MLB Player News

It was part of a double-steal, with Jerry Hairston Jr. taking third ahead of him. Still, it was a tough night for Bengie Molina. The Padres were 4-for-4 stealing, and Molina also had a couple of passed balls. Salazar, 31, was 0-for-2 stealing bases in 135 major league games. Oddly enough, that second caught stealing came courtesy of Molina on Monday.

Cushing, a 22nd-round pick in 2019, had spent his entire career in the Athletics’ minor league system and had a 6.67 ERA in 79 2/3 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas last year, though he managed to go 11-2 anyway. His chances of getting a cup of coffee in the majors probably aren’t improved by the move to Toronto.

Kirby Yates, Robert Stephenson and Jordan Romano seem best positioned entering spring training. Ben Joyce, who is returning from shoulder surgery, also hasn’t been ruled out for Opening Day just yet. “We definitely have options,” Suzuki said. “We have guys that have done it before at a high level. And I think the benefit for us is we have options and we can be flexible. But in that ninth inning, I wouldn’t put a name out there to be our closer right now.”

With Fernando Tatis Jr. in right, Soto is already set to play left field for the Dominican Republic in the WBC, and the Mets believe it makes sense to simply keep him there. Soto came up as a left fielder and it’s been his primary position in three of his eight big-league seasons, so it’s not much of a change for him. For the Mets, it just means that Carson Benge and Brett Baty are now battling for the starting job in right, rather than left. Maybe it helps Benge a bit, since he has the stronger arm of the two.

That Detmers was returning to starting was clear, but it’s still interesting that he’s not even going to have to win a job this spring. Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah, Jack Kochanowicz, Mitch Farris and Caden Dana are currently in the mix for the last two spots, with Rodriguez clearly in line to secure a place if he shows he’s healthy. Chase Silseth, who is out of options, is expected to be limited to relief work.

The 29-year-old left-hander elected free agency at the end of January instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma but ultimately decided that his best landing spot was a return to the Mariners. He’ll continue to serve as extra pitching depth — both for the M’s rotation and their bullpen.

Joe, 33, struggled mightily in his major league action on 2025, slashing .186/.263/.243 with zero homers, four RBI and a 20/7 K/BB ratio over 80 plate appearances between the Padres and Reds. He likely faces an uphill battle at securing a bench spot on a crowded Mariners’ roster.

Williams is still in the process of recovering from an internal brace procedure that he underwent in July and will miss at least the first month or two of the 2026 season. By placing him on the 60-day injured list, the club freed up a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Andre Granillo on Tuesday.

Hopefully this ends the carousel ride that Soriano has been on this winter — going from the Marlins, to the Orioles, to the Braves, to the Nationals and now to the Cardinals as spring training begins. The 26-year-old hurler should be able to secure a middle relief role in the Cardinals’ Opening Day bullpen with a strong showing in Grapefruit League action.

The Nationals designated Soriano for assignment last week so they were content to flip him for anything that they could get at this stage. Granillo, 25, has compiled a 4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and an 18/7 K/BB ratio over 21 innings in 14 appearances to begin his big league career. He’ll add bullpen depth for the Nationals.

It’s a bit surprising that Slater ultimately had to settle for a minor league deal, though he should have a decent shot at cracking the Tigers’ left-handed heavy Opening Day roster. The 33-year-old hit just .216/.270/.372 with five homers and 13 RBI in 160 plate appearances between the White Sox and Yankees in 2025.