MLB Player News

It doesn’t come as much of a shock to see Robles getting some extra time off after making a precautionary exit from Friday’s game after being hit on the left elbow, which was fortunately covered by a pad at the time, during an eighth-inning plate appearance. The 27-year-old has been exceptionally streaky since arriving in Seattle, and currently finds himself in the midst of a sizzling-hot stretch, batting .400 (20-for-50) with one homers and six steals over his last 15 contests.

Luis Arraez drew a rare walk on what looked to be strike two to open the ninth against Garrett Whitlock and then pinch-runner Javier Sanoja stole second on a close play. Suárez followed with a clean double into the gap in right-center for the go-ahead run, and Daniel Palencia mowed down Kyle Schwarber, pinch-hitter Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony in the bottom of the ninth. Team USA was shut out for seven innings until Bryce Harper hit a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth. Venezuela’s previous runs came in a Maikel Garcia sac fly and a Wilyer Abreu homer. It’s Venezuela’s first WBC title, and the U.S. is the runnerup for the second straight tournament after losing to Japan by the same score in the final last time out.

McLean topped out at 99.2 mph tonight and averaged 98.1 mph. That’s 1.3 mph better than his lone spring start before the WBC and 2.5 mph better than his eight starts for the Mets last season. Now we just have to hope he stays healthy for at least the next couple of months and hopefully throughout the season if we ever want to see a young ace pitch in the World Baseball Classic again.

Rodriguez allowed one hit, walked one and struck out four in an excellent performance. His fastball velocity was actually down a bit tonight from his last start; he averaged 92.6 mph, compared to 93.5 mph in his pool play start versus the Dominican Republic. That’s still better than his 2025 average of 92.0 mph. Rodriguez should get one more spring start before opening up as the Diamondbacks’ third or fourth starter.

Ragans gets the ball for his third consecutive Opening Day assignment. The 28-year-old fantasy ace is a borderline SP1 in fantasy drafts this spring after posting a 4.67 ERA (2.67 xERA), 1.18 WHIP and 98/20 K/BB ratio across 61 2/3 innings over 13 starts during last year’s injury-marred campaign.

Bergert’s departure from camp is a notable development since it virtually guarantees that Noah Cameron will have a rotation spot to open the year. The 26-year-old righty posted a respectable 3.66 ERA (4.32 xERA), 1.26 WHIP and 73/35 K/BB ratio across 76 1/3 innings between the Royals and Padres as a rookie last year. Misner and Rave were candidates for a spot on Kansas City’s bench but will head back to the minors to open the year. They profile as platoon options at the highest level.

Kahnle fortifies Boston’s middle relief depth after a strong showing for Israel in the World Baseball Classic. The 36-year-old veteran posted a respectable 4.43 ERA (4.52 xERA), 1.30 WHIP and 50/31 K/BB ratio across 63 innings for the Tigers last year. He’ll presumably head to Triple-A Worcester to open the year, but should make it to Fenway Park relatively quickly.

Neto managed to avoid serious injury when he slid into home plate over the weekend, somehow escaping with just a minor left hand sprain. The 25-year-old impact fantasy contributor will return to game action on Tuesday night and should be ready for next week’s season opener.

The latest batch of cuts trims Padres camp down to 51 players with just over one week left until Opening Day. Adcock has made 18 relief appearances between the Mets and Mariners since 2023. He’ll open the year back in the minors as organizational depth.

Nothing official from a timeline standpoint but Rodgers is facing an extended absence. The 29-year-old has undergone multiple shoulder surgeries in his career and the odds of him returning as a big-league regular in the future are starting to fade.

With J.P. Crawford (shoulder) uncertain for next week’s season opener, it could very well be Rivas starting at shortstop in his place. Any sort of extended absence by Crawford would kick the door wide open for top prospect Colt Emerson to break camp in the big leagues since he would offer a much higher offensive ceiling.