during the offseason and will immediately get a look at one of his new positions Thursday. The 24-year-old struggled to a .689 OPS in 126 regular-season games last year in his first taste of the majors but is coming off a strong spring training, during which he batted .320/.417/.500 in 60 plate appearances.

The Diamondbacks announced March 6 that Elbis retired from professional baseball.

After posting a 3.39 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 112:47 K:BB in 135.1 innings between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo in 2024, Elbis was added to the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster following that season. Arizona then optioned Elbis to Double-A last March, but the right-hander didn't end up making any appearances in 2025 after initially landing on Amarillo's injured list last April before being shifted to the restricted list less than two weeks later. Elbis was activated from the restricted list following the season, but the 23-year-old didn't report to spring training before electing to bring an end to his playing career.

Winn is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup in Thursday's opener versus the Rays.

Winn is an atypical cleanup hitter -- this will be just his fourth career start in the slot -- but the rebuilding Cardinals don't have many middle-of-the-order options. It's a boost for Winn's RBI outlook, as he should have chances to drive in runs with JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson batting ahead of him.

Church is starting in left field and hitting seventh in Thursday's opener against the Rays.

Church is lined up to receive the bulk of the reps in left field versus right-handed pitching for the Cardinals while Lars Nootbaar (heels) is shelved. Nootbaar was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, so Church should receive an extended look. Thomas Saggese and Jose Fermin are also in the left-field mix for St. Louis.

Wetherholt will start at second base and bat leadoff in Thursday's opener versus the Rays.

The Cardinals will not ease Wetherholt into his major-league debut, putting him atop their batting order. The team's other potential option in the leadoff spot, Masyn Winn, will hit cleanup. Wetherholt earned a spot on St. Louis' Opening Day roster by collecting a .386 on-base percentage with two home runs and two stolen bases during Grapefruit League action.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said on MLB Network on Thursday that Yelich "wants to play the outfield, and I think that he will" in the wake of Jackson Chourio's (hand) placement on the injured list, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The veteran slugger made just 19 appearances in the outfield across his 150 regular-season games last year, as he primarily served as a designated hitter for the first time in his 13-year career. It helped Yelich to stay healthy and total 29 home runs and 103 RBI, which are his best marks since 2019 and 2018, respectively, but he could play the field more early in 2026 with Chourio sidelined for at least the next couple weeks.