MLB Player News

Harper knocked a base hit in the first inning, then singled and scored in the seventh before taking Will Vest deep for a two-run blast in the eighth to bring the Phillies to within two runs. The 32-year-old star is hitting .269/.375/.503 with 16 homers, 50 runs scored, 47 RBI, and 10 steals over 363 plate appearances.

Vázquez will serve as the primary caddy to starter Yainer Diaz after making the club as a non-roster invitee this spring. The trickle-down effect here is that César Salazar will be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers since he is out of minor-league options.

The Yankees were apparently short on cash, while the Nationals needed a utility infielder. Short heads to Washington as emergency organizational infield depth at Triple-A Rochester. The versatile 30-year-old was in Yankees camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. He’s gotten into 243 games in the majors between five different organizations since 2021. He’s the definition of a modern-era stopgap solution up the middle.

Peguero provides Baltimore with additional relief depth at Triple-A Norfolk heading into the regular season after spending spring training with the White Sox. The 29-year-old journeyman made nine relief appearances between the White Sox and Brewers last year.

Slater finds a new home with the Marlins shortly after opting out of his contract with the Tigers over the weekend. The 33-year-old veteran’s arrival helps soften the blow of losing both Kyle Stowers (hamstring) and Esteury Ruiz (oblique) to injuries last week. He’ll operate in a lefty-mashing capacity off the bench for Miami, serving as a short-side platoon option to complement left-handed corner outfielders Owen Caissie and Griffin Conine.

The procedural move frees up a spot for Atlanta to claim swingman Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Yankees. Wentz suffered a torn ACL in his right knee earlier this month and will miss the entire upcoming season. His absence is a significant hit to Atlanta’s starting pitching depth.

Bido fortifies Atlanta’s wafer-thin starting pitching depth, which has been ravaged by injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Joey Wentz (knee) and Hurston Waldrep (elbow) this spring. The 30-year-old righty has bounced around between several organizations over the last few months but seems likely to stick with the Braves as a viable swingman capable of gobbling up multiple innings out of the bullpen.

Mushinski remains with the Rockies as organizational relief depth after being released over the weekend. The 30-year-old southpaw compiled a serviceable 5.45 ERA across 33 innings in the big leagues from 2022-2024 while with the Astros.

Altavilla and Bowman were in Twins camp as non-roster invitees this spring attempting to win spots in the club’s bullpen. Altavilla made 28 appearances for the White Sox last year. Bowman got into 20 contests for the Orioles last season and should be able to latch on somewhere, likely on a minor league pact.

Lodolo resumed throwing on Tuesday when he played catch in front of Reds manager Terry Francona and the team’s training staff; however, Wittenmyer noted that Lodolo “said he didn’t know what plan would be” and that he also “didn’t sound particularly enthused” about how the catch went. The 28-year-old southpaw had a blister issue crop up during his final spring training outing over the weekend, and might not be ready to take the ball at the back-end of Cincinnati’s rotation. It would likely be a brief stint on the injured list with the Reds making that determination before Thursday’s season opener against the Red Sox.

Freeman was set to be a backup outfielder, which means that Troy Johnston will make the team as a backup at both outfield and first base.