MLB Player News

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.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Friday that Junk will be the team's fifth starter, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Junk has officially won the fifth starting spot, beating out Braxton Garrett, who was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday. Junk, now 30 years old, had his first prolonged big-league stint last season, starting in 16 of his 21 appearances with Miami and posting a 4.17 ERA across 110 innings. His first regular-season start is scheduled to come against the White Sox.

The Marlins optioned Garrett to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday.

After being sidelined all of last season while recovering from elbow surgery, Garrett will begin 2026 in the minors. He gave up three runs with three strikeouts and three walks over four Grapefruit League innings. The left-hander will likely get a look in Miami's rotation at some point this season, but it'll be Janson Junk who begins the campaign as the No. 5 starter.

Sanchez was announced as the Phillies' Opening Day starter for Thursday's game versus the Rangers, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The left-hander certainly earned it after he posted a 2.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 212:44 K:BB across 202 innings during the regular season last year, though Zack Wheeler (shoulder) likely would have still earned the nod if healthy. Sanchez has established himself as a frontline starter the past two seasons, with his 212 strikeouts last year ranking seventh in MLB.

Sale has officially been named Atlanta's Opening Day starter, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Sale will make his seventh career Opening Day start and his second straight in Atlanta. The soon-to-be 37-year-old will face the Royals. Sale has had back-to-back stellar seasons, posting a 2.38 ERA in 2024 and a 2.58 ERA in 2025.

Benge is likely to make the Mets' Opening Day roster, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The Mets have already optioned MJ Melendez to the minors, but Mike Tauchman remains in camp as the club has yet to make anything official regarding the season-opening roster. It's possible both outfielders land on the 26-man roster if New York goes short on the infield. Benge has put his best foot forward during spring training with a .406/.472/.500 slash line through 11 Grapefruit League games, which gives him a chance not just to make the roster but begin the year with a regular role.

The Nationals assigned Rutledge to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Rutledge will fall short of making the big-league roster after yielding three runs (two earned) across 6.1 innings spanning seven appearances this spring. The 26-year-old threw 73.1 innings out of the bullpen for Washington last season, posting a 5.77 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.

The Nationals assigned Crews to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

This is a disappointing outcome for fantasy managers who had taken a late-round swing on the talented 24-year-old or have shares of him in a dynasty league. Crews slashed .103/.206/.103 with 11 strikeouts and four walks during spring training. The move leaves Daylen Lile, Joey Wiemer and Christian Franklin as the Nationals' remaining right field options.

Nunez went 1-for-2 with a walk and two stolen bases in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Getting the start at second base and batting second against left-hander Quinn Mathews while Luis Garcia played first base, Nunez ran his steals count for the spring up to six in six attempts. It's not yet clear exactly how Nunez will be deployed this season, but Garcia's defensive issues at the keystone could create more playing time than expected for his switch-hitting backup. Nunez's wheels are legit -- he stole 46 bases in 53 attempts between Triple-A and the majors over just 102 games in 2025 -- but he has yet to show he can hit big-league pitching consistently and is batting just .207 (6-for-29) this spring with an 8:9 BB:K.