MLB Player News

Contreras (finger) has gone 3-for-14 with a double and a 0:1 BB:K through four Cactus League games and has gone 0-for-3 with a walk through one game in the World Baseball Classic with Team Venezuela.

Contreras underwent a minor procedure in early November to address a fractured left middle finger, but he's been free of restrictions since reporting to Brewers camp in February. The 28-year-old catcher has yet to get going at the plate between his stops in the Cactus League and WBC, but his excellent track record since joining the Brewers ahead of the 2023 season should carry more weight for fantasy managers than his spring results. Contreras once again projects to handle one of the heavier workloads among all backstops in 2026 and should frequently stick in the MIlwaukee lineup at designated hitter on his non-catching days.

Chourio (hand) will start in center field and bat second for Team Venezuela in Monday's game against Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

As anticipated, Chourio will make his return to the starting nine after sitting out Venezuela's first two games of the WBC while recovering from the left hand injury he suffered when he was hit by a pitch Wednesday in an exhibition game. Before joining the Venezuelan team for the WBC, Chourio appeared in six Cactus League games for the Brewers, going 4-for-18 with a 3:3 BB:K.

Liberatore permitted two runs while striking out seven across five frames in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.

In addition to his seven punchouts, Liberatore did not issue a walk and picked up 16 swinging strikes on 65 pitches. It's the most whiffs for any pitcher in a single appearance so far this spring and is just one off Liberatore's regular-season high of 17. The left-hander has had an impressive showing this spring with a 2.70 ERA and 14:1 K:BB over 10 innings. Liberatore is expected to draw the Opening Day start for the Cardinals, though that has not yet been made official.

Lindor (hand) remains confident he'll be available for the Mets' March 26 season opener versus the Pirates, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The veteran shortstop has progressed to hitting in a batting cage as he works his way back from hamate bone surgery. Lindor won't get his normal workload in official spring training games regardless of whether he meets that timeline or not, but he thinks he'll be able to stack up enough at-bats in back-field contests to make up the difference once he's cleared for game action. Lindor slashed .267/.346/.466 with 31 home runs and 31 steals over 160 games in 2025, his second career 30-30 campaign.

Lambert has shown both elite velocity and elite induced vertical break on his four-seam fastball in camp, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch above Double-A, but it may not be long before he's handling high-leverage situations with the Mets. Lambert's fastball can reach triple digits on the radar gun, but it's also averaged between 19 and 20 inches of induced vertical break, which measures how much carry a ball up in the zone appears to have. The only two MLB pitchers who averaged better than 97 mph and more than 19 inches of carry with their four-seamers in 2025 were Brewers closer Trevor Megill, who posted a 2.49 ERA and 31.3 percent strikeout rate, and Padres setup man Jeremiah Estrada, who delivered a 3.45 ERA and 35.5 percent strikeout rate. For his part, Lambert fired up a 1.62 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB over 50 innings between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton last season.

Robert could make his Grapefruit League debut with the Mets on Thursday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old center fielder has been treated with kid gloves early in the spring, having him play exclusively on back fields, but the Mets appear just about ready to let Robert start ramping up in earnest ahead of Opening Day. "He's in a good place right now," manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday. "You just watch him take batting practice, and the way the ball comes off his bat is different. He could be special." It's been a while since Robert was healthy enough to display his considerable upside, but the last time he played close to a full season in 2023, he slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 homers and 20 steals in 145 games.

Conine went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Batting third and getting the start in right field, Conine switched places with Christopher Morel at first base to begin the sixth inning. Conine's third-inning long ball off Andre Pallante was his first of the spring, and he's looked good at the plate in Grapefruit League action, batting .278 (5-for-18) with a 6:6 BB:K. Morel remains the favorite to start at first base for the Marlins, but if he isn't able to handle the position defensively or struggles at the plate -- he's batting only .190 (4-for-21) with a 1:7 BB:K in eight spring appearances, after stumbling to a .651 OPS the last two seasons -- Conine may be the next man up.

Garrett allowed one run on one hit and one walk over three innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out two.

The southpaw threw 23 of 37 pitches for strikes, but while his line in the box score was good, Garrett wasn't able to match the velocity he's been flashing during batting practice sessions in camp. He sat just 91-92 mph with his four-seam fastball against the Cards and topping out at 93.6 mph. That would still be a step up from what he was showing prior to UCL revision surgery in December 2024, however, as the pitch averaged just 90.7 mph in 2024 and 90.8 mph in 2023. After not seeing game action at all in 2025, Garrett has been healthy to begin spring training and remains a favorite to open the season in the Miami rotation.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Mack is dealing with a stiff neck but should return to the Grapefruit League lineup in a couple days, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

McCullough noted that if it were the regular season, Mack would most likely play through the injury. Mack has appeared in seven games this spring for Miami, going 3-for-18 with one home run at the dish. He's third on the Marlins' catching depth chart and will begin the season at Triple-A Jacksonville, barring an injury to Agustin Ramirez or Liam Hicks.

Pauley (forearm) isn't yet cleared to play defense, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 25-year-old had been used as a DH over the past week, batting .364 (4-for-11) in four games with a double, a triple and a 2:1 BB:K. Once Pauley receives clearance to see game action on defense, he'll resume his battle with Connor Norby for the Marlins' starting job at third base.