MLB Player News

Suarez has allowed one run on four hits with a 9:1 K:BB over five Grapefruit League innings this spring.

The 35-year-old right-hander racked up 76 saves for San Diego with a 2.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 over the prior two seasons, but he'll begin his time in Atlanta as the top setup man for closer Raisel Iglesias. Suarez could still see ninth-inning action when Iglesias is unavailable, and if the incumbent struggles again early as he did in 2025, it wouldn't be a surprise if the two switched roles.

Manager Walt Weiss indicated that he still plans to deploy Fuentes out of the bullpen to begin the season, even after Atlanta announced Monday that Spencer Strider (oblique) will open the 2026 campaign on the injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Strider had been scheduled to make his final spring start Monday against the Pirates, but that assignment will instead fall to Fuentes after Strider was scratched due to an oblique strain. Though Fuentes' pitching schedule aligns with Strider's, Atlanta doesn't intend to deviate from its early-season plan with the 20-year-old righty, who is expected to work as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen for the first couple weeks of the season before moving to Triple-A Gwinnett to resume starting. Jose Suarez and Martin Perez are the leading candidates to replace Strider in the rotation when his first turn comes up March 31 versus the Athletics, but Fuentes may not have to wait long for a starting opportunity with the big club if he continues to dazzle in relief for the big club and in the rotation at Gwinnett. Fuentes was one of the stars of spring training for Atlanta, tossing nine scoreless, no-hit frames while posting a 17:0 K:BB over his three Grapefruit League outings.

Through nine spring appearances, Estrada has tossed 9.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while posting a 16:7 K:BB.

Estrada has looked nearly unhittable in exhibition action while racking up a 14.9 K/9. The walks are a bit concerning, though the flamethrowing reliever is coming off a 2025 regular season during which he posted a career-best 8.9 percent walk rate. Estrada also recorded a career-high 30 holds last year and is slated to again be a key high-leverage arm for San Diego in 2026.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Sunday that he plans to use Triolo as the team's everyday shortstop to begin the season, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. "Just feel like he's been so good at short in his limited time last year," Kelly said of Triolo. "He's good anywhere you put him. But just felt like being a shortstop, having him there when he's on the field is really important."

A Gold Glove Award winner as a utility man in 2024, Triolo continued to provide strong defense at multiple infield spots in 2025, logging 44 starts at shortstop, 30 at third base, 12 at first base and 10 at second base. He'll carry eligibility at the former two positions in most fantasy leagues heading into 2026, but the Pirates seemingly want to deploy Triolo on more of a full-time basis at shortstop rather than shifting him all over the infield as needs arise. Triolo has already proved that he belongs in the big leagues defensively, but the jury is still out as to whether he's worthy of a regular spot in the everyday lineup. The 28-year-old owns a mediocre 87 wRC+ over parts of three seasons in the big leagues, but he took a major step forward in the second half of 2025, slashing .276/.353/.422 (117 wRC+) with four home runs and eight stolen bases across 216 plate appearances.

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI in a spring win over the Angels on Sunday.

Muncy's RBI came on a bases-loaded walk in the third inning. The veteran third baseman has performed well during the exhibition slate, posting a .333/.429/.583 slash line with three home runs, seven RBI, eight runs and a 6:8 BB:K through 14 games. Muncy has missed over 150 games due to injury over the past two seasons, so staying healthy would go a long way toward firming up his fantasy value.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Sunday that Gonzales is slated to see most of his playing time at third base to begin the season, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Gonzales entered spring training poised to take over as the Pirates' primary shortstop in 2026 after making his 11 of his final 13 starts at that position last season once Isiah Kiner-Falefa was out of the picture upon being claimed off waivers by Toronto. In a somewhat surprising decision, however, Kelly has opted to move Jared Triolo -- who secured a Gold Glove as a utility man in 2024 -- off of third base with the plan to use him at shortstop on an everyday basis. Gonzales should still be comfortable at third base after logging four starts at that spot in spring training, and he's expected to quickly gain eligibility at that position in most fantasy leagues while also carrying over eligibility at second base from 2025. He'll likely take longer to attain eligibility at shortstop, unless Triolo misses time with an injury early in the season.

Leahy will open the season in the Cardinals' rotation, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Leahy's regular-season debut will occur March 30 with a start at home against the Mets. The right-hander has not been used as a starting pitcher regularly since 2022, but he often worked multiple innings out of the Cardinals' bullpen last season and was stretched out as a starter this spring, finishing with a 4.58 ERA and 20:5 K:BB over 17.2 frames. Leahy has not reached 90 innings in any of the last three seasons while being used in the bullpen, so he's sure to face some form of workload restrictions in 2026.

Atlanta is expected to turn to Suarez as its fifth starter to begin the season after manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Spencer Strider (oblique) will be placed on the injured list, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Non-roster invitee Martin Perez is also a candidate to fill the open spot in the rotation, but Suarez looks primed to get the first chance to replace Strider since he's already on the 40-man roster and was built up as a starter during spring training. Prospect Didier Fuentes, who also made the Opening Day roster, will remain in the bullpen for now. Before Strider suffered the oblique injury, Suarez had secured a long-relief spot in the Atlanta bullpen after logging a 3.38 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB in 16 innings over five Grapefruit League outings. Assuming he's indeed called upon to fill in for Strider when a fifth starter is first needed, Suarez would line up to make his Atlanta debut March 31 versus the Athletics at Truist Park.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Strider will begin the season on the injured list with an oblique strain, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Strider had been slated for his final Grapefruit League tune-up outing Monday versus the Pirates, but that assignment will now go to Didier Fuentes. Jose Suarez is expected to slide into Strider's rotation slot once the regular season gets underway, with Fuentes still set to open in the bullpen. Atlanta is hoping Strider will be back in action in a couple weeks, but that's no safe bet given the fickle nature of oblique injuries. Strider has dealt with depressed velocity this spring, though the results have been there, as he allowed three runs with an 11:2 K:BB over 8.1 innings.

Lopez said Monday that he is fine physically and mechanical issues are to blame for his diminished velocity during Sunday's Grapefruit League outing versus the Twins, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Lopez averaged just 89.2 mph with his four-seamer in the start, yielding four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 frames. The right-hander's velocity has been down all spring, though not to the level it was Sunday. Lopez could see an uptick in velocity after the regular-season adrenaline kicks in, but it's also possible this is the new normal for him as he comes back from shoulder surgery. The 32-year-old is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday against the Royals and should probably be left on fantasy benches for the time being.