MLB Player News

Strider (oblique) may not miss much more than the minimum amount of time, Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com reports.

During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos described Strider's oblique strain as "mild", and not as bad as the issue that cost Sean Murphy the first two months of 2024. "I think it will be sooner rather than later that you see [Strider] back," Anthopoulos said. The right-hander is first eligible to come off the IL on April 6, but it's not yet clear if he'll be ready by then. Strider himself missed about a month of action late in 2022 with an oblique issue.

Wheeler (shoulder) struck out three and scattered two hits and one walk over three scoreless frames in a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Heading into the rehab start, the Phillies had planned for Wheeler to cover three innings or 50 pitches. The right-hander was even more economical than the Phillies had hoped, needing only 38 pitches to record nine outs in what was his first official game since Aug. 15, 2025. After undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September, Wheeler has had a fairly seamless recovery thus far and appears on track to return from the 15-day injured list around mid-April. He'll continue to build up his innings and pitch count in his next rehab start, which is set to come Friday versus Triple-A Durham.

Schultz (elbow) struck out two and allowed no hits and one walk over 1.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab appearance Saturday for Triple-A Rochester.

The appearance was Schultz's first since Feb. 28, after he had missed the final three weeks of the Grapefruit League due to right elbow inflammation. The 28-year-old will likely make at least another rehab appearance or two before returning from the injured list. While the Nationals will likely use him in lower-leverage spots initially once he's activated, Schultz could quickly move his way into a more prominent role if he pitches well early on, given the lack of established options in the bullpen.

Holliday (hand) has gone 0-for-6 with a walk and four strikeouts through his first two rehab appearances with Triple-A Norfolk.

Holliday didn't play in any Grapefruit League games after requiring surgery Feb. 12 to remove the fractured hook of the hamate bone in his right hand, so it's not especially surprising that he's looked rusty during the early stages of his rehab assignment. More importantly, Holliday has seemingly emerged from his first two minor-league games free of setbacks, so he should remain on track to rejoin the Orioles around mid-April once he stockpiles more at-bats and gets comfortable playing regularly again. Holliday played seven innings at second base Friday and eight Sunday, so he'll likely be cleared to play a full nine innings in the field during his next rehab game.

De Los Santos (knee) has tossed 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out one and allowing no hits or walks in two appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land since starting a rehab assignment Friday.

Through two appearances, the only blemish on De Los Santos' ledger has been a hit batsman, which came during his most recent outing Sunday. The right-hander opened the season on the shelf after he was out for most of spring training while recovering from a right knee strain, but he looks like he could soon be ready to rejoin the Houston bullpen. De Los Santos will be eligible for reinstatement from the injured list next week.

Brasier re-signed Friday with the Rangers on a minor-league contract.

Texas had previously released Brasier on March 21 after he failed to secure a spot in the club's Opening Day roster, but after assessing his options as a free agent, he ultimately chose to stick around in the organization on another minor-league pact. The 38-year-old righty reported to Triple-A Round Rock and debuted for the affiliate Sunday, striking out one batter over 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Mercado signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday.

Arizona cut Mercado loose last week after he failed to win a spot on the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster, but the veteran outfielder quickly found an opportunity in the Phillies organization. He was assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run while appearing in two games during the affiliate's first series of the season. The 31-year-old previously spent the entire 2025 campaign at Lehigh Valley, slashing .247/.368/.370 with 11 home runs and 40 steals across 481 plate appearances.

The Phillies signed Alcantara to a minor-league contract Friday.

Alcantara finalized his deal shortly before Triple-A Lehigh Valley's opener and went on to appear in two games during the affiliate's season-opening series, going 1-for-5 with a double, three walks and a stolen base. The 29-year-old has previously seen big-league action in parts of four seasons but will likely need the Philadelphia infield to be ravaged by injuries before receiving a call-up.

Rodgers (shoulder) re-signed Friday with the Red Sox on a two-year, minor-league contract, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.

Rodgers is slated to miss the entire 2026 season while recovering from right shoulder labral revision surgery, but the minor-league deal will allow him to conduct his rehab under the supervision of the Red Sox's medical staff. If healthy heading into next spring, Rodgers will likely be given the chance to compete for a spot on Boston's Opening Day roster, but he'll turn 30 in August and could struggle to earn another another opportunity in the majors. Even before his shoulder surgery, Rodgers endured a disappointing, injury plagued 2025 campaign with the Astros in which he slashed just .191/.266/.278 with a 35.9 percent strikeout rate over 128 plate appearances.

Keaschall went 1-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's loss at Baltimore and is hitting .182 (2-for-11) this season. He's hit third in the batting order in all three games this season.

Keaschall may be better suited to hit leadoff in Minnesota's lineup due to his high OBP (.382 last season), but new Twins manager Derek Shelton went with a platoon of Austin Martin and Kody Clemens in the leadoff role to begin the season. While Keaschall played some outfield in spring training, he's only played second base so far this season.