MLB Player News

Hedges left Monday's exhibition against the Diamondbacks after being hit by a pitch on his right hand, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Hedges was hit by a pitch during his lone at-bat of the evening in the ninth inning, and he was unable to continue. He'll presumably be sent for further evaluation and can be considered day-to-day until the team has another update to share.

Moniak was removed from Monday's exhibition after injuring his right ring finger while diving back into first base, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Skipper Warren Schaeffer stated after the game that Moniak was removed simply as a precaution, and he expects the 27-year-old to be fine, per Henry. However, it'll be worth keeping a close eye on Moniak's status with Opening Day looming.

The Cubs and Crow-Armstrong reached an agreement Monday on a six-year, $115 million contract extension, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Crow-Armstrong is coming off a stellar sophomore season in which he hammered 31 home runs and swiped 35 bags while playing in 157 of 162 games during the regular season. His patience is expected to pay off tremendously after he declined to participate in extension talks ahead of the 2025 season. With his finances now in order, the 23-year-old can focus solely on putting together another terrific campaign as Chicago's everyday center fielder.

Kelly (back) will make a rehab start at Triple-A Reno before being reinstated from the 15-day injured list, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

This update shouldn't be much of a surprise for fantasy managers, as the D-Backs want to see how Kelly fares in a game setting before activating him from the IL. If all goes according to plan, the right-hander could be ready to make his 2026 debut at some point during Arizona's second road trip of the season, either in New York or Philadelphia.

Pena (finger) is slated to play shortstop during Tuesday's exhibition, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena was cleared for batting practice Monday, and the fact that he's been given the green light to see game action Tuesday is a clear sign he's progressing. If he's able to make it through Tuesday's exhibition without issue, there is certainly a chance he could see his name in the starting lineup for Thursday's opener against the Angels.

Lee went 2-for-4 in Monday's spring training win over Boston. He's hitting .308 (16-for-52) with a .743 OPS this spring.

Lee looks set to begin the season as the everyday shortstop. He was underwhelming at the plate last year in his sophomore season with a .655 OPS, though he did hit 16 home runs. He has a good eye at the plate and makes excellent contact (just a 17.5 K%) but struggles to generate power (just a a 28.0% hard-hit rate). It's not clear if he'll have the glove to stick at shortstop as he was -8 in Defensive Runs Saved last season, so it's a big season for Lee to show he can be a building block for the next Twins playoff team.

The Rangers informed Baumler on Monday that he's made the Opening Day roster, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Baumler was told that he'd made the Opening Day roster when manager Skip Schumaker trotted out for a mound visit during Monday's exhibition against the Royals. The right-hander is expected to be deployed out of the bullpen to handle low-leverage situations after failing to surrender a run in eight spring appearances (9.1 innings).

Alcantara was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, per MLB's transactions log.

Alcantara failed to secure a spot on the Cubs' Opening Day roster and will now report to Triple-A, where he'll open the 2026 campaign. He slashed .266/.348/.468 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, eight stolen bases and 56 runs a year ago with Iowa and should be in the running for a promotion later in the year.

The Mets released Barnes on Sunday.

Barnes signed a minor-league deal with the Mets over the offseason and was brought in to big-league camp to compete for a roster spot, but he'll test free agency after failing to secure a place on the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 13 games for the Dodgers last season and hit .214 with two RBI and four runs in 42 at-bats.

Montgomery (elbow) will throw his fifth bullpen session Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Montgomery has successfully completed four other bullpen sessions so far this spring, and he's slated to throw around 30 pitches during Tuesday's side session. If all goes according to plan, Grant mentions the southpaw will throw one more 30-pitch bullpen, and then potentially progress to two-inning sessions. There is still a long road ahead before Montgomery returns to game action, but it's a positive sign that he's feeling strong at this point in his recovery after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery last April.