MLB Player News

Albies went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

Hitting a surprising third in the first lineup for new Atlanta manager Walt Weiss, Albies rewarded his skipper's confidence in him by taking Cole Ragans deep in the first inning, the first of three long balls off the southpaw. Albies managed just 26 total homers and 127 RBI in 256 games over the prior two seasons after delivering 33 home runs and 109 RBI in 2023, but the 29-year-old switch hitter could see his power numbers rise again if he hangs onto a spot in the heart of the order.

Harris went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

Batting ninth to begin the season, the center fielder launched the third of three Atlanta homers off Cole Ragans in the big win. Harris is coming off his first career 20-20 campaign, but the 25-year-old is still searching for some consistency in the majors -- he slashed .210/.234/.317 in the first half of 2025, but .299/.315/.530 in the second half. If Harris can avoid any prolonged slumps this year, he has the talent to take his production to another level.

Pages isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Pages will take a seat after going 1-for-4 with a run scored during Thursday's season opener. Ivan Herrera will fill in as St. Louis' catcher while Nolan Gorman works as the designated hitter and Ramon Urias starts at third base.

Santana started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Santana started the first two games of the regular season at first base against right-handers, while the lefty-swinging Pavin Smith dealt with an elbow issue early in the regular season. Those two are expected to share first base and DH early on. Designated hitter will become more crowded when Lourdes Gurriel (knee) is ready to rejoin Arizona. The soon-to-be 40-year-old Santana is coming off a 2025 season in which he posted a career-low .325 slugging percentage (11 HR, 22 XBH).

Baldwin went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

The reigning NL Rookie of the Year got hold of a 93.4-mph fastball from Cole Ragans in the third inning, giving Atlanta its second of three long balls on the night against the left-hander. Baldwin slugged 19 homers in 124 games in his MLB debut last year, and expectations are sky high for the 25-year-old in 2026 as he figures to be a near-everyday player while splitting his time between catcher and DH.

Loaisiga struck out one over 1.1 scoreless and hitless innings in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Loaisiga retired all four batters faced in his Arizona debut. He finished out the fifth inning by striking out Kyle Tucker and induced an infield pop out and two groundouts in a 1-2-3 sixth. There's room to move in a bullpen that doesn't have a set closer, and Loaisiga could emerge as a late-inning option.

Sale (1-0) picked up the win in Friday's 6-0 shutout of the Royals, giving up three hits and three walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out six.

The veteran southpaw was dominant to kick off the 2026 campaign, firing 54 of 88 pitches for strikes while not allowing an extra-base hit. Sale has yet to make 30 starts in a season for Atlanta, taking the mound 50 total times in his two years with the club, but the results when he's been available have been generally outstanding -- he's delivered a 2.46 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 390:71 K:BB in 303.1 innings. Sale will look to keep rolling at home against the A's next week in his next scheduled start.

Fairbanks gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his first save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Rockies.

The Marlins' new closer allowed a one-out single to T.J. Rumfield, but he induced weak contact from Jordan Beck and Brenton Doyle to end the night. Fairbanks racked up 75 saves over the last three seasons for the Rays before inking a one-year, $13 million deal with the Marlins in December, and his ability to stay healthy might be the only thing standing between him and his first career 30-save campaign.

Ginkel (0-1) allowed one run on two hits over one inning, picking up the loss in Friday's game against the Dodgers.

Ginkel was handed a tough assignment in his first appearance of the season, entering a tie game in the eighth inning with a switch hitter and two lefties due up. The Diamondbacks have an all-righty bullpen, and manager Torey Lovullo tabbed Ginkel as one of the relievers designated to get lefties. He gave up a leadoff double to Alex Freeland and a run-scoring single to Kyle Tucker two batters later. Ginkel will be part of a late-game crew along with Ryan Thompson, who pitched the seventh inning Friday, and Paul Sewald, who has yet to pitch.

Alcantara (1-0) allowed an unearned run on four hits and two walks over seven innings in Friday's 2-1 win over Colorado. He struck out five.

The veteran right-hander didn't give up an extra-base hit in an impressive effort to begin the season, firing 49 of 73 pitches for strikes. Alcantara struggled early last season in his return from Tommy John surgery, but he seemed to turn a corner in August, posting a 2.68 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB over his final eight starts and 53.2 innings in 2025. He seems to have carried that form into 2026, and his next outing lines up to be a clash with the White Sox at home next week.