MLB Player News

Muckenhirn went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week and will remain with the Mariners as extra organizational relief depth. The 28-year-old lefty was acquired from the Mets last month in the Trevor Gott trade and has yet to make an appearance for Seattle.

The Angels will push the 27-year-old back to an undetermined date, and George Klassen will start in Soriano’s place.

Counsell told reporters that Busch has “earned the right” to get a chance to face southpaws. While it’s possible the 28-year-old won’t handle them well, it does give him a chance to add more counting stats, which is always nice. Busch hit 34 homers with an .866 OPS in 2025, and similiar — if not better — production is feasible for the former first-round pick this summer.

Basallo was repeatedly checking his hand after it got hit directly while he was trying to block a pitch, so there may be some imaging done after the game, but it doesn’t appear to be an issue. The 21-year-old had another strong day at the plate, ripping a 109.5 mph single before driving in two runs with a 100 mph ground rule double. He figures to spend the vast majority of his time as the designated hitter this season.

Kjerstad was not necessarily in the plans to start the season on the Opening Day roster, but the former top prospect has gone 6-for-14 so far this spring with one home run, two RBI, and just one strikeout in five games. Last year was a tough year for the 27-year-old, but after watching Kyle Stowers emerge in Miami, the Orioles may not be ready to give up on another former top prospect outfielder. The issue for Kjerstad is that Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras have no minor league options, so it may be a battle between Kjerstad and Dylan Beavers for the final spot on the Orioles’ roster.

The prospect known as “The Password” came over from the Red Sox in the offseason and has had a solid spring so far, going 7-for-13 with one home run, two strikeouts, and three walks. Garcia does most of his damage against left-handed pitching, and his home run came off lefty reliever JoJo Romero, so the Pirates may put him in a small-side platoon role to start, but he could emerge into a bigger role as the year goes on.

Griffin got the scoring started by clubbing a hanging sweeper from Kyle Leahy 408 feet at 108 mph off the bat for his third home run of the spring. It’s also only his third hit of the spring, as Griffin has now gone 3-for-15 in six games. He also has only two strikeouts, but has yet to draw a walk. There are certainly still some areas for the game’s top prospect to work on, but Griffin has prodigious raw tools and is making it hard for the Pirates to deny his spot on the Opening Day roster.

The two walks are not ideal, and Barco had just a 57 percent strikeout rate overall in this one, but his stuff was electric. He induced 11 whiffs on 20 swings, including posting a 47 percent whiff rate on his four-seam fastball. The 25-year-old is a long shot to make the Pirates out of spring training, but he did post a 2.81 ERA and a 116/49 K/BB in 99 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A last year and is one of the top prospects in the Pirates organization. He should pitch MLB innings this season.

Leahy’s velocity was down across the board, and he registered just one whiff on 22 swings while posting a 20 percent CSW. He allowed three hard-hit balls, including a home run to Konnor Griffin, but the average exit velocity against him overall was under 89 mph. Still, he had a sub-60 percent strike zone and will need to get his command in order if he wants to win a spot in the Cardinals’ rotation.

His home run was a 426-foot blast that left the bat at almost 108 mph. It’s a good reminder that the 33-year-old still put up elite bat speed last season and has yet to play his home games in a ballpark that’s as hitter-friendly as Fenway Park is. There’s a chance that Contreras puts up career-best numbers in 2026.

Suárez threw 64 percent strikes while registering a 13 percent whiff rate and 20 percent CSW. His velocity also seemed to be up considerably on both his changeup and curveball, so it will be interesting to see if this was a result of one game or is a conscious change the Red Sox are making to the pitch shapes. Regardless, Suárez’s fantasy value hasn’t changed much from where it was back when he was with the Phillies.