MLB Player News

Smith signed a minor-league contract with Minnesota on Sunday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old righty owns a 3.48 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 192 career appearances in the majors, but after missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, he had to settle for a minor-league deal with the Nationals in free agency this winter. Smith was released after he was unable to win a spot in Washington's season-opening bullpen, but he quickly found work in a new organization. He's expected to report to Triple-A St. Paul and could be in the mix for a call-up quickly if he shows that he's regained his pre-surgery velocity and command.

McLean did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Pirates, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over five innings.

McLean struggled with his command early but settled in, generating 12 swinging strikes on 84 pitches and striking out four of the final seven batters he faced. The 24-year-old posted a stellar 2.06 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 57:16 K:BB across 48 major-league regular-season innings last year and is an early hopeful for the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2026. He lines up for a road matchup against the Giants next weekend.

The Marlins acquired Jimenez from the Blue Jays on Sunday in exchange for infielder Dub Gleed and $250,000 in international bonus pool money, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jimenez will head to Miami after being designated for assignment by Toronto on Wednesday. The infielder spent most of 2025 at the Triple-A level and has slashed .207/.303/.332 with five home runs and zero steals across 242 career plate appearances in the majors with the Blue Jays. He has no minor-league options remaining, so Jimenez will need to be added to the Marlins' 26-man active roster ahead of Monday's game against the White Sox.

Mlodzinski did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks with eight strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

Mlodzinski threw 55 of 85 pitches for strikes and generated just eight whiffs while mostly keeping the Mets in check. The 27-year-old posted a career-high 99 innings last season working as both a starter and reliever, so he likely won't go deep into games often early in 2026. He's slated for a home matchup against the Orioles next weekend.

Diaz went 5-for-6 with a double and four RBI in Sunday's 11-7 win over the Cardinals.

Diaz couldn't be contained Sunday, matching his career high in hits while tallying his 10th career game with at least four knocks. The 34-year-old first baseman is coming out of the gates furiously, going 9-for-16 (.563) in his first three games while hitting safely in each outing so far as Tampa Bay's leadoff man.

May (0-1) took the loss Sunday against the Rays, allowing six runs on 10 hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out three.

May floundered in his Cardinals debut, getting knocked around for a career-high-tying 10 hits allowed and five extra-base knocks. The right-hander's pitch location was dodgy, as May posted just four whiffs despite throwing 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes. With a tough matchup in Detroit versus the Tigers looming next weekend, May doesn't appear to be an appealing fantasy streamer at the moment.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets.

Lowe reached base four times, highlighted by a solo shot that put the Pirates up 2-1 in the third inning. The 31-year-old has now homered three times in as many games to open the campaign, reaching base in seven of his 14 plate appearances. He should see near-everyday run in the heart of the order and has topped the 20-homer mark in each of the four seasons in which he's played over 100 games.

Matz (1-0) notched the win Sunday against the Cardinals, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out two.

Matz hardly pitched well enough to deserve the win Sunday, but the Rays gave him plenty of run support. The veteran southpaw produced a respectable 10 whiffs on the day, and it's notable he was able to throw 81 pitches in his first start since April of last year. The expectation entering the season was that Matz would be on a pitch count initially, making his workload something to monitor in next week's scheduled outing in Minnesota versus the Twins.

Lowder did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Red Sox, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five innings.

Lowder surrendered a two-run homer in the fourth inning but also managed four scoreless frames. He threw 56 of 86 pitches for strikes while generating an impressive 14 whiffs, including six on his slider. The former first-round pick logged just 9.1 minor-league innings last season due to multiple injuries but is getting an opportunity to stick with the Reds in 2026. He's slated for a road matchup against the Rangers next weekend.

Early did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Reds, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Early exited with a 2-0 lead and a runner on first in the sixth inning before Greg Weissert came on and allowed a three-run homer. The 23-year-old generated just seven swinging strikes in an otherwise solid debut, and it was encouraging to see manager Alex Cora let him reach 96 pitches. The southpaw posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB across 19.2 regular-season major-league innings last season and lines up for a home matchup against the Padres next weekend.