MLB Player News

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Sunday that an MRI on Stowers' right hamstring revealed a "very minor" strain, and the outfielder is expected to return to game action in 1-to-2 weeks, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Though the diagnosis comes as welcome news, the 28-year-old still appears set to miss a large chunk of the Marlins' Grapefruit League slate. He won't be shut down from baseball activities for long, with McCullough relaying that Stowers is expected to resume taking live at-bats on the back fields of camp within the next few days. He's coming off a breakout 2025 campaign in which he finished as an NL Gold Glove Award finalist in left field, slugged 25 home runs and stole five bases in 117 games.

Strider allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out two over two innings during his spring debut Saturday against the Orioles. His fastball averaged 93.1 mph and touched 94.3 mph, and afterwards the right-hander said, "it's going to take time to get those things where I know everyone wants them to be," Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

A lower velocity early in spring training is fairly common for pitchers, but Strider deserves extra scrutiny given that his fastball velocity has steadily trended downward since averaging 98.2 mph during his first full MLB campaign in 2022. It averaged 95.5 mph last season in his first year back from internal brace surgery on his elbow, and he was inconsistent on the mound with a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and significantly lower 9.4 K/9. Strider is currently more focused on improving the shape of his fastball, which could help him regain some dominance even if his velocity doesn't return to that 2022 peak.

The Nationals scratched Crews from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins due to left thumb soreness.

Christian Franklin was added to the starting nine as a replacement for Crews in right field and as the Nationals' No. 3 batter. Assuming that he isn't dealing with a fracture or ligament damage to his thumb, Crews will likely check back into the lineup within the next few days. The 24-year-old outfielder has gone 1-for-9 with one walk, two runs and one RBI through his first four Grapefruit League contests.

Guenther (hip) has allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings through his first two Grapefruit League appearances.

Guenther is back to full health for spring training after he didn't make an appearance in the majors or minors after June 25 last season while recovering from a left hip arthroscopy. Detroit brought the 30-year-old lefty reliever back on a minor-league deal this winter, and he's competing for a spot in the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Bellinger (back) has showed improvement, and the plan is for the outfielder to take live batting practice Tuesday before potentially rejoining the Grapefruit League lineup Thursday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Bellinger sustained a back injury Saturday and was initially expected to return to game action Tuesday, but he'll instead get a couple extra days to rest up. The 30-year-old still has plenty of time to get back to 100 percent prior to Opening Day.

Williams said that he hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game since Monday due to left quadriceps soreness, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Williams noted that he sustained the injury while legging out a triple in Monday's 7-5 loss to the Padres. The 22-year-old downplayed the severity of the issue and expressed confidence that he would be back in action soon. Acquired from the Mets in January, Williams is looking to claim a spot on the Brewers' Opening Day roster, but he's more likely to begin the season as an everyday player at Triple-A Nashville.

Bastardo (elbow) has struck out two batters while allowing one walk and no hits over two scoreless innings through his first two Grapefruit League appearances.

Bastardo appears to be back to full health after he was sidelined for all of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. After selecting the right-hander in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, Toronto kept him on the injured list all of last season. Now that he's healthy again, Bastardo will have to spend at least 90 days on the Blue Jays' active roster in 2026, or else Toronto will have to offer him back to the Red Sox.

DeLauter (lower body) will bat second as the designated hitter in Sunday's split-squad game against the Rockies, SI.com reports.

DeLauter has been held out of spring action since being scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to a lower-body injury, but he's ready to rejoin the lineup after starting up his running program Saturday. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in the playoffs last season and is the early favorite to open 2026 as the starter in center field.

Dallas (elbow) made his Grapefruit League debut in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Mets, striking out four batters over 1.2 perfect innings of relief.

Dallas spent the entire 2025 season on Triple-A Buffalo's 60-day injured list while recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September 2024. The right-hander seems to have entered camp without any restrictions and came through with a dominant relief outing in his spring debut. Despite the strong showing Monday, Dallas is likely to spend most of the 2026 campaign in the Buffalo bullpen.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Kessinger sustained "a pretty significant injury" to his left hamstring and will need at least 8-12 weeks to recover, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Mendoza added that surgery is "on the table" for Kessinger, with a procedure likely to keep the 28-year-old out through the longer end of that timeline. Even if Kessinger is able to avoid surgery, he'll be out of the running for a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster as a utility infielder.