MLB Player News

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said last week that Freeman will likely bat fourth during the regular season, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Freeman batted cleanup against lefties frequently last year, but he mostly hit in the No. 3 spot versus right-handers. However, with the offseason addition of Kyle Tucker -- who's expected to bat second -- Freeman appears destined to bat fourth regardless of the handedness of the opposing team's starter. That can only help his run production, especially with three talented hitters (Shohei Ohtani, Tucker and Mookie Betts) ahead of him most games.

Nootbaar (heels) remains without a timetable for his Grapefruit League debut, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Nootbaar is expected to begin the season on the 10-day injured list as he continues his recovery from offseason surgery on both heels. He's going through baseball activities and will continue to ramp things up as his health allows, but there's no target date for his participation in games. A clearer picture regarding Nootbaar's timetable should be available later this month.

Narvaez was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's exhibition game against Team Puerto Rico due to back spasms, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Narvaez experienced the back spasm Monday and is expected to return to action Wednesday after taking a day to recover. The 27-year-old is expected to open 2026 as Boston's No. 1 catcher after posting a .725 OPS with 15 home runs as a rookie in 118 regular-season games last year.

Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 27-year-old switch hitter launched his first long ball of the spring from the left side, as he took Bryan Abreu deep in the fourth inning on a 96 mph fastball. Ruiz is coming off a rough 2025 that was cut short after 68 games by concussion issues, and he's locked in a camp battle for the starting job at catcher with prospect Harry Ford, who was acquired from the Mariners in December.

Gray gave up one run on two hits over 1.2 innings during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He struck out three without walking a batter.

He was wilder than the line would suggest, uncorking one wild pitch and plunking two Houston batters, but it was still a mostly successful spring debut for Gray after he missed most of 2024 and 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. The right-hander popped 94 mph with his first fastball of the day, and while he unsurprisingly couldn't maintain that velocity, he liberally deployed his slider, sweeper and curveball among his 39 pitches (25 strikes). Given the long layoff, Gray will be a risky fantasy option this season, but the Nationals are counting on him to at least take a regular turn in the rotation.

The Cardinals do not expect to know by the end of spring training how often Herrera will be used at catcher this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Coming back from offseason elbow surgery, Herrera started at catcher for the first time this spring in Sunday's Grapefruit League game versus the Pirates. The 25-year-old's goal is for catcher to be his primary position again in 2026 after elbow issues and defensive shortcomings limited to designated hitter for the final few months of last season. However, the Cardinals will not make Herrera a full-time catcher right away. Herrera appears poised to see the bulk of his early-season playing time at designated hitter, with Pedro Pages serving as the team's primary catcher. The setup could delay how soon Herrera picks up catcher eligibility in fantasy leagues, as he will initially be utility-only eligible in most formats.

Barger went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

The 26-year-old got hold of a hanging splitter from minor-leaguer Patrick Halligan for his first homer of the spring. Barger is expected to spend most of his time in right field this season while Kazuma Okamoto handles third base, and defensive stability could allow him to build on his 2025 breakout at the plate, when he slashed .243/.301/.454 in 135 games with 21 home runs.

Ponce allowed one run on four hits over two innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The right-hander built up to 32 pitches (18 strikes) against a Boston lineup that consisted of prospects and big-league depth players. Ponce has looked good so far this spring as he gets ready to pitch in MLB for the first time since 2021, posting a 4:0 K:BB through his first two appearances and three innings.

The Cardinals' "stance internally has consistently been" that Pages is the team's starting catcher, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ivan Herrera is attempting to return to catcher following offseason elbow surgery and got his first start behind the plate Sunday. However, it seems most of his playing time early on in the season will likely come at designated hitter. That leaves the catcher spot open for the defensively superior Pages, who slashed .230/.272/.363 with 11 home runs over 112 contests in 2025.

Pfaadt (side) will make his Cactus League debut Wednesday against the Athletics, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The Diamondbacks have eased Pfaadt into things this spring after he had a side issue during the offseason. Pfaadt pitched in a backfields game last week and will progress to an official spring training contest Wednesday. The right-hander is expected to be ready to roll for the beginning of the regular season.