MLB Player News

Ruiz went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's win over the Cubs.

After bringing home Daylen Lile with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly, Ruiz belted his first homer of 2026 in the eighth, lifting a Hoby Milner changeup into the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field. Ruiz hit just two homers over 68 games in 2025 while slashing a tepid .247/.277/.318, but the switch-hitting backstop is looking a little more lively at the plate to begin the current campaign.

Bichette went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Pirates.

The 28-year-old infielder is already hearing boos from the fickle Citi Field faithful just three games into the year after going 1-for-14 with a 0:8 BB:K, with his lone RBI coming on a sacrifice fly. Bichette has also had a bumpy defensive adjustment to third base, committing one error and making a couple other errant throws to first. Bichette's track record -- he sported a career .294/.337/.469 slash line in seven seasons with the Blue Jays -- suggests there isn't much to worry about in the long run, but it could be a while before he gets comfortable in the New York pressure cooker.

De Los Santos went 1-for-2 with a double in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

The 22-year-old got the start at first base and hit eighth in the order against southpaw Jose Quintana, and he took advantage of the matchup with a two-bagger in his first big-league at-bat of the year. De Los Santos was called up when Christopher Morel (oblique) landed on the IL, but the Marlins have plenty of other options to handle first base, including left-handed hitters Griffin Conine and Liam Hicks as well as the righty-swinging Connor Norby. De Los Santos may be stuck in a short-side platoon role unless he slugs his way into more playing time, something that's not out of the question -- over 156 career games for Triple-A Jacksonville he's launched 24 homers, including one in the Jumbo Shrimp's season opener Friday.

Edwards went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

It was the first steal of 2026 for the switch-hitting second baseman. Edwards is hitting lower in the order against left-handed pitching to begin the year, which could cost him occasional opportunities to take an extra base, but he's generated plenty on his own by going 4-for-11 through three games with three runs scored and a 0:1 BB:K.

Baldwin went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Royals.

The second-year backstop took John Schreiber deep in the eighth inning to ruin a combined shutout for Kansas City. Baldwin has started all three of Atlanta's game so far, two at catcher and one at DH, while going 3-for-11 with two solo shots, a third run scored and a 2:2 BB:K.

Strider (oblique) may not miss much more than the minimum amount of time, Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com reports.

During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos described Strider's oblique strain as "mild", and not as bad as the issue that cost Sean Murphy the first two months of 2024. "I think it will be sooner rather than later that you see [Strider] back," Anthopoulos said. The right-hander is first eligible to come off the IL on April 6, but it's not yet clear if he'll be ready by then. Strider himself missed about a month of action late in 2022 with an oblique issue.

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.