MLB Player News

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Alvarez has looked good this spring, batting .381 (8-for-21) with three doubles and a homer. The 24-year-old backstop is locked into the starting spot for the Mets, and given how he finished last season -- .276/.360/.561 over 41 games after the All-Star break with eight home runs -- a breakout could be in the cards if Alvarez can stay healthy in 2026.

Kimbrel is in the running the final spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.

Left-hander Bryan Hudson is also getting a long look, with Austin Warren and Richard Lovelady in the mix as well. Kimbrel is a shadow of the dominant closer he was a decade ago, but the 37-year-old righty has impressed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza with the late life on his fastball, which sits around 93 mph these days. "He's doing what he is supposed to be doing," Mendoza said Monday. Kimbrel does have a 2.25 ERA through four spring innings, but it comes with a 2:4 K:BB. If he does make the 26-man roster, he would have a base salary of $2.5 million.

Hudson may be the favorite to claim the final spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.

Craig Kimbrel appears to be his biggest competitor for the job, with Austin Warren and Richard Lovelady also in the mix. Hudson struggled in 2025 between the Brewers and White Sox, in both the majors and at Triple-A, but the 28-year-old southpaw blamed some tinkering with his mechanics and pitch mix that went awry. "I was working on some delivery stuff and changing some things I really shouldn't change," Hudson said Monday. "So we're getting back to the basics this year to get back after it." In 2024 with Milwaukee, when his cutter was a bigger part of his arsenal, he posted a 1.73 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 62:17 K:BB over 62.1 innings.

Mountcastle (hand) is starting at designated hitter and batting cleanup Tuesday against the Tigers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mountcastle missed almost a week with the hand issue but is back in the heart of the lineup Tuesday. He is hitting .296 with zero home runs, zero walks and six strikeouts in 29 plate appearances this spring. He has also been hit by a pitch twice.

Realmuto (illness) is starting at catcher and batting second Tuesday against the Twins, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

He was under the weather for a couple days. Realmuto is batting .235 with one home run in seven games this spring.

Smith will begin the 2026 season with Triple-A Charlotte.

Smith had a strong showing this spring, striking out eight batters with one walk in 3.2 innings across three appearances. The quality of Smith's stuff is not in question, he just needs to throw enough strikes to start. Last year, the 6-foot-3 southpaw had a 3.57 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 17.6 percent walk rate in 20 starts at Double-A. If he can come anywhere close to the 5.9 percent walk rate he logged this spring, Smith could be in the big-league rotation this summer.

Montgomery will begin the 2026 season with Double-A Birmingham.

Montgomery hit .348 with one home run, six strikeouts and zero walks in 24 spring plate appearances. He also logged a 1.161 OPS in 12 Arizona Fall League games after slashing .272/.364/.416 with one home run and a 28.7 percent strikeout rate in 34 games at Double-A last year. Montgomery is a hulking 6-foot-2, 220-pound slugger who may not require more than a month or two at Double-A before getting the bump to Triple-A.

Gore allowed two hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.1 scoreless innings Monday in a 3-2 win over the White Sox in Cactus League play. He also hit a batter.

Gore followed up his worst Cactus League start with his best one Monday. After allowing seven runs, six hits and three walks over 1.2 innings in his previous outing, the left-hander was sharper the fourth time out. The southpaw is ramping up for his first season for Texas since being acquired from the Nationals in January.

Garcia struck out two over one scoreless and hitless inning in Monday's spring game against the White Sox.

Garcia pitched for the first time since returning from the World Baseball Classic. The left-hander made quick work of the White Sox in the sixth inning, retiring the side on 13 pitches (nine strikes). Garcia remains in the mix to close games for the Rangers along with Chris Martin.

Walters (lat) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Walters, who is working his way back from lat surgery last year, has been throwing bullpen sessions and from 120-150 feet off flat ground. He'll miss the start of the regular season, with a potential return during the month of May.