MLB Player News

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.

The Brewers recalled Perkins from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

The 29-year-old was optioned to Nashville last week but will rejoin the big club ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the White Sox with Jackson Chourio (hand) hitting the injured list. Perkins isn't likely to be a lineup regular but should see occasional starts in the outfield, which is now expected to have Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick as the primary options from left to right. Perkins played in 54 regular-season games last year and had a .226/.298/.348 slash line with three homers and seven steals.

The Brewers placed Chourio (hand) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Chourio was hit on the left hand by a pitch while playing an exhibition game with Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic back on March 4. He returned to action a few days later, but a recent MRI revealed a hairline fracture at the base of his third metacarpal, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Chourio is expected to be sidelined 2-to-4 weeks. Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins and Brandon Lockridge should see more reps in the outfield for the Brewers as a result of Chourio's injury. The club could also use designated hitter Christian Yelich more in the outfield while Chourio is out.

The White Sox placed Bush (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Feb. 10.

Chicago made the transaction prior to the start of spring training, when the team needed to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. On the mend from February 2025 Tommy John surgery, Bush was able to throw multiple bullpen sessions during spring training, and he could be cleared to start facing hitters within the next few weeks, per James Fegan of SoxMachine.com. Bush will be shelved for at least the first two months of the season while he works his way through the rehab process.

Holliday (hand) is set to begin a rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A Norfolk.

Holliday didn't see any game action in spring training after undergoing surgery Feb. 12 to remove the fractured hook of the hamate bone in his right hand, but he resumed taking batting practice before the end of camp and was spotted taking part in fielding drills at Camden Yards on Wednesday, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. The 22-year-old evidently checked out fine following Wednesday's workout and is expected to be in the lineup when Norfolk opens its season Friday. Holliday will be eligible to return from the 10-day injured list next Wednesday, but because he missed all of spring training, the Orioles may want to keep him on assignment with Norfolk for a longer period prior to activating him. Until Holliday is deemed ready to rejoin the big club, the Orioles will likely turn to Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson to handle most of the reps at the keystone.

Castillo is slated to make his first start during the Mariners' fifth game of the season Monday versus the Yankees at T-Mobile Park, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Emerson Hancock is the Mariners' de facto fifth starter while stepping into the rotation in place of the injured Bryce Miller (oblique), but he'll end up taking the hill for Seattle's fourth game Sunday versus Cleveland while Castillo moves to the back of the schedule. The rotation setup is likely just a means to get Castillo some extra rest after he started the Mariners' spring training finale Monday in San Diego. Castillo covered five innings and tossed 76 pitches in that outing, so he should be ready to handle a relatively normal workload in his 2026 debut.

Baty will start at designated hitter and bat sixth in Thursday's opener against the Pirates.

With righty Paul Skenes on the bump, the left-handed-hitting Baty gets the call over righty-swinging Mark Vientos. Baty is also likely to see starts at first base against right-handed pitching, but Jorge Polanco is getting his first career start there Thursday.

Vientos is not in the lineup for Thursday's opener versus the Pirates.

With right-hander Paul Skenes on the bump for the Pirates, the Mets will go with Jorge Polanco at first base and the left-handed-hitting Brett Baty at designated hitter. The right-handed-hitting Vientos is unlikely to be a strict short-side platoon bat, but he could sit regularly against tougher righties.