Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Tuesday that Lindor (elbow) is being evaluated for a possible stress reaction in his left hamate bone and could require surgery, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

If an operation is needed, Lindor would need six weeks to recover. In that instance, Stearns said it's possible Lindor would be ready in time for Opening Day, but it would be a tight window given that the Mets' opener is just over six weeks away. Lindor is also coming back from a right elbow debridement procedure that he had last October, one from which he seems to be fully recovered. If Lindor gets a late start to the season, the Mets could slide Bo Bichette over to shortstop and install Brett Baty at third base.

Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Monday that Williams will be given some third-base reps during spring training, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.

Williams has yet to play third base at the professional level, but he's very familiar with the left side of the infield and has a plus arm, so it could be a smooth transition. The hot corner is now wide open for the Brewers after they traded Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio to the Red Sox on Monday. While it's probably a long shot that Williams breaks camp as the starter at third base, showing he can handle the position would give him another path to playing time. The 22-year-old Williams was acquired from the Mets in the deal that sent Freddy Peralta to New York.

The Brewers acquired Hamilton on Monday in a trade with the Red Sox, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Hamilton is a former Brewers farmhand who has slashed .222/.283/.359 over the past three seasons in Boston. While he's mostly played second base and shortstop, Hamilton will be given lots of reps at third base during spring training, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. That position currently looks wide open in Milwaukee, though another addition from outside the organization can't be ruled out.

General manager Mike Hazen said that Lawlar will get the majority of his reps in the outfield this spring, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Hazen spoke to the media following a trade that sent Blaze Alexander -- the team's presumed starting left fielder -- to the Orioles on Thursday. Hazen said that the team remains open to Lawlar playing some in the infield, but that his clearest path to the roster will come either in center or left field. Alexander's departure could lead to Lawlar finally getting consistent run in the majors, but he'll need a strong spring to bolster his case.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that Saggese could factor into the team's outfield mix this season, Brandon Kiley of 101 ESPN St. Louis reports.

Saggese has only played the infield to this point in his professional career. Adding to his versatility would give Saggese more avenues to playing time, particularly since the Cardinals are light on right-handed-hitting outfielders. Saggese has slashed a disappointing .250/.292/.336 with a 28 percent strikeout rate in his first 100 games at the big-league level, but he'll turn just 24 in April and was a .288/.358/.485 hitter in the minors.

The Cardinals acquired Peete from the Mariners on Monday as part of a three-team trade involving the Rays, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Peete, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Colton Ledbetter will head to St. Louis while Ben Williamson is shipped off to Tampa Bay and the headliner of the trade, Brendan Donovan, goes to Seattle. Peete was selected by the Mariners with the 30th pick of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft and spent the entire 2025 season with High-A Everett, where he slashed .213/.285/.401 with 25 steals (in 36 attempts) and 19 home runs in 530 plate appearances. Peete, a former shortstop, is now a quality defensive center fielder with power and speed, and he won't turn 21 until August.

De La Cruz should benefit from Cincinnati signing free agent Eugenio Suarez, who is expected to bat cleanup behind De La Cruz, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The addition of Suarez's bat is expected to provide protection for De La Cruz, who started 148 games as the No. 3 hitter and led the team with 22 home runs in 2025. The Reds hadn't done much to address the need for power during the offseason until signing Suarez, a right-handed bat that belted 49 home runs in 2025 while with Arizona and Seattle. Despite playing in one of the league's friendlier hitting environments, Cincinnati ranked 21st in home runs and struggled offensively at times last season, and it lost two of its top offensive performers this offseason, Austin Hays and Gavin Lux.

The Nationals designated Cheng for assignment Friday.

Cheng has already been in four different organizations this offseason and could make it a fifth as he heads back to waivers. The 24-year-old infielder slashed .209/.307/.271 at Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates organization last season and went hitless in seven plate appearances during a cup of coffee in the majors.

The Nationals claimed Cheng off waivers from the Mets on Wednesday.

It's the fourth organization that Cheng has been in this offseason. Cheng batted only .209/.307/.271 at Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates organization last season and went hitless in seven plate appearances with the big club. The 24-year-old will compete for a reserve role with the Nationals but does have minor-league options remaining.

Schmitt (wrist) has begun a hitting progression after getting cleared last week, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Schmitt estimated that the grip strength in his left hand is back to 95 percent. He first got hurt all the way back on June 25 and played through the injury throughout the second half of last season, finally having surgery in December.