MLB Player News

The Guardians optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

Rodriguez played in 31 games for Cleveland during the regular season last year and had a .626 OPS with two home runs and a 28.6 percent strikeout rate. He batted .273 across 25 plate appearances during spring training and failed to record any extra-base hits.

The Mariners reassigned Rucker to minor-league camp Sunday.

After sitting out the entire 2025 season, Rucker signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners in January and had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee. He's expected to open the upcoming campaign at Triple-A Tacoma and will serve as bullpen depth. The 31-year-old previously saw big-league action with the Cubs in 2021-23, logging a 4.96 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 123.1 innings across 96 regular-season relief appearances.

Fulmer (elbow) struck out a batter over two perfect innings of relief Friday in the Pirates' 7-5 win over the Tigers in Grapefruit League play.

Fulmer was making his first appearance of the spring, after he had been delayed due to his late signing in addition to completing his recovery from a right elbow strain that caused him to close last season on the shelf. Since the right-hander is attending camp as a non-roster invitee, he'll be facing an uphill battle to win a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, but he put a strong foot forward Friday.

The Rangers announced Sunday that Eovaldi will start Opening Day against the Phillies on March 26.

The veteran right-hander is getting his third straight Opening Day nod for the Rangers, though he may more realistically be considered the club's No. 2 pitcher behind Jacob deGrom. Eovaldi was limited to 22 starts last season due to shoulder issues, but he was dominant when available with a 1.73 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 129:21 K:BB across 130 innings.

The Red Sox are monitoring Story's workload this spring and will continue to do so during the regular season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Story is being held out of the lineup Sunday for a third consecutive game, but the Red Sox are merely exercising caution with the 33-year-old. The club plans to give him a little more rest in 2026 after Story, who missed significant time in the first three years of the contract he signed with Boston in 2022, played 160 games last year, including playoffs.

The Nationals reassigned Mervis to minor-league camp Friday.

Mervis has had a busy spring, going 3-for-12 with a 2:5 BB:K over seven Grapefruit League games and 3-for-11 with a pair of doubles over three games for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. The 27-year-old still wasn't able to make the Opening Day roster, despite Washington having a glaring hole at first base. After struggling mightily during his time in the majors with the Marlins in 2025, Mervis will likely need a hot start at Triple-A Rochester to garner any serious consideration for a promotion.

The Nationals reassigned Lipscomb to minor-league camp Friday.

Lipscomb has logged 214 plate appearances in the big leagues with the Nationals over the past two seasons, but he'll have a tougher time resurfacing in the majors in 2026 after he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in November. He'll open the season at Triple-A Rochester and should see ample playing time between multiple infield and outfield spots.

The Phillies reassigned Mercado (shoulder) to minor-league camp Thursday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Mercado made three appearances out of the Philadelphia bullpen in 2025, but a right shoulder injury prevented him from making any Grapefruit League appearances and will end his bid for an Opening Day roster spot. The Phillies haven't shed much light regarding where Mercado stands in his throwing program, making it unclear if he'll be ready for the start of the minor-league season.

Gomber allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Reds.

Gomber's been a forgotten arm during spring training since he signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in January. The competition for a spot in Texas' rotation has been focused on Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker, but Gomber's name should be added to the calculus. Saturday's outing was his second Cactus League start, and he upped his pitch count to 73 (47 strikes).

The Marlins announced Sunday that Acosta has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain and is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Acosta already looked to be facing an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, and the injury he suffered last week will bring an end to any chance he had. Once he heals up and resumes full baseball activities, the 23-year-old infielder will report to a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment. Acosta has two minor-league options remaining, so he could end up sticking around at Triple-A Jacksonville once he completes the rehab assignment and gets activated from the injured list.