MLB Player News

Rooker went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's Cactus League win over the Rangers.

The 31-year-old slugger went deep for the first time this spring, launching a Cal Quantrill slider over the fence in the second inning after driving in a run with a single in his first at-bat. Rooker has established himself as one of baseball's premier power threats, tallying 30-plus homers in each of the past three seasons while posting an OPS north of .800 in all three campaigns.

Soderstrom went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's Cactus League win over the Rangers.

Soderstrom helped spark an early offensive surge for the Athletics, ripping a 105.8 mph single up the middle to drive in a pair in the second inning. The 24-year-old turned in a strong 2025 campaign, slashing .276/.346/.474 with 34 doubles, 25 homers and 93 RBI across 158 games, which helped earn him a seven-year, $86 million extension in December. He'll enter the 2026 season as the club's primary left fielder and a key fixture in the lineup.

Massey went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks.

Massey got in on the action during the Royals' high-scoring affair with a pair of hits, highlighted by an RBI double in the fifth inning. The 27-year-old is off to a much-needed strong start this spring as he looks to prove himself heading into the regular season after a disappointing, injury-riddled 2025 campaign during which he slashed .244/.268/.313 with nine doubles, three homers and 20 RBI across 77 games. His versatility is a plus, though that alone won't be enough to guarantee him regular starting opportunities.

Giolito is not getting much interest as a free agent, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Despite some of the typical attrition among starting pitchers around the league this spring, Giolito remains a free agent without much prospect of landing a deal. Rosenthal specifically explained Atlanta's lack of interest despite injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) and Hurston Waldrep (elbow), suggesting the team would rather give players already on the roster without remaining minor-league options the chance to make the roster. Rosenthal also speculated that Giolito is seeking at least $10 million per season in a deal, though that request could come down with Opening Day coming up fast.

Walker allowed one run on three hits in two innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out one.

The 33-year-old right-hander is preparing to begin the season as Philadelphia's No. 5 starter, with Zack Wheeler (shoulder) expected to begin the year on the injured list. Whether or not Walker holds onto a spot in the rotation once Wheeler is ready to pitch remains a question mark -- top prospect Andrew Painter poses a significant threat to Walker's role in 2026. That said, Walker should be able to offer a bit of streaming appeal in deep fantasy leagues in favorable matchups for as long he sticks around in the rotation.

Stott went 1-for-1 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Stott swatted his first homer of the spring while reaching base safely three times. The 28-year-old middle infielder is lined up as Philadelphia's primary second baseman to begin 2026 but is likely to sit in favor of Edmundo Sosa versus left-handed pitching. It remains to been seen where Stott will hit most frequently in the Phillies' batting order, but fantasy managers should expect him to slot somewhere into the lower half of the lineup to open the new year.

Montero allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and no strikeouts across three innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League against the Orioles.

Montero has now made two appearances this spring, and he's allowed five runs on eight hits across five innings of work, while striking out two. The righty delivered a serviceable 4.37 ERA across 90.2 regular-season innings last year, working primarily as a starter. However, with the Tigers adding Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander to their rotation in the offseason, Montero will likely have to settle for competing for a long-relief role to begin the year.

Boyd didn't allow a baserunner over three scoreless innings during Thursday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He struck out three.

Making his second start of the spring, Boyd looked sharp as he kept Los Angeles off the bases for three innings. The veteran lefty now has seven strikeouts across 4.2 Cactus League innings. Boyd's K/9 dropped to 7.7 last year, his lowest rate since 2021, and he's unlikely to see any dramatic upticks at this point in his career. However, even modest gains in the strikeout department would boost the southpaw's fantasy stock in 2026. Outside of the drop in strikeouts, Boyd was excellent for the Cubs in 2025, recording a 3.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 179.2 regular-season innings.

Long (elbow) will not join Team Chinese Taipei for the World Baseball Classic, deciding instead to stay in camp to focus on his rehab, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Long has been dealing with a left elbow sprain and has been on the mend over the past week. His original plan was to simply delay his departure for the WBC, but now the 24-year-old has opted to instead stick with the Cubs. While it's a disappointing development for Long, the decision makes sense in terms of getting fully healthy for the regular season. The youngster figures to start the year with Triple-A Iowa, where he'll look to build on the 20 home runs and .885 OPS he posted across 140 games at the same level in 2025.

Lopez (elbow) has begun throwing live batting practice within the past week, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Lopez has yet to make his debut in the Cactus League this year after ending the 2025 campaign on the injured list with a strained left elbow. The 27-year-old lefty doesn't seem to have suffered any setbacks in his recovery, but the team is still playing it safe and building him up slowly this spring. If all goes according to plan, he'll get his first taste of spring action against the Dodgers on March 8 and figures to open the regular season in the Athletics' rotation.