MLB Player News

Perez (shoulder) allowed one earned run on one hit over two innings of relief in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Orioles in Grapefruit League play.

The veteran southpaw covered a pair of frames out of the bullpen behind Spencer Strider in his spring debut. Even with Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow) all set to miss extended time to begin the season, Perez is a long shot to win a spot in the Atlanta rotation. Perez signed a minor-league deal in January after submitting a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB across 56 innings in 11 appearances (10 starts) with the White Sox in 2025.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Sunday that an MRI on Stowers' right hamstring revealed a "very minor" strain, and the outfielder is expected to return to game action in 1-to-2 weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Though the diagnosis comes as welcome news, the 28-year-old still appears set to miss a large chunk of the Marlins' Grapefruit League slate. He won't be shut down from baseball activities for long, with McCullough relaying that Stowers is expected to resume taking live at-bats on the back fields of camp within the next few days. He's coming off a breakout 2025 campaign in which he finished as an NL Gold Glove Award finalist in left field, slugged 25 home runs and stole five bases in 117 games.

Strider allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out two over two innings during his spring debut Saturday against the Orioles. His fastball averaged 93.1 mph and touched 94.3 mph, and afterwards the right-hander said, "it's going to take time to get those things where I know everyone wants them to be," Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

A lower velocity early in spring training is fairly common for pitchers, but Strider deserves extra scrutiny given that his fastball velocity has steadily trended downward since averaging 98.2 mph during his first full MLB campaign in 2022. It averaged 95.5 mph last season in his first year back from internal brace surgery on his elbow, and he was inconsistent on the mound with a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and significantly lower 9.4 K/9. Strider is currently more focused on improving the shape of his fastball, which could help him regain some dominance even if his velocity doesn't return to that 2022 peak.

The Nationals scratched Crews from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins due to left thumb soreness.

Christian Franklin was added to the starting nine as a replacement for Crews in right field and as the Nationals' No. 3 batter. Assuming that he isn't dealing with a fracture or ligament damage to his thumb, Crews will likely check back into the lineup within the next few days. The 24-year-old outfielder has gone 1-for-9 with one walk, two runs and one RBI through his first four Grapefruit League contests.

Williams said that he hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game since Monday due to left quadriceps soreness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Williams noted that he sustained the injury while legging out a triple in Monday's 7-5 loss to the Padres. The 22-year-old downplayed the severity of the issue and expressed confidence that he would be back in action soon. Acquired from the Mets in January, Williams is looking to claim a spot on the Brewers' Opening Day roster, but he's more likely to begin the season as an everyday player at Triple-A Nashville.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Kessinger sustained "a pretty significant injury" to his left hamstring and will need at least 8-12 weeks to recover, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Mendoza added that surgery is "on the table" for Kessinger, with a procedure likely to keep the 28-year-old out through the longer end of that timeline. Even if Kessinger is able to avoid surgery, he'll be out of the running for a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster as a utility infielder.

Atlanta optioned Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

The right-hander finished 2025 in the big-league bullpen but is set to open the 2026 campaign back in the minors. Stratton made 15 appearances in the big leagues between Pittsburgh and Atlanta last year, posting a 5.21 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB over 19 innings.

Atlanta reassigned Tromp to minor-league camp Sunday.

With Tromp sent out, Atlanta is left with Jonah Heim, Jair Camargo and Sandy Leon as its backup options at catcher behind Drake Baldwin in big-league camp while Sean Murphy (hip) remains out. Tromp is expected to open the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Gwinnett after he spent most of the past season in the minors.

Atlanta optioned Alvarez to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

The 22-year-old was attempting to earn a roster spot as a utility player, but he instead ends up being one of the first cuts of camp. Alvarez played 58 big-league games last season and had a .234/.296/.330 slash line with two home runs in 208 plate appearances.

Atlanta reassigned Guerra to minor-league camp Sunday.

The 30-year-old righty reliever's removal from big-league camp comes as he's set to join Team Panama ahead of the World Baseball Classic. Guerra didn't make a strong case for a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day bullpen anyway after yielding five earned runs in 2.2 innings across three appearances in the Grapefruit League. He last appeared in the majors in 2023 and is likely to open the season in the Triple-A Gwinnett bullpen.