MLB Player News
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Bryce Harper DH | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Healthy numbers to begin spring
Harper went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto.
Harper socked his first homer during exhibition play Saturday, and he's now recorded two doubles, four RBI and three walks across his first four outings of spring training. It doesn't sound like the Phillies have any plans to shift Harper back to the outfield in 2026, but the All-Star slugger still remains one of the premier first baseman in fantasy circles. Harper has hit at least .260 in each regular season since 2018, and he hasn't finished with an OPS under .844 since 2016.
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Christopher Morel DH | MIA
Marlins' Christopher Morel: Looking good with glove at 1B
Morel handled a number of tough chances at first base without issue during the Marlins' Grapefruit League opener against the Mets on Saturday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
The 26-year-old has never played a game at first base as a professional, but after signing a one-year contract with Miami in December, Morel got to work over the winter to learn the new position. He compared the footwork necessary around the bag to learning a popular dance in his native Dominican Republic. "It's more the feet when you go to cover first base, trying to put your feet correctly," Morel said after Saturday's game. "But we're getting better. Today, we got a few ground balls, and I'm trying to dance bachata today. We need to dance bachata to be a first baseman." While getting his glovework in order is a good first step, he'll likely need to improve his offensive contributions as well to secure a full-time role at first base -- over the last two seasons between the Cubs and Rays, Morel launched 32 homers with 15 steals in 257 games but slashed just .204/.288/.363 with a 29.3 percent strikeout rate.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: May be limited as pitcher early on
Ohtani may not be fully stretched out as a pitcher by Opening Day, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani is fully expected to be part of Los Angeles' pitching rotation while fulfilling his usual DH duties from the get-go, but it's unclear how stretched out he'll be as a pitcher due to his participation with Samurai Japan during the World Baseball Classic, as he's slated to work exclusively as a hitter during that tournament. Should the two-way star not be ready to handle a full pitching workload right away, it's very possible that he'll have his pitch count capped until he's fully ramped up. In that scenario, Chen suggests that Justin Wrobleski or another long reliever could work in a piggyback role with Ohtani during the early part of the campaign.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Staying in leadoff spot
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Wednesday that Ohtani will remain the team's leadoff hitter during the 2026 season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
For the first time since his final season with the Angels in 2023, Ohtani is preparing for a full season of pitching, but that won't affect the Dodgers' approach with him as their everyday designated hitter. After slugging a career-high 55 home runs while making 148 of his 158 starts out of the leadoff spot during the 2025 regular season, the four-time MVP will continue to set the table for Los Angeles once again in 2026. Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Ohtani is expected to start at DH in the Dodgers' first two Cactus League games this weekend to get some competitive at-bats under his belt before he joins Team Japan in advance of the World Baseball Classic. Roberts has already said that Ohtani won't pitch for Japan in the WBC, but the two-way phenom will likely continue to build up through bullpen and live batting practice sessions throughout the spring to ensure that he'll be part of the Dodgers' Opening Day rotation.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Pirates' Marcell Ozuna: Lands $12 million deal with Pirates
The Pirates signed Ozuna to a one-year, $10.5 million contract Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The deal includes a $16 million mutual option or $1.5 million buyout for 2027.
Ozuna produced a disappointing .232/.355/.400 batting line with 21 home runs over 145 games for Atlanta in 2025. However, a nagging hip injury was likely at least partly to blame, and he is just a year removed from a 39-homer season. Ozuna will slide into the designated hitter role in Pittsburgh, likely pushing Ryan O'Hearn to left field and Jake Mangum to a fourth outfielder role.
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Cardinals' Bligh Madris: Goes to St. Louis on MiLB deal
The Cardinals signed Madris to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Chase Ford of Milb Central reports.
Madris slashed .232/.320/.384 with five home runs in 50 games with Triple-A Toledo in the Tigers organization last season. He'll turn 30 later this month and has managed a .204/.273/.286 batting line in parts of three major-league seasons. Madris should be ticketed for Triple-A Memphis to begin the upcoming season.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Prepping for full season in two-way role
Ohtani indicated Saturday that he'll be ready to take on a full two-way role at the outset of the 2026 regular season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ohtani began last year continuing to rehab from September 2023 Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch in a major-league game until mid-June. He was managed carefully upon his return to the mound, as he finished the regular season with a modest 47 innings over 14 starts. The superstar was very effective as a hurler, though, posting a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 62:9 K:BB during those appearances. The leash was loosened in the postseason, as Ohtani completed six frames in each of his first three playoff outings and then started Game 7 of the World Series on three days of rest. After getting through the summer and fall with no arm issues, Ohtani is now set to slot into the Dodgers' rotation from the outset of the 2026 campaign. There will likely still be some careful management of Ohtani as a pitcher -- manager Dave Roberts stated Saturday that the two-way star won't pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and he's expected to continue to be part of a six-man rotation with Los Angeles -- but Roberts also said that Ohtani will be treated as a normal pitcher on days when he takes the mound.
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Luis Torrens DH | NYM
Mets' Luis Torrens: Agrees to pact with Mets
The Mets and Torrens avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.275 million contract Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Torrens was eligible for salary arbitration for a final time. He put up a .629 OPS for the Mets in 2025 and is again slated to serve as the backup catcher behind Francisco Alvarez (thumb) in 2026.
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Kyle Schwarber LF | PHI
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber: Back with Phillies on $150M deal
The Phillies re-signed Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Schwarber had a robust market, but it always seemed inevitable that he would return to Philadelphia. A five-year deal for a designated hitter heading into his age-33 season is risky on paper, but Schwarber is coming off his best season, having posted a .928 OPS with 56 home runs and 132 RBI during the regular season. He will be the Phillies' full-time DH again in 2026.
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Luis Campusano C | SD
Padres' Luis Campusano: Secures contract for '26
Campusano signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Padres on Friday.
Campusano went 0-for-21 with six walks and 11 strikeouts in the majors during the 2025 regular season, but he continued to show promise in the minors, finishing with a .334/.438/.586 slash line over 466 plate appearances at Triple-A El Paso. The 27-year-old owns a .666 OPS through 178 games in his big-league career but will have a chance to win a spot on San Diego's Opening Day roster this spring.