MLB Player News

Myers is expected to make the Reds' Opening Day roster due to his superb defense and his ability to hit left-handed pitchers, after he hit .297/.360/.456 against them over the last three seasons, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Whenever the Reds haven't had TJ Friedl available for a given game, they have had to compromise on defense in center field, but Myers addresses that shortcoming nicely. The only thing working against Myers is that the team otherwise has so many right-handed hitters, which might encourage them to carry both JJ Bleday and Will Benson instead.

Miller is battling lower-back soreness and will be receiving treatment during the week, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's not quite clear when this issue popped up for Miller, but the team is understandably proceeding with caution to ensure the injury doesn't get worse. The 21-year-old received an invitation to big-league camp and has an outside chance to make the Opening Day roster, but this injury won't help his chances. Miller can be considered day-to-day until the team has another update to share.

Tidwell allowed one walk and struck out three across one scoreless inning in Saturday's 10-5 Cactus League win over the Mariners.

Tidwell struck out three of the four batters he faced Saturday, tossing 13 of his 25 pitches for strikes. While the right-hander has mostly operated as a starter in the minors, he'll have an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever with Jason Foley (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list and Sam Hentges (shoulder/knee) still ramping up. Tidwell was acquired from the Mets last July but never saw big-league action for the Giants, missing time due to a right shoulder injury. Over four appearances (three starts) with Triple-A Sacramento in 2025, the 24-year-old posted a 1.50 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB across 18.0 innings.

Birdsong allowed five earned runs on three hits, including a home run, and two walks across one-third of an inning during Saturday's 10-5 Cactus League win over the Mariners.

Birdsong started Saturday's matchup and immediately surrendered two singles and a walk before giving up a grand slam to Miles Mastrobuoni. After opening the 2025 campaign as a reliever and joining the rotation in mid-May, Birdsong was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in July and never returned to the majors. The right-hander is expected to compete for a bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster.

Brannigan (face) was removed from Sunday's Grapefruit League game versus Philadelphia after being hit by a batted ball, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Brannigan started the split-squad game at third base but was replaced in the second inning after being hit in the face by a groundball, per Anthony Murphy of DKPittsburghSports.com. He subsequently underwent examination and treatment by local and team medical staffs. Jesus Castillo entered the game for Brannigan.

Ballesteros reported to spring camp Sunday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Ballesteros has officially joined the Cubs for spring camp after dealing with visa issues entering the United States. Just 22 years old, Ballesteros could compete for the Cubs' DH job after slashing .298/.394/.474 with two homers, 11 RBI and 12 runs across 66 plate appearances for the team in 2025.

Lawlar started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a walk and solo home run in Saturday's spring game against the Rockies.

Lawlar won an eight-pitch battle, delivering a solo home run to left field off Valente Bellozo in the second inning. He's set to see a lot of time in center field this spring, as Alek Thomas will cover left field for the injured Lourdes Gurriel (knee). Once all of Arizona's injured outfielders return, including right fielder Corbin Carroll (hand), Lawlar could earn playing time as the right-handed hitting complement to Thomas in center and in left field when Gurriel operates as the designated hitter.

Mauricio went 0-for-2 with a stolen base in the Mets' Grapefruit League opener against the Marlins on Saturday.

After reaching on a throwing error by Connor Norby in the second inning, Mauricio promptly swiped second base. It was an encouraging sign for the 24-year-old infielder. Prior to missing the entire 2024 season after ACL surgery, Mauricio had gone 31-for-38 on the basepaths over 142 games in 2023 split between Triple-A Syracuse and the majors, and per Statcast he recorded a sprint speed in the 60th percentile. In his return last season, he went just 4-for-4 in 61 big-league games on steal attempts with a 15th percentile sprint speed. If Mauricio has regained his wheels and is more confident in the health of his knee a year further removed from surgery, he could make a surprising impact in the SB category if he's able to earn consistent playing time.

Sanchez (knee) will DH and bat second in Sunday's spring training game against Kansas City.

Sanchez missed the final months of the 2025 season with a knee injury, but he's seemingly fully recovered from the injury. The veteran catcher returns to Milwaukee after a one-year stint in Baltimore, where he slashed .231/.297/.418 with five home runs, 24 RBI and 13 runs scored across 101 plate appearances. The 33-year-old catcher is slated to back up William Contreras, but could see occasional playing time at DH.

Acuna will hit in the leadoff spot for 2026, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Acuna bounced around Atlanta's batting order in 2025, leading off 43 times, batting third 46 times and batting sixth twice. He'll open the 2026 season as the team's leadoff hitter, a role which Jurickson Profar filled to end the previous campaign. Acuna, though limited to 95 games because of injury, slashed .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs, nine stolen bases and a 71:102 BB:K across 412 plate appearances in 2025.