MLB Player News

Yastrzemski is absent from the lineup for Friday's opener against the Royals.

The left-handed-hitting Yastrzemski could start against some left-handed hurlers, but he'll begin his Atlanta tenure on the bench as the Royals send ace southpaw Cole Ragans to the hill. Eli White will grab the start in left field and bat sixth.

Julien will start at designated hitter and bat eighth in Friday's opener in Miami.

The placement of Mickey Moniak (finger) on the 10-day injured list will free up some at-bats at DH and in the outfield for the Rockies. Julien will get the first crack at DH, though the spot is likely to be a revolving door. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Twins over the offseason.

Slater will start in right field and bat leadoff in Friday's opener versus the Rockies.

Slater was just signed earlier this week and will immediately be thrown into the leadoff spot as the Marlins take on lefty Kyle Freeland. Slater will serve in a short-side platoon role for Miami.

The Rockies recalled Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

He's taking the roster spot vacated by Mickey Moniak (finger). Fulford was beaten out by Brett Sullivan for the No. 2 catcher job in Colorado but will wind up making the Opening Day roster after all. With three catchers available, the Rockies could give Hunter Goodman more time at designated hitter while Moniak is shelved.

The Rockies placed Moniak (finger) on the 10-day injured list Friday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Moniak injured his right ring finger Monday during an exhibition game while diving back into first base, and subsequent testing revealed a sprain. He will be eligible for activation April 3 -- which is the date of the Rockies' home opener -- but it's unclear whether he has a chance to return by then. Braxton Fulford will fill Moniak's spot on the roster.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, three RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 14-2 win against the White Sox.

The 28-year-old carried a hot bat during spring training with three homers and a 1.025 OPS in eight Cactus League games, and he carried over that success into Opening Day. Contreras came to the plate with the bases loaded in the second inning Thursday and cleared them with a double, and he followed with a single and a run scored in the sixth. His offensive production dipped last year with a .754 OPS in 150 regular-season games while playing through a left middle finger fracture, but Contreras is positioned to produce something closer to his career .805 OPS in 2026 now that he's healthy.

Frelick went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Thursday's 14-2 win against the White Sox.

The 25-year-old has never been known for his power output -- his 12 homers during the 2025 regular season was the highest mark of his professional career -- but Frelick wasted no time going deep this year as he crushed a 407-foot shot to right field off Tyler Gilbert during the fifth inning of the season opener. Frelick likely reached close to his power ceiling last year, but his .288/.351/.405 slash line was strong in its own right, and he's off to a great start to 2026.

Giants manager Tony Vitello said Friday that Devers has started at designated hitter in the first two games of the season in part because of lingering tightness in his left hamstring, John Shea of The San Francisco Standard reports.

Devers first tweaked his hamstring in late February, and Vitello said there's "still little bit of a feeling in there." The skipper noted that Devers is capable of handling first base, if necessary, but it sounds like the club could keep him in the DH slot for a bit longer as a precaution. Casey Schmitt has started at first base in each of the Giants' first two contests.

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.

Beeter struck out one and walked two in a scoreless eighth inning during Thursday's 10-4 win over the Cubs.

The Nationals held an 8-4 lead when Beeter took the mound to face the bottom half of Chicago's batting order -- not exactly a high-leverage spot for the 2026 debut of a pitcher generally projected to lead the team in saves this season. Washington doesn't have any established options at the back of its bullpen, however, so as long as Beeter remains effective, he should be in the mix to protect close ninth-inning leads. The 27-year-old right-hander will need to display more control than he did Opening Day to stay in the saves picture, as he tossed just 12 of 24 pitches for strikes against the Cubs. Cole Henry and potentially Cionel Perez, who worked the ninth Thursday, could also get save chances while new manager Blake Butera sorts out his bullpen.