MLB Player News

Mitchell went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, four RBI and a walk in Thursday's spring game against the Rockies.

Mitchell had recorded only five plate appearances all spring prior to Thursday, but he showed no signs of rust, opening the contest with a homer and reaching twice afterward. Health has always been the biggest question for Mitchell, who did not take the field after April last year due to a shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery. He is healthy now, and if he remains so he is slated to open the season as the primary option in center field for the Brewers.

The Reds optioned Aguiar to minor-league camp Friday.

Aguiar is back healthy after Tommy John surgery, but he was always a good bet to begin the season in the minors. The 24-year-old will begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Louisville.

Correa was scratched from Friday's Grapefruit League lineup versus the Nationals due to stiffness on the right side of his neck, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Astros manager Joe Espada said of Correa that "we'll see how he feels tomorrow," so it's fair to call the veteran infielder day-to-day for now. Correa had been slated to start at third base Friday, but he is a candidate to slide over to shortstop if Jeremy Pena (finger) isn't ready for Opening Day.

Nelson allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three over 2.2 innings in Thursday's start against the Cubs.

Nelson was knocked around in the first inning before settling in to retire the final seven batters he faced in his second Cactus League start. He upped his pitch count to 42 (30 strikes). "Honestly, it felt like the stuff was good," Nelson told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "Pretty happy with how everything's coming out right now. Just got to clean a couple things up." The right-hander is looking to add more secondary offerings to complement the four-seamer that he threw 62 percent of the time in 2025. On Thursday, Nelson threw 20 four-seamers along with 11 cutters and nine curveballs.

Lopez (elbow) is scheduled to start Sunday's Cactus League game against the Angels.

The left-hander built up slowly early in camp after finishing 2025 on the injured list due to an elbow strain, and he's now ready to make his Cactus League debut this weekend. Lopez received his first extended look in the majors last season and was a decent rotation piece for the A's with a 4.08 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 113:37 K:BB across 92.2 innings. The 27-year-old is expected to open the campaign as a member of the starting rotation.

Del Castillo (calf) has begun hitting in cages and catching bullpen sessions, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Del Castillo has been sidelined since mid-February, at which point his recovery time was estimated to be about a month. He's not running yet, but the resumption of baseball activities indicates Del Castillo could be available for Opening Day.

Kelly (back) threw a bullpen session Thursday and said he felt fine afterwards, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Kelly unleashed his entire arsenal during the session, throwing close to 30 pitches. "I got a chance to speak with him directly after the bullpen, and he said he feels really good," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. The Diamondbacks have yet to determine the next steps for the right-hander, but the fact that Kelly was able to return to the mound this early in spring training bodes well for his availability for the regular season.

Chourio is out of the lineup for Venezuela's World Baseball Classic game against the Netherlands on Friday due to a left hand injury, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com.

The 21-year-old was hit by a pitch during Wednesday's exhibition game and won't start Friday, but he's expected to be available to pinch run and play defense after X-rays came back negative, per Alvarez-Montes. The injury doesn't appear to be a serious concern, but it's unclear if Chourio will be cleared to rejoin the lineup for Saturday's matchup with Israel.

Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Briceno injured the wrist in a Grapefruit League contest last weekend and is now looking at an extended absence. The 21-year-old slashed .266/.383/.500 with 20 home runs over 100 games between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie in 2025. Once healthy, he'll likely head back to Erie.

Merrill went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two total runs and two total RBI in a Cactus League win over Seattle on Thursday.

Merrill's third-inning, two-run blast was one of eight long balls hit by San Diego during the 27-6 thrashing of the Mariners. It's been a strong spring so far for Merrill, who is slashing .333/.400/.778 with two homers and four RBI through eight games. He's locked in as the Padres' everyday center fielder and will look to rebound from a somewhat disappointing sophomore campaign, which saw him post a .774 regular-season OPS (down from his rookie .826 mark) while missing nearly 50 games due to injuries.