MLB Player News

Young (wrist) will start in center field and bat second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

Young will make his first appearance since Feb. 27 after being held out of action for the past two and a half weeks while he waited for the discomfort in his bruised right wrist to subside. As long as the 26-year-old is able to avoid any setbacks while he picks up at-bats in multiple Grapefruit League and/or minor-league games during the final week of spring training, he should be in line to open the season as the Nationals' primary center fielder.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that as long as Brazoban finishes spring training healthy, he'll be part of the Mets' Opening Day roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Brazoban has minor-league options left, which led DiComo to wonder earlier Monday if Brazoban might not make the team's Opening Day roster. The 36-year-old Brazoban didn't make his MLB debut until 2022 at 32 years old. He pitched in 52 regular-season games for the Mets last season, recording a 3.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 57:27 K:BB across 63 innings.

Pomeranz allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning in a Cactus League contest against the Rockies on Sunday.

Pomeranz had trouble with his control, as only 12 of his 29 pitches were strikes. The veteran reliever had issued just one walk this spring coming into Sunday, though he's given up two homers and five earned runs across his four outings spanning 3.1 frames. Despite his Cactus League struggles, Pomeranz is expected to take on a high-leverage role out of the Angels' bullpen this season.

Graterol (shoulder) was spotted playing catch out to about 90 feet Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Graterol hasn't been shut down from throwing during spring training, but he's not on track to pitch in any Cactus League games and is slated to open the season on the injured list while he's struggled to regain velocity since undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in November 2024. The right-hander had previously been throwing off a mound earlier in the camp before the Dodgers elected to ramp him up more slowly when his velocity wasn't where the team expected it to be. Graterol is without a definitive timeline to resume throwing bullpen sessions, and the Dodgers seemingly aren't counting on him to handle a significant relief role in 2026.

Casas (knee) was able to take simulated at-bats in a minor-league game Tuesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Casas admitted last week that he doesn't anticipate playing in Grapefruit League contest, but the Red Sox are comfortable having him serve as a designated hitter in controlled games on the back fields of camp. Though the 26-year-old is facing no restrictions at the plate, he's not yet cleared to run the bases or slide while he works to regain strength in his surgically repaired left knee. Casas is without a definitive timeline to make his season debut, though the expectation is that he'll be out for at least the first month of the 2026 campaign.

Betts went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday in a Cactus League win over the Cubs.

Betts went deep for the first time this spring with a third-inning solo shot to center field. The veteran shortstop has managed a relatively light workload this spring, as Sunday was just his seventh Cactus League game. Betts has gone 6-for-19 (.316) with four runs and two RBI in exhibition action.

Sheehan tossed 3.2 innings in a Cactus League start against the Cubs on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out four batters.

Sheehan tossed two scoreless frames before giving up a two-run homer to Nico Hoerner in the third. The right-hander was briefly set back by an illness early in camp, but he was able to throw 66 pitches (40 strikes) Sunday, so he appears to be on track to take his spot in the Dodgers' Opening Day rotation. Sheehan's first start will likely come at home against Cleveland in Los Angeles' second series of the season.

Ray picked up the win in Sunday's 7-1 Cactus League victory over the Brewers, striking out eight over five perfect innings.

Ray earned his first win in his fifth Cactus League start, tossing 39 of his 64 pitches for strikes while cruising through five perfect innings. The veteran southpaw has allowed two runs on four hits and eight walks while striking out 15 across 14.2 innings this spring as he gears up for his 13th big-league campaign. Ray logged 32 starts last season, finishing with a 3.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 9.2 K/9 across 182.1 innings, though he struggled with control, posting a 3.6 BB/9.

Butler (knees) is expected to start at designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox and could resume playing the outfield in a game as soon as Thursday versus the Mariners, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Butler is on the cusp of making his spring debut, after the Athletics have eased him along slowly in camp following his October surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. Around the same time, he also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat tendinitis in his left knee, but Butler appears to have avoided any setbacks with either knee so far during camp. He hasn't faced any restrictions with his hitting during the spring, and he looked to be moving at full speed when he ran the bases in a pregame workout Sunday. Butler has presumably been increasing his participation in defensive drills over the last few days as well, so assuming his knees check out fine after he makes his start at DH, he could be ready to play center or right field a couple days later.

Yarbrough allowed two hits and struck out two batters over three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Detroit on Sunday.

Yarbrough made his second appearance of the spring for the Yankees, and this was his first outing with New York since returning from a stint with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. The lefty made just one appearance during the tournament, allowing two runs over 2.1 innings against Team Italy. Yarbrough figures to open the regular season in long relief for the Yankees, and he's an option to make spot starts if any of the team's starters are sidelined, especially early in the campaign while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon work on rehabbing their elbow injuries.