Pirates manager Don Kelly said Wednesday that it "would be a tough ask" for Griffin to make the Opening Day roster, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan reports.

Griffin is a 19-year-old with only 21 games of experience above A-ball, so cracking the Opening Day roster would indeed be a difficult leap. It's also not a surprise that Kelly is tamping down expectations for the top prospect this early in spring training. It should become clearer the deeper we get into camp as to whether Griffin has a real chance to head north with the big club. Griffin hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases across three levels in his first professional season in 2025.

Swanson is willing to swap some power for more contact in 2026, Bruce Levine of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Swanson has clubbed at least 22 home runs in four of the past five seasons, but he also has a strikeout rate over 25 percent during that span and would like to cut that down. The 32-year-old's chase rate has been consistently above league average, but his in-zone contact rate has been well below average, as he ranked 129th out of 144 qualifiers in that metric in 2025. Swanson went 20-20 last season but still finished outside the top-12 in fantasy at a loaded shortstop position.

Rojas, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland were mentioned by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as candidates to begin the campaign as the starter at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) likely to be placed on the injured list, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Rojas re-signed with Los Angeles in December ahead of what he has stated will be his final season in the majors. The veteran infielder provided steady but unspectacular offense last season, slashing .262/.318/.397 with seven home runs, 27 RBI and five stolen bases over 317 regular-season plate appearances. Beyond that, though, he provided excellent defense and staked his place in Dodgers lore with his game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning during Game 7 of the World Series. Among the trio mentioned by Roberts, Rojas has the lowest offensive upside, but he could still win the starting second-base job until Edman returns if the team favors his defense and veteran presence (especially if Kim and Freeland fail to impress during the spring slate).

Freeland, Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas were mentioned by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as options to begin the regular season as the starter at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) expected to be placed on the injured list, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Freeland struggled during his first experience in the majors last season, posting a .602 OPS with a 36.1 percent strikeout rate over 97 plate appearances. However, he recorded an .835 OPS with 16 homers, 18 stolen bases and 82 RBI across 106 games at Triple-A, so he doesn't have much left to prove at that level. Freeland, Kim and Rojas appear to be in a truly open competition to be the Opening Day starter at the keystone, and Freeland probably has the most to gain since he may begin the campaign in the minors if he doesn't win the positional battle.

The Cubs are expected to start Shaw in right field against left-handed pitchers, Bruce Levine of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Per Levine, manager Craig Counsell said that Shaw will play a lot in the outfield, and that will likely include starting in right field versus lefties while Seiya Suzuki slides into the designated-hitter spot. Shaw played the outfield a bit in college and in summer ball but has not spent an inning there at the professional level. The 24-year-old appears poised to operate in a super-utility role for the Cubs this season.

The Cubs designated Cowles for assignment Sunday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

After being claimed off waivers by the Cubs in January, the 26-year-old will lose his place on the 40-man roster to clear space for the signing of Shelby Miller (elbow). Cowles will now be exposed to waivers, but he'll likely stick in big-league camp even if he goes unclaimed.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Sunday that Hernandez (elbow) should resume taking swings soon, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez underwent surgery in November to repair a torn tendon in his left elbow and isn't expected to be ready to make his 2026 debut for the Dodgers until around the middle of the season. The 34-year-old utility player will be eased into his hitting program before eventually getting cleared to take part in live batting practice. Since the surgery was to Hernandez's non-throwing elbow, he should be able to take part in defensive drills during the spring.

The Dodgers re-signed Hernandez (elbow) to a one-year contract Thursday, Hernandez announced in an Instagram post.

It had been considered a formality that Hernandez would return to the Dodgers. He is recovering from left elbow surgery and is expected to begin the season on the 60-day injured list, per Noah Camras of DodgersNation.com. Once healthy, Hernandez will operate in a utility role, seeing much of his action versus left-handed pitching. The 34-year-old has hit just .219/.270/.370 over the last two regular seasons, but he's a career .272/.339/.486 hitter in the postseason.

Bichette isn't expected to take any reps at shortstop while Francisco Lindor (hand) is sidelined, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

The Mets don't believe Lindor will miss much regular-season action, so they'll keep Bichette at the hot corner and let him adapt to a new defensive position without interruption. That plan could change, however, if Lindor has any kind of setback. Bichette has never played a professional game at third base, but he did handle second base during the Blue Jays' run to the World Series last season without much difficulty.

Lawlar could see regular playing time in center field this spring, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Lawlar came up through the system as a shortstop and was introduced to second and third base over the last couple of seasons. With established starters ahead of him in the infield, the plan, which began during winter ball, was to turn Lawlar into an outfielder. He was in line for playing time in left field this spring as part of a group of players that will fill in for the injured Lourdes Gurriel (knee). Those plans could change after the Diamondbacks lost another outfielder; right-fielder Corbin Carroll suffered a wrist injury Tuesday that will him keep out until at least the start of the regular season. As a replacement for Carroll, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo mused about shifting center-fielder Alek Thomas to right. That would give Lawlar an opportunity to acclimate to center field, which was the team's first choice for the infielder-turned-outfielder.