MLB Player News

Marte (leg) will start at second base and bat leadoff in Thursday's season opener against the Dodgers.

Marte had to be scratched from the Diamondbacks' final exhibition contest due to lower-leg soreness earlier in the week, but the minor injury won't keep him from suiting up Opening Day. The switch hitter batted second against right-handers last season, but he'll get a turn in the leadoff spot versus righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Thursday.

Tauchman underwent surgery Thursday to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Tauchman is expected to miss the first six weeks of the season while he recovers from his operation. He'll report to Triple-A Syracuse once he's healthy but could be bumped up to Queens during the season if Carson Benge struggles during his first season in the bigs.

Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Birdsong was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in mid-March and elected to go under the knife. The right-hander will miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign and likely at least the first couple months of 2027.

The Rockies reassigned Bellozo to minor-league camp Monday.

After compiling a 4.65 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 54:23 K:BB over 81.1 innings as a swingman for Miami in 2025, Bellozo didn't perform well enough in his first spring training with the Rockies to win a spot on the Opening Day roster as a starter or long reliever. He's expected to open the upcoming season at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Milias will begin the season on the Nationals' 26-man roster, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 28-year-old beat out Harry Ford and Riley Adams for the job of backing up Keibert Ruiz, giving the Nats a rare combo -- two switch-hitting catchers. Milias has seen brief action in the majors in each of the last three seasons but has never seen more than 62 plate appearances in a campaign, amassing a more-than-respectable .276/.340/.396 slash line with two homers and six steals in 49 games.

Wheeler (shoulder) is scheduled to throw three innings and/or 50 pitches in Saturday's rehab start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Corey Seidman of PHLY Sports reports.

It will be Wheeler's first official game action since last September's venous thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. The Phillies will likely want Wheeler to get his pitch count up to the 80-to-90 range before clearing him for his season debut, so the right-hander will likely make two additional rehab starts after Saturday before returning in mid-April if all goes well.

The Nationals announced Wednesday that Varland won a spot on the Opening Day roster.

The 29-year-old right-hander didn't pitch in the majors at all in 2025 and threw only 6.1 innings in the minors in the White Sox system, but Varland looked healthy this spring while posting a 5.23 ERA and 13:4 K:BB over 10.1 innings. The back of the Washington bullpen is unsettled, and Varland could work his way into a high-leverage role with a quick start to the campaign.

Granillo has claimed a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 25-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut last season with the Cardinals, posting a 4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB over 21 innings, before being traded to the Nationals early in February. Granillo is expected to fill a low-leverage role to begin his tenure with Washington.

Poulin has claimed a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 29-year-old will be one of three left-handers in the Washington bullpen, joining Cionel Perez and Ken Waldichuk. Poulin looked good this spring, posting a 0.00 ERA and 10:3 K:BB in 7.2 innings, but he may not see regular high-leverage work after producing a 3.65 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB over his first 24.2 big-league innings last season with two wins, a save and five holds in 28 appearances.

Schmitt started at first base and went 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

The 27-year-old reached first in the second inning after being hit by Max Fried, accounting for Schmitt's lone time on base during the Opening Day rout. The San Diego State product is expected to play a utility role in 2026, though he drew the start at first base Wednesday while Rafael Devers served as the designated hitter. Schmitt appeared in a career-high 95 regular-season games in 2025, slashing .237/.305/.401 with 40 RBI, 34 runs scored and 12 long balls in 348 plate appearances.