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MLB Player News

  • Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Likely tabbed for cleanup spot

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said last week that Freeman will likely bat fourth during the regular season, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

    Freeman batted cleanup against lefties frequently last year, but he mostly hit in the No. 3 spot versus right-handers. However, with the offseason addition of Kyle Tucker -- who's expected to bat second -- Freeman appears destined to bat fourth regardless of the handedness of the opposing team's starter. That can only help his run production, especially with three talented hitters (Shohei Ohtani, Tucker and Mookie Betts) ahead of him most games.

  • Sal Stewart 1B | CIN

    Reds' Sal Stewart: Hits mammoth homer, plates four

    Stewart clubbed a three-run home run and added an RBI double in Monday's Cactus League game versus the Cubs.

    Stewart's long ball off of Collin Snider in the fifth inning went over the batter's eye in center field and was measured at 410 feet and 107.2 mph off the bat. It was the 22-year-old's second home run this spring, and he also added his second stolen base. Stewart cranked five home runs in 18 regular-season games down the stretch for the Reds last season and has breakout potential in his first full big-league season in 2026.

  • Padres' Jake Cronenworth: Batting leadoff Monday

    Cronenworth will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Monday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

    With the Padres set to move their primary leadoff hitter from 2025, Fernando Tatis, into the middle of the order during the upcoming season, first-year manager Craig Stammen is looking to settle on a new table setter before Opening Day. Xander Bogaerts has thus far been the Padres' most frequent leadoff man through the first 10 Cactus League games, but with Bogaerts away until at least March 12 while he plays in the World Baseball Classic, other players will get looks atop the San Diego lineup. Cronenworth will get his first look in the leadoff role Monday, though he's still expected to represent more of a fallback option to Bogaerts at that spot once the season gets underway. When the Padres have all their key position players available, Cronenworth is likely to slot somewhere in the bottom half of the lineup.

  • Keston Hiura 1B | LAD

    Dodgers' Keston Hiura: Demoted to minor-league camp

    The Dodgers reassigned Hiura (hand) to minor-league camp Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

    Hiura saw action in eight games in the majors with the Rockies last season but never appeared to be a likely candidate to break camp with a loaded Dodgers squad. The 29-year-old exited his most recent Cactus League appearance Saturday after being hit on the hand by a pitch, but assuming he avoided any structural damage, he should be ready to go when Triple-A Oklahoma City opens its season in late March.

  • Matt Gorski 1B | LAD

    Dodgers' Matt Gorski: Cut from big-league camp

    The Dodgers reassigned Gorski to minor-league camp Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

    Gorski reached the big leagues for the first time in 2025 and appeared in 15 games with the Pirates, but after being cut loose by Pittsburgh last July and then catching on with the Dodgers on a minor-league deal, he missed the rest of the season while recovering from a left hand injury. The 28-year-old first baseman didn't appear in any Cactus League games prior to being reassigned, so it's unclear if he's fully healthy at this point. Whenever he's deemed ready to play, Gorski will head to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

  • Michael Toglia 1B | COL

    Reds' Michael Toglia: Cut from big-league camp

    The Reds reassigned Toglia to minor-league camp Monday.

    Non-tendered by the Rockies in November after hitting just .190 with a 39.2 percent strikeout rate in 88 games in the majors last season, Toglia caught on with the Reds on a minor-league deal over the winter and received the chance to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, Toglia showed no signs of improving his poor contact rate during the early stages of Cactus League play, striking out in four of his nine at-bats. The 27-year-old switch-hitter should get the chance to play on an everyday basis at Triple-A Louisville to begin the season, but he'll likely need to cut down on his strikeouts before he gets another look in the majors.

  • Andrew Vaughn 1B | MIL

    Brewers' Andrew Vaughn: Amassing hits and walks

    Vaughn is 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run, three RBI and a 3:1 BB:K through five games this spring.

    The homer is Vaughn's lone extra-base hit to date, but he is both getting hits and reaching base with regularity -- something he did far more often after joining the Brewers than in his four-plus seasons with the White Sox. There is reason to be skeptical of Vaughn given that he has appeared in just 64 regular-season games for Milwaukee, but the Brewers seem convinced, and he is slated to open the season as the team's primary first baseman.

  • Keston Hiura 1B | LAD

    Dodgers' Keston Hiura: Exits after HBP

    Hiura was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cubs after getting hit on the hand by a pitch, Jack Vita of the Los Angeles Times reports.

    Hiura was pulled immediately after taking a 97-mph sinker off his hand in the fifth inning. The severity of his injury is unknown, but the Dodgers should provide more information in the near future and will likely give him at least a day or two off to recover.

  • Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Making first spring start

    Encarnacion-Strand (hamstring) will serve as the Reds' designated hitter and bat seventh in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

    Encarnacion-Strand missed the Reds' first several spring contests while recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered in January. He's now been given the green light to return to a competitive environment, but a late start won't help his already slim chances of making Cincinnati's Opening Day roster.

  • Giants' Bryce Eldridge: Swats first spring homer

    Eldridge went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 13-12 Cactus League loss to the Brewers.

    With two outs and Christian Koss on first base, Eldridge cracked a 391-foot homer to left-center field in the third inning, giving San Francisco a two-run lead. He also drew a walk in the fourth before coming around to score. The 21-year-old made his big-league debut last September and appeared in 10 regular-season games in 2025, during which he slashed .107/.297/.179 with four RBI and two doubles across 37 plate appearances. For now, he appears likely to split playing time between DH and 1B with Rafael Devers this season.

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