MLB Player News

Through three Cactus League appearances, Alcantara is just 1-for-10 with five strikeouts.

Alcantara is competing for a spot on Chicago's Opening Day roster in camp, but he hasn't done much to make a mark yet. The 23-year-old has appeared in only 13 games at the MLB level the last two years compared to 137 games for Triple-A Iowa, and he could once again be ticketed for a trip to the minors with an option still in hand. Alcantara remains a talented prospect, and he seems likely to push for a role with the Cubs at some point in 2026, even if it doesn't happen right out of the gates.

The Reds acquired Nicolas from the Pirates in exchange for Tyler Callihan on Wednesday.

Nicolas will compete for a spot in Cincinnati's bullpen after appearing in 82 games for the Pirates over the past two seasons. Nicolas has a career 4.68 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 96:53 K:BB across 98 innings of relief.

The Pirates acquired Callihan from the Reds in exchange for Kyle Nicolas on Wednesday.

Callihan made his MLB debut last season with Cincinnati, seeing action across four games. The 25-year-old utilityman recorded a single, an RBI and one strikeout across six plate appearances. Callihan will compete for a depth role in Pittsburgh after he showed impressive bat-to-ball skills at the Triple-A level in 2025, slashing .303/.410/.528 with four home runs, 12 RBI, 19 runs scored, six stolen bases and a 16:29 BB:K across 106 trips to the plate.

Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters Wednesday that Pena took a groundball to his fingertip and will undergo X-rays Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Per Dylan Delgatto of SportingNews, Pena suffered a small fracture in his finger during Wednesday's World Baseball Classic exhibition game against the Tigers, and the injury puts him in jeopardy of missing at least the first round of the WBC. Pena will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury and whether he is in danger of missing more time, potentially for the start of the MLB regular season. If he were to be sidelined for an extended period of time, then the Astros could turn to Nick Allen to take over at shortstop or move Carlos Correa from third base and have Isaac Paredes serve at the hot corner.

Farris allowed two runs on five hits with one strikeout and no walks over three innings during an exhibition game against Team Italy on Wednesday. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, the left-hander was sitting around 93 mph with his fastball.

Farris averaged 90.3 mph with his fastball as a rookie last season, as he made five starts and had a 6.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings. The 25-year-old showed more strikeout potential in the minors with an 11.0 K/9 at Double-A, and a little more velocity could help to improve his results in the majors.

Lee was removed from Chinese Taipei's World Baseball Classic roster Wednesday due to a left oblique strain, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear how or when Lee sustained the injury, but he will travel to Lakeland to undergo tests to determine the severity of the injury. He spent the entire 2025 season with Triple-A Toledo, where he slashed .248/.345/.414 with 22 steals (on 26 attempts), 14 home runs and 63 RBI in 579 plate appearances.

Peguero was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Peguero is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks. He initially suffered the hamstring injury 16 days ago but apparently aggravated it in recent days and will now face an even longer recovery period. Peguero was competing for a prominent role in the Giants' bullpen after pitching in 17 games for San Francisco last season. He registered a 2.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB across his first 22.1 big-league innings.

Devers said Wednesday that his injured hamstring is "feeling good," and he could get back into Cactus League action this weekend, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Devers was scratched from last Friday's lineup and was shut down from all baseball activities due to hamstring tightness. With the rest, it appears as if Devers' hamstring is feeling better. As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, Devers should be ready for Opening Day in three weeks.

Sanmartin suffered a minor quadriceps strain during a recent exhibition game appearance for Team Colombia, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sanmartin tweaked his quad while fielding a comebacker. The lefty will be forced to pull out of representing his native country in the World Baseball Classic, and he will be reevaluated before it's determined how much time he might miss. Sanmartin was a waiver claim of the Giants back in November.

Fitts notched four strikeouts over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's exhibition game versus Team Nicaragua.

Working in relief, Fitts surrendered four singles in his three frames, but he didn't walk anyone in addition to his four punchouts. His velocity remained up just as it was in his first Grapefruit League outing, averaging 96.6 mph with his four-seamer and 96.2 mph with his sinker. The big righty has spun five scoreless innings between the two appearances while collecting a 5:0 K:BB. Fitts is competing for a spot in the Cardinals' rotation, and that the team is mulling a six-man setup, at least initially, helps his odds.