MLB Player News

Pauley (forearm) will serve as Miami's designated hitter in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Stephen Strom of Marlins Radio Network reports.

Pauley's spring debut has been delayed this year due to forearm tightness, but he has seemingly made a full recovery and will begin playing in exhibition games this weekend. The 25-year-old slashed .224/.311/.366 with 11 RBI and 18 runs scored across 184 plate appearances with the Marlins last year and is the favorite to open the regular season as Miami's primary third baseman.

Aguiar allowed three runs on four hits and struck out two over two innings in Friday's spring game against the Angels.

After starter Rhett Lowder breezed through three innings, Aguiar entered and did not fare as well. The latter was tagged for all three runs in the fourth inning and has allowed six hits and four runs over four Cactus League frames. Aguiar is nominally in the mix for the final rotation spot, but both of his main rivals, Lowder and Chase Burns, have performed better.

Lowder allowed one walk and struck out three over three hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Angels.

Lowder was on point with all of his pitches, dispatching nine of 10 batters faced on 30 offerings (21 strikes). He was so efficient that the right-hander retired to the bullpen to throw another 10 pitches. This was Lowder's first Cactus League start and second spring outing. The ability throw all his pitches for strikes should serve him well in the competition for the final spot in Cincinnati's rotation.

Swanson went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Swanson, who has appeared in only two Cactus League games so far, mustered his first long ball of the spring slate Friday. The veteran shortstop shouldn't need a ton of work to get ready for the regular season, and he'll look to build on the 24 home runs and 77 RBI he tallied across 159 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025. Swanson did say earlier this month that he is willing to swap some power for more contact in 2026. He's batted below .245 in each of his three seasons in Chicago but hit .277 in 2022 with Atlanta, so there could be room for improvement in this category, though his homer total might decrease as a result.

Carroll (hand) has resumed baseball activity, Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic reports.

Carroll had a bat in his hand Friday. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo again indicated the outfielder is ahead of schedule but can not estimate a timeline until the outfielder's swinging bat to ball.

Cabrera struck out three batters across two perfect innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Making his spring training debut for the Cubs after getting traded over to the team in January, Cabrera looked sharp as he didn't allow any baserunners over his two innings of work. The righty can miss plenty of bats, as evidenced by his career 10.0 K/9, but he also has struggled with control at times and has a career 4.5 BB/9. Cabrera did manage a career-best 3.1 BB/9 in 2025 for the Marlins to go along with a 3.53 ERA, which was down from the 4.95 ERA he posted a year earlier. If the 27-year-old righty can continue to limit walks, he could be in store for a strong first season in Chicago.

Nelson struck out three over two hitless and scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against Seattle.

Nelson breezed through all six batters faced in his Cactus League debut, throwing 25 pitches (17 strikes). As usual, he was efficient and relied heavily on his four-seamer, a pitch he threw 62 percent of the time in 2025. He also mixed in cutters (seven) and curveballs (three). "I feel good, honestly, about the pitch mix right now," Nelson told Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic. "It's probably the best I've felt this time of the year. Now just build up some endurance and some length." The right-hander added that he'd feel comfortable taking the ball Opening Day; the Diamondbacks must decide who will replace Merrill Kelly (back) for the regular-season opener March 26.

Baty (hamstring) will start at first base and bat fourth in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Baty tweaked his hamstring during an offseason workout shortly before the start of spring training, but he's now been cleared to begin playing in exhibition games. Now that he's healthy, the 26-year-old is expected to compete with top prospect Carson Benge for the starting job in right field this spring. If Baty loses the battle, he will likely still make the Opening Day roster as a utility man.

Stowers will undergo medical imaging after being scratched from Saturday's Grapefruit League lineup due to hamstring tightness, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stowers should be considered day-to-day for now, but if it's any sort of strain, it could jeopardize the outfielder's availability for Opening Day. The 28-year-old has gone 1-for-6 with two walks and two strikeouts in his limited action so far this spring.

Nola gave up one run on two hits in two innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Miami. He struck out two.

It was a decent spring debut for Nola, who fired 20 pitches for strikes among his 31 offerings and induced six swings and misses. The 32-year-old right-hander got his fastball velocity up to 92.9 mph, which is an encouraging figure after he averaged just 91.4 mph amidst an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. Nola is hoping to rebound for the Phillies in 2026 -- he turned in a career-worst 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP covering 17 regular-season starts last year.