MLB Player News

Kimbel did not exercise the first opt out in his minor-league contract with the Mets as he continues to pursue a spot on the Opening Day roster, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

New York's bullpen competition got a little bit narrower Friday with the club cutting Austin Warren, Kevin Herget and Robert Stock from big-league camp. Kimbrel has given up three runs with a 5:5 K:BB across six innings during spring training, but manager Carlos Mendoza has been impressed with the late life on Kimbrel's fastball. Bryan Hudson and Richard Lovelady are the remaining internal competition for a bullpen spot, but the Mets could bring in some outside arms as teams begin to trim the rosters for Opening Day.

The Cubs optioned Roberts to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Roberts will start the 2026 season at Triple-A despite having a strong camp. The right-hander posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across six innings this spring. He appeared in 10 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Hollowell will fall short of making the Opening Day roster. The 28-year-old appeared in seven regular-season games last season and posted a 2.57 ERA with a 12:2 K:BB across seven innings this spring.

Misiorowski has been named the Brewers' Opening Day starter, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Misiorowski will get the ball for the Brewers' regular-season opener against the White Sox on Thursday. The soon-to-be 24-year-old burst onto the scene last season, appearing in 15 regular-season games and posting a 4.36 ERA across 66 innings. He notched a 1.50 ERA across 12 innings in the 2025 playoffs. While Brandon Woodruff (lat) continues to ramp up and Quinn Priester (wrist) is sidelined, Misiorowski will be tasked with leading the Brewers' rotation.

Webb was announced as the Giants' starter for Opening Day against the Yankees on Wednesday, Jessica Kleinschmidt of Baseball America reports.

The 29-year-old righty is the obvious choice to start Opening Day, and he'll face off against lefty Max Fried in the first game of the 2026 MLB season Wednesday. Webb tallied a career-high 224 strikeouts last season with a 3.22 ERA and 1.24 WHIP while also tying a career best with 15 wins.

The Giants sent Santos to minor-league camp Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Santos received an invite to spring camp, but he'll fall short of making the big-league roster. The 25-year-old allowed five runs (two earned) with a 2:5 K:BB in 3.1 innings this spring.

Manager Rob Thompson said Friday that Painter will be part of the Phillies' rotation to start the 2026 season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) slated to start the new campaign on the sidelines, Painter has locked himself in to the Phillies' fifth rotation spot for the time being. The soon-to-be 23-year-old is one of the organization's top prospects and has cruised to a 2.31 ERA and 0.77 WHIP across 11.2 innings this spring.

Singer is fully recovered from his finger blister and will start Monday's exhibition game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

The right-hander exited Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies due to the blister, but he'll stay on his regular pitching schedule and make his final spring start Monday. Singer posted a 4.03 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 163:60 K:BB over 32 regular-season starts last year but has been up-and-down during spring training with a 3.55 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 9:7 K:BB in 12.2 frames.

Bader is considered day-to-day after experiencing tightness in his left hamstring Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bader dealt with a thumb injury earlier this spring, and now he's tending to what appears to be a minor hamstring injury. The Giants have just one more spring training game Saturday against Cleveland before beginning the regular season Wednesday against the Yankees. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, manager Tony Vitello sounded optimistic in regards to Bader's chances of being ready for Opening Day.

Pauley (forearm) is expected to play third base in Miami's spring-training finale Sunday against the Mets, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

Pauley has been seeing some action at DH during spring training while recovering from soreness in his right forearm, but the 25-year-old is on the brink of making his first Grapefruit League appearance in the field, which is encouraging for his Opening Day availability.