MLB Player News

The Marlins have reportedly agreed to hire Dodgers’ first base coach Clayton McCullough to be their manager and it looks like he’s wasting no time in assembling his staff. Guerrero, 35, spent the past three seasons as an assistant hitting coach for the Giants. Prior to that, he served in the same role for the Phillies. In both roles, he was hired by manager Gabe Kapler — now the assistant general manager with the Marlins.

Matsui suffered the injury during a live batting practice session on Thursday. They’ll take it day-by-day and see how he’s feeling, but it sounds like he may be unable to compete in the Classic. As of now though, his availability for the start of the regular season isn’t in doubt.

What that actually means for Hader’s availability to start the regular season remains to be seen. The 31-year-old southpaw is dealing with inflammation in his biceps tendon after finishing the 2025 campaign on the injured list with a left shoulder strain. Until he’s back up on a mound and facing live hitters, it’s difficult to project any sort of timeline for his absence. Bryan Abreu will open the season in the closer’s role if Hader starts the year on the IL.

He’ll remain in the pool of eligible players and could potentially be added if South Korea advances to the championship rounds. As of now, it shouldn’t impact his availability for the start of the regular season, but it’s a situation worth monitoring as the next couple of weeks unfold.

The 27-year-old superstar hid predominantly out of the leadoff spot in the Padres’ lineup in 2025, so this could be an interesting change. It’s definitely a situation to monitor. If it sticks heading into the season, it would certainly increase his RBI output while dinging his projection in runs slightly. Xander Bogaerts is batting out of the leadoff spot in his place on Friday.

With Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg on the shelf, the door is open for Jackson to secure a spot in the team’s starting lineup to open the 2026 campaign. The 25-year-old hit .276/.328/.447 with five homers and 21 RBI in 183 plate appearances with the O’s in 2025. It seems his most likely competition for that spot will come from Blaze Alexander, who was expected to function in a super utility role. Coby Mayo is starting in place of Westburg at third base and seems like the most likely candidate to fill in there.

No word yet on the severity of the issue or on how much time the 25-year-old infielder may miss. Sweeney had already been seemingly phased out of the mix to open the season as the Tigers’ starting shortstop, so missing time during Grapefruit League play isn’t likely to hurt him in that regard.

It could just be a meeting to go over the results of the MRI, but it’s always possible that there’s something a bit more serious at play here. At this stage, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Uceta open the year on the injured list. Stay tuned.

The 25-year-old speedster has still been able to do work on the field, but the Rays are going to take every possible precaution not to make things worse here. They don’t believe that it’s a major issue and it shouldn’t impact Simpson’s availability for the start of the regular season. He’s considered day-to-day.

That’s in addition to the oblique issue that had shelved him recently in Orioles’ camp. Elias noted that Westburg will not undergo Tommy John surgery, opting instead for PRP injections. He’s going to miss the entire month of April at a minimum and will then be re-evaluated. It’s another major setback for the talented but oft-injured 27-year-old infielder.

The 24-year-old right-hander has already been placed on the 60-day injured list to open the season, with the expectation that he could be ready to return when he’s eligible at the end of May. Jones underwent his internal brace surgery last May, so he’ll be on the tail end of the 10–12-month timeframe for recovery that he was given following the procedure.