MLB Player News

The Rockies are expected to place Freeman on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to lower-back inflammation, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Freeman didn't make his Cactus League debut until March 5 due to back problems and he encountered a setback last week. While he does not appear to have any structural damage in his back, the fact that the injury has lingered for so long could point to longer than a minimum stay on the IL. Once healthy, Freeman projects for a super-utility role in Colorado.

Chaparro is expected to begin the season as the Nationals' primary designated hitter, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

Luis Garcia is shifting to first base and Daylen Lile should be the primary right fielder, leaving DH available for Chaparro. The 26-year-old hasn't done much yet in the majors to suggest he's capable of providing consistent offense, however, slashing .203/.268/.358 in 205 plate appearances for the Nats over the last two years with just five homers. He's also struggled this spring, batting .154 (6-for-39) with two home runs and a 6:12 BB:K. If Chaparro can't step up, he could be the player who loses his spot when it's time for Dylan Crews or Robert Hassell -- both of whom will begin the year with Triple-A Rochester -- to get another look.

The Cubs hope Hodge (elbow) is ready to play catch around April 1, MLB.com reports.

Hodge was diagnosed with a right flexor strain in early March. Given that he will be shut down for nearly a month, at minimum, it's going to take a while for him to get built back up. Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 36 appearances with the Cubs in 2025.

McLain (illness) is starting at second base and batting second in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Brewers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain was unavailable for Monday's exhibition game due to an illness, but he's good to go after taking a day to recover. The second baseman will begin the season batting second for the Reds after posting a .220/.300/.343 slash line with 15 homers and 18 steals in 147 regular-season games last year.

Nunez appears to be in line to be the Nationals' regular second baseman this season, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

Luis Garcia is expected to shirt to first base, opening up the keystone for Nunez. The 25-year-old should provide a defensive upgrade over Garcia, but it remains to be seen how much offense Nunez can supply, as he comes into 2026 with a career .238/.329/.343 slash line in 170 big-league plate appearances. Nunez could make an impact on the basepaths, however, having gone 17-for-20 on steal attempts so far in his career before being successful in all seven of his SB attempts this spring.

Garcia could see most of his playing time at first base this season, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The Nationals' decision to send Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell to Triple-A to begin the season created a domino effect that put Daylen Lile in right field, opening up regular DH at-bats for Andres Chaparro and allowing Garcia to slide from the keystone to first base-- a position he has only two games of big-league experience at. Washington is hoping the reduced defensive responsibilities will help the 25-year-old's bat find another level after he slashed just .252/.289/.412 in 2025 with 16 homers and 14 steals in 139 games.

Lile appears to be the likely Opening Day starter in right field for the Nationals, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

With Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell both beginning the year at Triple-A, Lile is effectively the last man standing in right, with James Wood in left field and Jacob Young in center. Lile is coming off a surprising rookie season in 2025 in which he slashed .299/.347/.498 over 91 games with nine homers and eight steals, a performance which carries a little more weight than his .213/.240/.447 slash line over 16 games this spring.

House slashed .429/.444/.786 over 16 Grapefruit League games this spring with six doubles and three home runs.

The 22-year-old third baseman also had a 1:11 BB:K, however, creating plenty of doubt as to whether House will be able to maintain that momentum into the regular season. He's locked into the starting job at the hot corner, but he'll need to significantly improve his plate discipline to get to his power after he managed just a 2.9 percent walk rate against a 28.5 percent strikeout rate as a rookie in 2025.

Ruiz will be the Nationals' starting catcher to begin the season, Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com report.

The 27-year-old switch hitter could get pushed by prospect Harry Ford later in the year, but at least to begin the campaign, Ford will be at Triple-A. Ruiz has seen his offense decline significantly since a career-best 2023 in which he posted 18 homers and a .717 OPS over 136 games, and if he isn't able to rebound, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him lose his starting job over the summer. Ruiz has managed just a .184/.295/.289 slash line in 16 spring games, albeit with a 5:5 BB:K.

Defrank has regularly hit 100 mph with his fastball this spring while showing a potentially plus changeup and the makings of a quality slider or sweeper, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.

Still only 17 years old, Defrank has also impressed Marlins brass with his makeup and maturity. "I would say what excites me the most is how much he grew last year and how much I think we're going to see him grow again this year because of his discipline, his work ethic, and just the physicality that he gained," director of player development Rachel Balkovec said. "I think he's exploded onto the map." Given DeFrank's age, Miami will treat the right-hander with kid gloves in 2026 after he threw 31 innings in the Dominican Summer League last year, but he'll climb prospect lists quickly if he stays healthy and continues to refine his control and his arsenal.