MLB Player News

Abrams is currently away from the Nationals due to a death in his family, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals haven't officially placed the 25-year-old on the bereavement list, but a move could come in the near future. Nasim Nunez will start at shortstop while Abrams is away, opening up second base for Jorbit Vivas.

Freeland went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a second run scored in Friday's 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Freeland made his first start of the season at second base after Miguel Rojas got the nod at the keystone for Opening Day. Over 97 regular-season plate appearances in 2025, Freeland posted a .190/.292/.310 slash line with two home runs, six RBI, 10 runs scored and a stolen base. He'll have an extended audition early in the season while Tommy Edman (ankle) is on the shelf. With the Dodgers' outfield mix set and Edman likely to see his time at second base once healthy, Freeland will need to perform well to stick around on the major-league roster as a potential utility bat. Hyeseong Kim may also be the mix for time at second base eventually, which could make it difficult for Freeland to carve out enough playing time to help in most fantasy formats.

Schmitt will start at first base and bat seventh in Friday's game versus the Yankees.

Schmitt started at first base against lefty Max Fried in the opener and is now back at the position versus righty Cam Schlittler for the second game of the season. Meanwhile, Rafael Devers is again at designated hitter and Jerar Encarnacion is on the bench. Schmitt will likely need to get off to a hot start to remain an everyday player, but it's clear he's at least the preferred defensive option at first base for new manager Tony Vitello.

Nunez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Cubs.

Getting the start at second base and batting seventh, Nunez made an immediate impact with his speed when he drew a one-out walk and stole second in the sixth inning before scoring on a Ben Brown wild pitch. Nunez came into the season with 17 steals in 20 attempts over 90 big-league games in a utility role, giving him significant stolen-base upside if he hits enough to hang onto a starting spot at the keystone for the Nats.

Lindor went 0-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The All-Star shortstop set the table for a Mets attack that erupted for 11 runs on Opening Day and chased Paul Skenes from the game in the first inning. Lindor didn't get much of a chance to show just how much he's recovered from his mid-February hamate bone surgery, but if this performance was a preview of things to come for the new-look New York offense, he could approach the career-high 129 runs he scored back in 2018 for Cleveland.

Perdomo went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Perdomo gave the Diamondbacks the lead with his fourth-inning home run off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but that was all the offense the team could muster. After the homer, Los Angeles pitching retired 18 of the final 19 Arizona batters. So far so good for Perdomo as he looks to prove that his breakout 2025 season (20 HR, 100 RBI) was no fluke.

Lawlar started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a double in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Lawlar started in the outfield for the first time as a major leaguer. He and Alek Thomas are expected to share left and center field until Lourdes Gurriel (knee) returns from the IL. Lawlar finished up spring training as the No. 9 hitter, but he was moved up to seventh on Opening Day.

Schmitt started at first base and went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

The 27-year-old reached first in the second inning after being hit by Max Fried, accounting for Schmitt's lone time on base during the Opening Day rout. The San Diego State product is expected to play a utility role in 2026, though he drew the start at first base Wednesday while Rafael Devers served as the designated hitter. Schmitt appeared in a career-high 95 regular-season games in 2025, slashing .237/.305/.401 with 40 RBI, 34 runs scored and 12 long balls in 348 plate appearances.

Sanoja is expected to be the Marlins primary utility player to begin the season, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fresh off winning a Gold Glove as 2025's top defensive sub in the NL, Sanoja also produced a .243/.287/.396 slash line with six homers and six steals in 342 plate appearances while playing at least 10 games at second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field. With Kyle Stowers (hamstring) opening the year on the IL, Sanoja could be part of the solution in left over the first weeks of the campaign.

Hamilton is starting at third base and batting seventh Opening Day against the White Sox on Thursday.

The lefty-hitting Hamilton will end up getting the Opening Day nod at the hot corner over switch-hitting veteran Luis Rengifo, who inked a one-year $3.5 million deal with Milwaukee in February. Hamilton played in 91 regular-season games with Boston last year and finished the campaign with six homers, 22 steals and a .198/.257/.333 slash line in 177 plate appearances.