MLB Player News
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Cooper Bowman 2B | CIN
Rays' Cooper Bowman: Sent to Tampa Bay
The Athletics traded Bowman to the Rays on Monday in exchange for Gerlin Rosario, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Bowman was returned to the Athletics on March 12 after spending spring training with the Reds as a Rule 5 draft pick. He'll now head to Tampa Bay, where he will likely open the season with Triple-A Durham. Bowman appeared in 71 games for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2025, finishing with a .231/.323/.369 slash line with 21 steals, six home runs and 60 RBI in 297 plate appearances.
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Connor Seabold RP | KC
Tigers' Connor Seabold: Finds work with Detroit
Detroit signed Seabold to a one-year, split major-league contract Monday.
After being cut by Toronto over the weekend, Seabold quickly found an opportunity in a new organization. The 30-year-old righty may end up opening the season at Triple-A Toledo, but he'll claim a spot on the Tigers' 40-man roster and will earn a prorated $800,000 at the big-league level. Detroit cleared room on the 40-man roster for Seabold by placing Beau Brieske (adductor) on the 60-day injured list.
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Paxton Schultz RP | WAS
Nationals' Paxton Schultz: Headed for IL
Schultz has been contending with right elbow discomfort of late and is expected to be placed on the injured list prior to Thursday's season opener versus the Cubs, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
The elbow injury explains why Schultz hadn't made any Grapefruit League appearances since Feb. 28. Schultz had been enjoying a strong spring prior to missing time with the injury, but with a trip to the shelf on tap to begin the season, he'll likely be eased back in as a low-leverage reliever once he's deemed ready to make his 2026 debut. The Nationals haven't provided a timeline for when Schultz might be ready to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment.
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Jhonkensy Noel OF | BAL
Orioles' Jhonkensy Noel: Denied Opening Day roster spot
The Orioles reassigned Noel to minor-league camp Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
After being acquired from the Guardians during the offseason, Noel was outrighted off the Orioles' 40-man roster in January but attended big-league spring training upon clearing waivers. Noel proceeded to post a monstrous 1.158 OPS during Grapefruit League play, but the Orioles didn't have room for him in their crowded outfield. He'll head to Triple-A Norfolk to begin the season and should get the chance to play regularly.
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Nelson Velazquez LF | STL
Cardinals' Nelson Velazquez: Reassigned to Triple-A
The Cardinals reassigned Velazquez to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
A non-roster invitee this spring, Velazquez put himself in position for a major-league roster spot by hitting .357/.449/.667 with four home runs and a 7:4 BB:K during Grapefruit League play. However, the Cardinals ultimately decided to send the 27-year-old to Memphis to start the season. Velazquez could still get a look with the big club if he gets off to a hot start in the minors, though that could depend on how quickly Lars Nootbaar (heels) makes it back.
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Maverick Handley C | ATL
Orioles' Maverick Handley: Cut from big-league camp
The Orioles reassigned Handley to minor-league camp Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Handley logged 47 plate appearances in the majors in 2025 while the Orioles contended with multiple injuries at catcher, but the 28-year-old was never viewed as anything more than a stopgap option and was dropped from the 40-man roster over the winter. He'll remain part of the Orioles organization for the 2026 campaign, but he's likely to spend the entire season at Triple-A Norfolk unless Baltimore is down two of Adley Rutschman, Samuel Basallo and Sam Huff at any point.
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JJ Wetherholt 2B | STL
Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt: Makes Opening Day roster
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Monday that Wetherholt will be on the team's Opening Day roster, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The Cardinals cleared a path for Wetherholt to be their Opening Day second baseman, and he's now officially won the gig after posting a .780 OPS with two home runs, two stolen bases and a 9:7 BB:K during Grapefruit League action. Wetherholt could even open the year in the leadoff spot, as he's seen lots of reps at the top of the batting order this spring and manager Oliver Marmol has acknowledged the rookie is under consideration for the slot, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Thairo Estrada 2B | BAL
Thairo Estrada: Testing open market
The Orioles released Estrada on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Baltimore brought Estrada aboard on a minor-league deal to add depth to the infield when Jordan Westburg (elbow) got hurt early in spring training, but the former didn't make enough of an impression in camp to push his way on to the Opening Day roster. With Estrada out of the mix, Jeremiah Jackson, Weston Wilson and Bryan Ramos appear to be the remaining candidates for the Orioles' final bench spot. Rather than reporting to Triple-A Norfolk with the hope of earning a call-up to Baltimore at some point, Estrada will seek out an opportunity in another organization.
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Jacob Latz RP | TEX
Rangers' Jacob Latz: Opening season in bullpen
President of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday that Latz will be part of the bullpen on the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
Latz will likely be ticketed for a multi-inning relief role, with most of his opportunities expected to come in lower-leverage spots. The assignment to the bullpen is a disappointing outcome for Latz, who looked to have a leg up on Kumar Rocker for the final spot in the season-opening rotation heading into spring training based on his strong close to the 2025 campaign. After an Aug. 20 call-up from Triple-A Round Rock, Latz turned in a 2.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 24:10 K:BB in 30 innings over his final eight outings with the Rangers, but he couldn't carry over that success to the spring. He yielded 16 runs (14 earned) on 18 hits and eight walks over his 15.1 innings during the Cactus League.
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Matt McLain 2B | CIN
Reds' Matt McLain: Overcoming illness
McLain will not play in Monday's exhibition game versus the Brewers due to illness, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
McLain caught a flu bug that made its way around the Reds' clubhouse, but the team anticipates the second baseman playing in Tuesday's exhibition finale. The 26-year-old is slated to open the 2026 campaign as the Reds' two-hole hitter.