MLB Player News

Wheeler (shoulder) struck out three and scattered two hits and one walk over three scoreless frames in a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Heading into the rehab start, the Phillies had planned for Wheeler to cover three innings or 50 pitches. The right-hander was even more economical than the Phillies had hoped, needing only 38 pitches to record nine outs in what was his first official game since Aug. 15, 2025. After undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September, Wheeler has had a fairly seamless recovery thus far and appears on track to return from the 15-day injured list around mid-April. He'll continue to build up his innings and pitch count in his next rehab start, which is set to come Friday versus Triple-A Durham.

Schultz (elbow) struck out two and allowed no hits and one walk over 1.2 scoreless innings in his first rehab appearance Saturday for Triple-A Rochester.

The appearance was Schultz's first since Feb. 28, after he had missed the final three weeks of the Grapefruit League due to right elbow inflammation. The 28-year-old will likely make at least another rehab appearance or two before returning from the injured list. While the Nationals will likely use him in lower-leverage spots initially once he's activated, Schultz could quickly move his way into a more prominent role if he pitches well early on, given the lack of established options in the bullpen.

Mercado signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday.

Arizona cut Mercado loose last week after he failed to win a spot on the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster, but the veteran outfielder quickly found an opportunity in the Phillies organization. He was assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run while appearing in two games during the affiliate's first series of the season. The 31-year-old previously spent the entire 2025 campaign at Lehigh Valley, slashing .247/.368/.370 with 11 home runs and 40 steals across 481 plate appearances.

The Phillies signed Alcantara to a minor-league contract Friday.

Alcantara finalized his deal shortly before Triple-A Lehigh Valley's opener and went on to appear in two games during the affiliate's season-opening series, going 1-for-5 with a double, three walks and a stolen base. The 29-year-old has previously seen big-league action in parts of four seasons but will likely need the Philadelphia infield to be ravaged by injuries before receiving a call-up.

Atlanta selected Perez's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

The veteran left-hander is a good bet to start Tuesday's game against the Athletics, though Jose Suarez is also an option. Perez put together a nice Grapefruit League showing with a 2.84 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over 12.2 innings. He could hold down a spot in Atlanta's rotation until Spencer Strider (oblique) is ready to go.

Atlanta optioned Fuentes to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Fuentes wasn't going to be available to pitch for a few days after allowing one earned run over four relief innings in Sunday's loss to the Royals. He will enter the Gwinnett rotation so he can stay stretched out and could get an opportunity to start some games with Atlanta sooner rather than later. Martin Perez is taking Fuentes' spot on the active roster and could start Tuesday at home against the Athletics.

Stewart went 2-for-2 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Red Sox.

There was no let-up for Stewart in the third game of the season. He's now had multiple hits and reached base at least three times in all three games, going 7-for-10 with three walks, zero strikeouts and more extra-base hits than singles. He also showed advanced baserunning Sunday, advancing to second base on a flyout to center field, which put him in a position to reach third base when the next batter singled to left field.

Steer started at first base and went 1-for-4 in Sunday's 3-2 win over Boston.

Steer made his first start of the season at first base after serving as the left fielder Thursday and Saturday. The plan announced this spring, when Steer started at five different positions, was that he would primarily play left field but could also slot in at various spots. In addition to his starting positions thus far, Steer also moved mid-game Saturday to first base and then third base. That roster flexibility helps manager Terry Francona navigate in-game situations, while also ensuring Steer gets a full game of plate appearances.

Walker went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and two additional runs scored Sunday's 11-7 loss to the Rays.

Walker turned in his eighth career game with at least three hits, smashing his first homer of the year in the process. The 23-year-old was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and he profiles as a post-hype sleeper of sorts during his fourth season in the big leagues in 2026. Walker is set to be St. Louis' everyday right fielder moving forward, but he may need to move up a bit in the batting order to increase his fantasy upside.

Wiemer went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run, a triple, a walk and an additional RBI in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Cubs.

It was the first career triple for Wiemer, who's off to an impressive start with his new club. The 27-year-old has gone a perfect 6-for-6 with a pair of long balls in two appearances for the Nationals so far. Jacob Young's standout defense may be enough to keep him in the top spot in center field, but Wiemer is capable of playing the entire outfield and is pushing for more at-bats in the early going.