MLB Player News

Smith will undergo an MRI on his left elbow Friday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Smith was initially in Thursday's Opening Day lineup against Yoshinobu Yamamoto but was scratched with left elbow soreness. Tim Tawa instead made the start at designated hitter and hit ninth for Arizona. Tawa, Jorge Barrosa and Ildemaro Vargas would be candidates for increased playing time if Smith needs to miss more action.

Bauers went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 14-2 win against the White Sox.

After earning the Opening Day nod due to Jackson Chourio's fractured hand, Bauers continued his strong run at the plate, ripping a three-run homer in the seventh inning. The 30-year-old carried over his red-hot spring, during which he batted 16-for-34 (.471) with five doubles, six home runs and a 1.728 OPS. Bauers should see regular starts for at least the next 2-to-4 weeks with Chourio on the IL.

Schwarber went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Thursday's 5-3 win over the Pirates.

The All-Star designated hitter tagged Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi in the first inning to open the scoring Thursday. Schwarber hit second in Philadelphia's Opening Day lineup, suggesting that's how manager Rob Thomson plans to deploy him going forward. Schwarber racked up a career-high 56 homers and 132 RBI over 604 regular-season at-bats in 2025.

Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-5 with two RBI in Thursday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals.

The Cubs put Crow-Armstrong in the cleanup spot Opening Day, and he responded with a team-best two RBI. After a breakout 2025 campaign, the young outfielder inked a six-year, $115 million contract extension earlier this week. Crow-Armstrong did fade some down the stretch last year, however, which is something he will aim to avoid in 2026. He made some minor mechanical tweaks in the offseason in an effort to make his swing more compact and find a bit more consistency at the plate across the long season.

Wiemer went 3-for-3 with a home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 10-4 win over the Cubs.

After claiming one of the Nats' final roster spots out of spring training, Wiemer was responsible for Washington's first run of the season with a solo homer off Matthew Boyd in the second inning Thursday. The 27-year-old Wiemer appeared in 27 games with the Marlins in 2025, batting .236 with three homers and a .715 OPS across 61 plate appearances. While Wiemer's 2026 debut was certainly encouraging, he'll likely be limited to starts against left-handers to open the year while platooning with Daylen Lile.

Smith was scratched from the lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Dodgers due to left elbow soreness, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks don't believe Smith to be dealing with anything serious, but the team won't take any chances during the first game of a long season. Tim Tawa will replace him as Arizona's designated hitter and bat ninth.

Tauchman underwent surgery Thursday to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Tauchman is expected to miss the first six weeks of the season while he recovers from his operation. He'll report to Triple-A Syracuse once he's healthy but could be bumped up to Queens during the season if Carson Benge struggles during his first season in the bigs.

Taylor has held onto a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 32-year-old will be the top backup to the injury-prone Luis Robert in center field, and Taylor could also spell rookie Carson Benge in right field against tough left-handed pitching. Taylor stole a career-high 12 bases over 340 plate appearances in 2025 while slashing .223/.279/.319 with two homers.

Crawford is starting in center field and batting ninth Opening Day against the Rangers on Thursday.

The 22-year-old is one of Philadelphia's top prospects and is making his MLB debut at home versus the Rangers. Crawford spent last season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he had a .334/.411/.452 slash line with seven homers and 46 stolen bases. He's beginning the campaign as the Phillies' primary center fielder.

The Mets signed Pham to a minor-league contract Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Pham will be paid $2.25 million if he gets onto the major-league roster and has an April 25 opt-out date. The 38-year-old outfielder presumably will report to Triple-A Syracuse soon and is a good bet to be called up in the coming weeks if the Mets like what they see. Pham slashed .245/.330/.370 with 10 home runs and five stolen bases over 120 games with the Pirates in 2025.