MLB Player News

Wetherholt will start at second base and bat leadoff in Thursday's opener versus the Rays.

The Cardinals will not ease Wetherholt into his major-league debut, putting him atop their batting order. The team's other potential option in the leadoff spot, Masyn Winn, will hit cleanup. Wetherholt earned a spot on St. Louis' Opening Day roster by collecting a .386 on-base percentage with two home runs and two stolen bases during Grapefruit League action.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said on MLB Network on Thursday that Yelich "wants to play the outfield, and I think that he will" in the wake of Jackson Chourio's (hand) placement on the injured list, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The veteran slugger made just 19 appearances in the outfield across his 150 regular-season games last year, as he primarily served as a designated hitter for the first time in his 13-year career. It helped Yelich to stay healthy and total 29 home runs and 103 RBI, which are his best marks since 2019 and 2018, respectively, but he could play the field more early in 2026 with Chourio sidelined for at least the next couple weeks.

The Brewers recalled Perkins from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday.

The 29-year-old was optioned to Nashville last week but will rejoin the big club ahead of Thursday's season opener versus the White Sox with Jackson Chourio (hand) hitting the injured list. Perkins isn't likely to be a lineup regular but should see occasional starts in the outfield, which is now expected to have Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick as the primary options from left to right. Perkins played in 54 regular-season games last year and had a .226/.298/.348 slash line with three homers and seven steals.

The Brewers placed Chourio (hand) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Chourio was hit on the left hand by a pitch while playing an exhibition game with Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic back on March 4. He returned to action a few days later, but a recent MRI revealed a hairline fracture at the base of his third metacarpal, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Chourio is expected to be sidelined 2-to-4 weeks. Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins and Brandon Lockridge should see more reps in the outfield for the Brewers as a result of Chourio's injury. The club could also use designated hitter Christian Yelich more in the outfield while Chourio is out.

Baty will start at designated hitter and bat sixth in Thursday's opener against the Pirates.

With righty Paul Skenes on the bump, the left-handed-hitting Baty gets the call over righty-swinging Mark Vientos. Baty is also likely to see starts at first base against right-handed pitching, but Jorge Polanco is getting his first career start there Thursday.

Vientos is not in the lineup for Thursday's opener versus the Pirates.

With right-hander Paul Skenes on the bump for the Pirates, the Mets will go with Jorge Polanco at first base and the left-handed-hitting Brett Baty at designated hitter. The right-handed-hitting Vientos is unlikely to be a strict short-side platoon bat, but he could sit regularly against tougher righties.

Lindor (hand) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff in Thursday's opener against the Pirates.

Lindor is just six weeks removed from hamate bone surgery but is ready to roll for Opening Day after playing five Grapefruit League games. Power can sometimes be slow to come back after this type of procedure, but fantasy managers will nonetheless want to have Lindor locked and loaded into their lineups.

Webb (0-1) took the loss versus the Yankees on Wednesday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings.

Webb was roughed up for five runs in the second inning and gave up two more in the fifth before exiting the game. He threw 58 of 86 pitches for strikes, which was right in line with his workload in his last Cactus League start Thursday. The right-hander is a true workhorse for the Giants, having topped 200 innings in three straight years and 30 starts in each of the last four campaigns. He pitched to a 3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 224:46 K:BB over 207 innings in 2025 and should continue to eat innings with strong ratios again this season. Webb is tentatively projected to make his second start of the year on the road at San Diego next week.

Rea will make Chicago's Opening Day roster as a long reliever, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

With Cade Horton staking his claim to a rotation spot after an impressive rookie season and Edward Cabrera joining the Cubs via trade, Rea ultimately got pushed to the bullpen. The veteran righty made 27 starts for Chicago during the 2025 regular season, but he'll now slot in as a long reliever capable of supplying multiple innings out of the bullpen. Rea's fantasy value takes a hit in this role, though he certainly could still make some spot starts throughout the year.

The Marlins placed Ruiz (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Ruiz sustained a high-grade left oblique strain in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals and is facing a projected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks. With Ruiz and Kyle Stowers (oblique) both shelved to start the season, the Marlins bolstered their outfield by signing Austin Slater to a one-year contract Tuesday.