MLB Player News

Ashcraft threw three scoreless innings while walking one, allowing one hit and striking out two in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Ashcraft entered the spring with a presumed spot in Pittsburgh's rotation, and his work through two exhibition starts seems to have confirmed that. He ramped up to three innings and 38 pitches Saturday, and he's now allowed just one earned run with a 3:1 K:BB across five total frames.

Cruz went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Cruz's home run in the fifth inning was his first of the spring, though he's otherwise had a solid start to the exhibition season. He has seven hits across 13 at-bats, while striking out four times in 15 plate appearances. Cruz has also chipped in three stolen bases while getting several chances to lead off early on in Grapefruit League action.

Vargas is set to serve as the everyday third baseman for the White Sox in 2026, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Vargas earned a nearly full allotment of plate appearances for the first time in 2025, but he split his defensive responsibilities fairly evenly between first and third base. With Munetaka Murakami (fatigue) expected to serve as the White Sox's first baseman in 2026, Vargas will have a more stable defensive home. Vargas believes the stability could help him hit better as well, as he'll look to improve on his .234/.316/.401 line across 569 plate appearances in 2025.

Harper went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto.

Harper socked his first homer during exhibition play Saturday, and he's now recorded two doubles, four RBI and three walks across his first four outings of spring training. It doesn't sound like the Phillies have any plans to shift Harper back to the outfield in 2026, but the All-Star slugger still remains one of the premier first baseman in fantasy circles. Harper has hit at least .260 in each regular season since 2018, and he hasn't finished with an OPS under .844 since 2016.

Sanchez allowed two hits and no walks in two scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto. He struck out four.

Following a breakout 2025 campaign that netted him his first All-Star nod, Sanchez picked up right where he left off a year ago while generating a whopping 12 whiffs across just 32 pitches in his first spring start. The left-hander was a model of consistency last season, submitting a league-leading 23 quality starts over 32 regular-season appearances.

Smith allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk across three innings during Saturday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

This marked Smith's second start of spring training, and he worked up to 41 pitches. He threw 25 of those offerings for strikes in a relatively sharp outing. After posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHP across 146.1 innings in 2025, Smith is a candidate to start Opening Day for the White Sox.

Rutschman went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

It was the first big fly of spring training for Rutschman, who's now gone 4-for-15 (.267) with a double and two walks over his first 15 at-bats of the spring. The switch-hitting backstop was a big disappointment in 2025, as evidenced by a career-worst .673 OPS across 365 regular-season plate appearances, but Rutschman is all set to reprise his role as Baltimore's top catcher in 2026. Although top prospect Samuel Basallo (abdomen) does present some competition for action behind the dish, he's more likely to serve as the Orioles' primary designated hitter.

De Vries was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to stomach issues and possible dehydration, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

De Vries grounded out to second base in his lone plate appearance before being pulled, but he isn't expected to miss much time going forward. De Vries received an invitation to spring training from the Athletics after being acquired from the Padres in late July in a trade that centered around Mason Miller being sent to San Diego. De Vries was promoted to Double-A in mid-August and appeared in 21 games for Midland, where he posted a .910 OPS with two steals, five home runs and 16 RBI across 103 plate appearances.

Garcia was taken out of Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels due to an illness, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Garcia had diminished velocity and poor command over his pitches Saturday, but his performance turned out to be a symptom of illness rather than a physical injury. He'll take the time he needs to recover and should be back pitching in the Cactus League relatively soon.

Garcia was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels with an apparent injury, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Garcia struggled with his command during his appearance Saturday, as he hit two batters and walked another before getting a visit from the training staff and exiting the game. It's unclear what exactly is bothering the 25-year-old lefty, but the team will take a closer look at him and likely offer an update after the game.