MLB Player News

Buehler is trending toward beginning the regular season as part of the Padres' starting rotation, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.

Buehler signed with San Diego in February on a minor-league contract, so he'd need to be added to the 40-man roster in order to break camp with the club. That seems to be a probable scenario given the team's need to fill out the rotation, especially now that Joe Musgrove (elbow) has been deemed likely to begin the campaign on the IL. Buehler has been one of several hurlers competing for a rotation spot, and he may have clinched the role with a superb Cactus League start against San Francisco on Monday, as he tossed five scoreless frames with seven strikeouts. The right-hander was a valuable fantasy asset in his prime, but it remains to be seen how close he can get to his peak form given that he's lost several miles per hour off his fastball hasn't posted an ERA below 4.00 since 2021.

Castellanos has made seven appearances (including six starts) at first base this spring and has made only one error in 41 chances, Perla Paredes of MLB.com reports.

Castellanos has never played first base during a regular-season MLB game, but San Diego is asking the veteran outfielder to learn the position in order to increase the team's positional flexibility. The 34-year-old has embraced the opportunity, saying, "Learning a new position is always fun," and adding, "I'm approaching it with a lot of enthusiasm and joy." Castellanos isn't expected to have an everyday spot in the Padres' lineup, but if his learning of first base goes well, he could see a decent amount of playing time, especially against left-handed pitchers. In terms of hitting, Castellanos has done fine in exhibition play, slashing .235/.350/.382 with one home run, two doubles, six runs, six RBI and a 5:5 BB:K.

The Reds could elect to hold Burns off the Opening Day roster to ensure he has enough time to ramp up to a starter's workload, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Burns was held to a 24-pitch outing Friday after the Reds didn't like the right-hander's arm movement early in his start, and Rosecrans notes that because Burns may not be as stretched out as some of the other starters, the club could decide to give him a few more chances to ramp all the way up before sending him out on a big-league mound. However, it's important to point out that this is simply a roster projection for a player who will be heavily involved in Cincinnati's pitching plans for 2026. Outside of Friday's appearance, the Reds have been quite pleased with Burns so far this spring, with the team stating earlier Monday that the 23-year-old's Sunday bullpen session went very well, per Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati.

Waguespack was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers signed Waguespack to a minor-league deal over the offseason and offered him an invitation to big-league camp, but he was unable to stand out enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot. He'll report to minor-league camp and projects to begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Nashville.

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez made three appearances (one start) with the Brewers while in big-league camp, surrendering three runs while fanning four over five innings. He pitched in four games out of the bullpen a season ago for Milwaukee and should once again serve as organizational pitching depth to kick off the 2026 campaign.

Williams was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Williams put together a promising spring after being dealt to the Brewers from the Mets as part of the Freddy Peralta trade during the offseason. Williams went 5-for-12 with two doubles, one triple, three RBI, two stolen bases and three runs in six games with the big-league club. After failing to secure a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster, Williams is slated to begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Nashville.

Jones went 2-for-4 with a double and five RBI in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Jones was 0-for-10 through his first four Grapefruit League appearances, but he woke his bat up Monday. The 28-year-old outfielder spent some time with Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic, and he'll now turn his attention to a reserve role with the Tigers. Jones has been dynamite against lefties in recent seasons, which includes a .970 OPS in those matchups last year, and he should once again be a short-side platoon option and pinch-hitting specialist in 2026. His fantasy value is capped by the uneven playing time, but Jones has some real upside in the right spots.

Ort was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday.

Ort lost his spot on the club's 40-man roster earlier this spring, and after surrendering four runs over 4.2 innings of work while with the big-league club, he'll report to minor-league camp. He's logged plenty of major-league experience during his career, including 46.0 innings a season ago with Houston, so he figures to be a candidate for a promotion at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Dana (illness) was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

Dana's spring campaign with the big-league club never got off the ground after being diagnosed with mononucleosis. He failed to appear in a spring game and will now report to Salt Lake to prepare for the start of the 2026 season.

Hanifee has a 7.71 ERA and 1.93 WHIP across five Grapefruit League appearances.

Counting his appearance Monday against the Phillies, Hanifee has now allowed a run in four of his five appearances this spring. The righty was a fairly dependable reliever for the Tigers last year, posting a 3.00 ERA across 60 regular-season innings, though he only struck out 40 batters. The lack of true swing-and-miss stuff likely limits Hanifee to a middle-relief role if he's able to make the Opening Day roster, and his fantasy impact figures to be limited in that capacity.