MLB Player News

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.

Lindor (hand) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff in Thursday's opener against the Pirates.

Lindor is just six weeks removed from hamate bone surgery but is ready to roll for Opening Day after playing five Grapefruit League games. Power can sometimes be slow to come back after this type of procedure, but fantasy managers will nonetheless want to have Lindor locked and loaded into their lineups.

Chisholm went 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Giants.

Chisholm's steal came after he got aboard on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning. The 28-year-old opens the season as the Yankees' starting second baseman, and he should be a good source of speed. He's logged 71 steals over the last two years combined and has topped 20 thefts in four of the past five seasons. Chisholm also had the second-highest OPS of his career (.813) in 2025 while supplying career-best marks in home runs (31), RBI (80) and runs scored (75) over 130 regular-season contests.

Fried (1-0) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four over 6.1 shutout innings to earn the win over the Giants on Wednesday.

The Yankees' second-inning surge on offense was more than enough help for Fried, who looked sharp in the season opener. The southpaw had a 4.40 ERA over 14.1 innings during spring training, but he got on track for the first game that counts. Fried was strong in 2025 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 189:51 K:BB over 195.1 innings across 32 regular-season starts and should be the clear ace in the Yankees' rotation until Gerrit Cole (elbow) is able to make his season debut. Fried is tentatively projected to make his second start of the season in Seattle next week, which would be the first of a two-start week as the Yankees are projected to use a four-man rotation to begin the year.

Webb (0-1) took the loss versus the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings.

Webb was roughed up for five runs in the second inning and gave up two more in the fifth before exiting the game. He threw 58 of 86 pitches for strikes, which was right in line with his workload in his last Cactus League start Thursday. The right-hander is a true workhorse for the Giants, having topped 200 innings in three straight years and 30 starts in each of the last four campaigns. He pitched to a 3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 224:46 K:BB over 207 innings in 2025 and should continue to eat innings with strong ratios again this season. Webb is tentatively projected to make his second start of the year on the road at San Diego next week.

Sands will have a prominent role in high-leverage situations in the Minnesota bullpen, but manager Derek Shelton said he'll figure out who will close games as the season progresses, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's going to be a little bit of a meritocracy. Guys are going to pitch themselves in or out of certain roles. We have to monitor that as the season starts," said Shelton.

The Twins closer situation remains a mystery even after spring training has concluded, but Sands may get the first chance to close games as the most prominent right-handed pitcher in the bullpen. However, Taylor Rogers and Justin Topa will likely also figure into the mix.

After an underwhelming spring training, Keith may end up splitting time at third base with several other players, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Keith sported a .662 OPS and no home runs across 17 Grapefruit League games. His middling results, along with a deep Detroit roster that features Zach McKinstry and Matt Vierling as primary options at the hot corner, could force Keith into something of a timeshare. Top prospect Kevin McGonigle is on the roster as well and is expected to see most of his time at shortstop, though he could also slide over to third on days when Javier Baez plays up the middle. Either way, Keith will likely need to produce at the plate if he wants to hold onto regular playing time.

Rea will make Chicago's Opening Day roster as a long reliever, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

With Cade Horton staking his claim to a rotation spot after an impressive rookie season and Edward Cabrera joining the Cubs via trade, Rea ultimately got pushed to the bullpen. The veteran righty made 27 starts for Chicago during the 2025 regular season, but he'll now slot in as a long reliever capable of supplying multiple innings out of the bullpen. Rea's fantasy value takes a hit in this role, though he certainly could still make some spot starts throughout the year.

The Marlins placed Ruiz (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Ruiz sustained a high-grade left oblique strain in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals and is facing a projected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks. With Ruiz and Kyle Stowers (oblique) both shelved to start the season, the Marlins bolstered their outfield by signing Austin Slater to a one-year contract Tuesday.