MLB Player News

The Cardinals reassigned Blewett to minor-league camp Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Blewett had been attending spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he made a spirited run at a spot in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen after submitting a 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB in six Grapefruit League innings. With Blewett now officially out of the mix for a roster berth, Rule 5 pick Matt Pushard and offseason trade acquisition George Soriano should have better odds of breaking camp with the big club.

Henderson (elbow) is scheduled to throw 2-to-3 innings in a spring training appearance Friday, Sophia Minnaert of FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin reports.

The Brewers haven't specified whether Henderson will pitch in their Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks that day, or if he'll pitch on the back fields of camp during a minor-league game. Regardless, Henderson seems to have moved past the mild right elbow soreness he experienced last week, so it still looks like he has a chance to break camp as a member of the Milwaukee rotation. Henderson shined in his first taste of the big leagues in 2025, logging a 1.78 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 33:8 K:BB over 25.1 innings in five starts before being diagnosed with a right flexor strain in early August that ended his season.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Moore was lifted from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus Atlanta in the top of the fifth inning due to a bruised foot, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Thomson downplayed any concern about the injury, noting that Moore was removed from the game mostly as a precaution shortly after fouling a ball off his foot. The 33-year-old signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies over the winter and is in the mix for a utility spot on the Opening Day roster.

The Brewers announced Wednesday that Yoho has been diagnosed with a low-grade right soleus strain and is projected to return to action in mid-April, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The soleus strain will take Yoho out of contention for a spot in the Brewers' Opening Day bullpen, but he's not expected to be in store for a long-term stay on the shelf to begin the season. The 26-year-old righty was one of the more dominant relief arms in the International League last season but struggled across his multiple stints in the majors, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits and nine walks over 8.2 innings in eight regular-season appearances for Milwaukee.

The Brewers announced Wednesday that Zastryzny is recovering from a left rhomboid strain and is likely to return to action at some point in April, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Zastryzny made two Cactus League appearances for the Brewers before joining Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic. The lefty reliever apparently suffered the injury at some point during the WBC, but the Brewers don't believe he'll be in store for a long-term absence. In any case, Zastryzny looks like he'll open the season on the injured list, which could clear the way for another southpaw to win a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

The Giants reassigned Kennedy to minor-league camp Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kennedy had been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and ultimately fell short in his fight for a utility role with the Giants. The 27-year-old is expected to report to Triple-A Sacramento to begin the season. Kennedy saw 13 games of big-league action in 2025, slashing .069/.156/.103 across stops with the Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays.

The Giants optioned Whisenhunt to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Though Whisenhunt had shown improved velocity during spring training, he struggled with his command and control. Over four appearances (two starts) during Cactus League play, Whisenhunt was charged with 10 earned runs on eight hits and eight walks while striking out 14 batters over 9.1 innings. With Whisenhunt sent down and with Hayden Birdsong (forearm) set to begin the season on the injured list, Trevor McDonald and Carson Seymour would appear to be first in line to join the San Francisco rotation if a spot were to open up.

The Giants optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Rodriguez was competing to break camp as the backup to Patrick Bailey, but instead the 23-year-old catcher will begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A. Rodriguez was acquired from the Yankees at the trade deadline last season in the deal that sent Camilo Doval to the Bronx.

The Cardinals announced Wednesday that Liberatore will start the team's March 26 season opener against the Rays in St. Louis.

It will be Liberatore's first career Opening Day nod, and it comes against the team that selected him 16th overall in the 2018 Draft. After working mainly as reliever in 2024, Liberatore started all 29 games in which he appeared last regular season, posting an 8-12 record, 4.21 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 122:40 K:BB across 151.2 innings. He's been stellar this spring, with a 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB across 10 innings.

Hassell went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Hassell showed off his defensive versatility, playing all three outfield spots over the course of the game. The 24-year-old will likely open the season as the Nationals' fourth outfielder behind James Wood, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young, and if Young's weak bat costs him playing time, Hassell would be the most likely beneficiary. He's far from a finished product, however, batting .286 (8-for-28) this spring with one double, two steals in four attempts and a sketchy 1:9 BB:K.