MLB Player News

The deal got done after McCollum went unpicked in the Rule 5 draft. The 26-year-old reliever had a 3.07 ERA and a 59/16 K/BB in 55 2/3 innings at three levels last season. He’s a fringe bullpen candidate, but he’s not on the 40-man and he’ll have all of his option years if he’s added, making him nice to have around.

The Reds scored single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth to win 5-4. Myers is hitting .269/.345/.269 in 29 plate appearances while mostly playing against lefties, which made the move to insert him in place of left-hander Will Benson against a right-hander reliever today very interesting. Of course, the Reds wanted contact with the go-ahead run on second, and Myers was the better bet to provide it, which he did with a ducksnort to shallow center. Myers probably deserves to play more at this point, especially since he’s a better defensive center fielder than TJ Friedl.

With the temperature below 40 degrees in this one, Abbott’s velocity was off by about one mph. He also walked three and threw just 52 of his 97 pitches. Given the conditions, it’s not a day for making any judgments about a pitcher. Abbott, though, doesn’t seem like a mixed-league guy right now. He’ll face the Tigers next weekend.

Emilio Pagán shook off his hamstring issue to pitch last night, but the Reds apparently weren’t willing to use him on back-to-back days just yet. That got Santillan his first save in 2026 after he earned seven last year. He’s yet to allow a run in 10 innings this season, and he’d be in line to close if Pagán loses the job at some point.

It was cold in Minneapolis today, so Bradley’s velocity was down 1.5-2 mph. Still, the hitters didn’t have any fun, either, even with the wind blowing out. Bradley got five strikeouts and 12 whiffs, finishing with a 31 percent CSW. The velocity figures to come back next week in St. Pete. He might even have a little extra for his old Rays teammates.

There were no hard-hit balls against Sands; a groundball single, a sac bunt and then an outfield flare were enough to produce the decisive run. This one shouldn’t alter his status in the closing mix in Minnesota. It especially doesn’t hurt because Justin Topa gave up a run in the seventh, and Eric Orze took a blown save by allowing a run in the eighth.

At least the bunt helped lead to the go-ahead run in the ninth. Noelvi Marte has to be extra bitter about how the Reds handled him given the state of the rest of the team’s outfield. Freidl is batting .137 with zero extra-base hits in 87 plate appearances. He was a productive hitter in 2023 and ’25, but his exit velocity numbers have always been pretty hideous and now he’s striking out more than ever. Most veteran hitters off to slow starts at this point of the season are very good bets to bounce back. Friedl, though, has always walked a thin line, and his return to being adequate isn’t assured.

The nice game comes after the Twins dropped him from third to fifth in the lineup. He hasn’t shown much pop yet this season, but his bad speed is up from last year and it hasn’t led to any more strikeouts. He’s still probably going to spend most of the year batting in the top three for the Twins.

Aldegheri is down, Walbert Ureña is up. Aldegheri will likely be back as a multi-inning option in a role that offers zero fantasy significance at some point this spring.

Ureña was awful in his limited time with the Angels earlier in the season, and he had a 6.48 ERA prior to the promotion. Nevertheless, he’ll replace Sam Aldegheri on the active roster with Aldegheri getting the demotion to make room for Ureña.

Varsho was removed with soreness in his left leg in Friday’s game against the D-backs, and he’ll miss at least one more contest. Myles Straw will draw the start in center field and hit eighth.