MLB Player News

Cantillo allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out one over 1.1 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Mariners.

Cantillo, competing for a spot in the Guardians' rotation, had a second consecutive rough Cactus League outing. He worked his pitch count to 47 (29 strikes) but for the second straight start, the left-hander was pulled early in the first inning so that he could return for the second. Three first-inning doubles results in two runs, then a second-inning fielding error, compounded by a walk and a single, led to two unearned runs. Cantillo has allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk over 2.2 spring innings.

Friedl started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Thursday's spring game against San Diego.

Friedl, who normally defends center field, moved to left field so that Dane Myers could play center. Reds manager Terry Francona talked to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com about the alignment, which could be deployed during the regular season against certain lefties. The manager praised Myers' defense in center and will try to get Friedl in left a few more times this spring, although the latter is expected to be the primary center fielder during the regular season. Friedl has appeared in three Cactus League games, going 3-for-8 with a walk and three RBI.

Burns allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five over 2.1 innings in Thursday's spring start against the Padres.

Burns' slider played well and his pitch count increased to 48 in his second Cactus League start, but his four-seamer was wayward. He threw just 26 strikes and fell behind against multiple batters. That includes the first at-bat of the third inning, when Rodolfo Duran took two four-seamers for balls before drilling a third for a home run. Burns remains in the hunt for the final spot in the rotation.

Fernandez went 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Thursday's spring game against Kansas City.

Fernandez homered for a second consecutive game, and all four of his Cactus League hits have gone for extra bases (.813 slugging). The 22-year-old, who hasn't played above the Double-A level, was added to the 40-man roster during the offseason. "We know there's still more growing he needs to do but driving baseballs the way he is ... we know he's been coming on quick and we're paying a lot of attention to him," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. A shortstop coming up through the system, Fernandez is also seeing time at third base and has played three games there this spring.

Rodriguez allowed three hits over two scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the Royals.

Rodriguez averaged 93.1 mph on his four-seamer during his Cactus League debut, a tick above the 92 mph he averaged last season. The left-hander threw 31 pitches (20 strikes). Lost amid Rodriguez's 5.02 ERA last season is that he finished 2025 in much better form, posting a 6-3 record with a 4.01 ERA following the All-Star break.

Pivetta completed two innings in a Cactus League game against the Reds on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one batter.

Pivetta gave up a triple in the first inning but held Cincinnati scoreless. However, he was touched up for three runs in the second frame as a result of issuing two walks and giving up two hits. Pivetta threw just 22 of 38 pitches for strikes, but a rough outing near the start of spring for a veteran pitcher shouldn't cause fantasy managers to be concerned. The right-hander is coming off arguably his best MLB campaign and is locked in near the top of San Diego's rotation for 2026.

Machado went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs, a walk and six RBI in Thursday's Cactus League loss to Cincinnati.

Machado went 0-for-5 over his first three spring contests but exploded with a two-run home run and a grand slam Thursday. The veteran third baseman is approaching his eighth season with San Diego and has hit between 27 and 32 homers in each of the past five regular seasons. Machado remains one of fantasy's top third basemen and has typically been one of the first five players selected at the position in drafts this year.

Glasnow tossed two-plus innings against the White Sox in a Cactus League contest Thursday, allowing one run on one hit and no walks while striking out four batters.

Glasnow carved up Chicago in the first inning, striking out the side on 14 pitches. He retired the side in order again in the second, and then allowed a single to the only batter he faced in the third, with that runner coming around to score following Glasnow's departure. Overall, the right-hander threw 22 of 32 pitches for strikes, got six whiffs and averaged 96.7 mph on his fastball. Glasnow is a key part of the Dodgers' impressive rotation and figures to be a big asset in fantasy if he can stay healthy.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and a double Thursday in a Cactus League victory over the White Sox.

Smith hit his -- and the Dodgers' -- first homer of the spring when he belted a solo shot to left-center field in the fifth inning. The All-Star catcher's previous long ball came in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series last season and proved to be the championship-winning RBI. Smith hasn't missed a beat, as he's slashing .556/.556/1.000 so far this spring. He's locked in for another year as Los Angeles' starting catcher.

The Rockies are expecting Castro to be aggressive stealing bases this season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies have revamped their front office and much of the coaching staff during offseason, leading to several new philosophies. One such change will be a focus on aggressiveness on the basepaths in an effort to create more run-scoring opportunities. Castro is among several players on the roster who could benefit, though he's only 24 of 40 on stolen base attempts across the last two regular seasons.