MLB Player News

Moniak was scratched from Tuesday's Cactus League lineup versus the Reds due to illness.

Consider Moniak day-to-day for the time being. Jake McCarthy shifted from left field to center field and Charlie Condon entered the lineup in left field to cover for Moniak's absence.

Young (wrist) resumed swinging a bat Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

Young has been limited to only one Grapefruit League game this spring due to a lingering right wrist contusion. The Nationals are still viewing the outfielder as day-to-day and are focused on getting Young's wrist back to 100 percent before Opening Day. It's unclear when he might be given the green light to return to games.

Walker is just 5-for-23 with zero extra-base hits and a 2:8 BB:K so far this spring.

Per Bernie Miklasz of STL Sports Central, Walker is sporting a 60 percent groundball rate, and 80 percent of his batted balls have either been grounders or infield popups. It's too soon to make sweeping judgments, but the changes Walker made with his swing at Driveline Baseball over the offseason have yet to take hold. The Cardinals are going to give the 23-year-old plenty of leash in right field this season as he looks to right the ship after slashing just .211/.270/.324 over the last two seasons.

Stowers (hamstring) is scheduled to return to Grapefruit League play Saturday against the Cardinals, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Stowers has been slowed by mild right hamstring strain but has progressed to the point that he's on the precipice of a return to action. He is expected to play the outfield Saturday, so the Marlins won't be easing him back in at designated hitter. Stowers should be fine for Opening Day, barring setbacks.

Carlson is having a solid spring with a 1.071 OPS across 20 Cactus League at-bats, and he stands a decent chance at earning an Opening Day bench spot with the Cubs, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Cubs signed Carlson to a minor-league contract in January, and the veteran outfielder is making the most out of the opportunity. The loss of Tyler Austin (knee) for at least a few months gives Chicago at least one extra bench spot to fill, with Carlson and fellow veteran outfielder Michael Conforto both making pushes to be on the Opening Day roster. Carlson didn't do much offensively last year in Baltimore, as he slashed just .203/.278/.336 across 83 games, so his fantasy value remains limited, particularly in a reserve role. However, he could have greater appeal if he's forced into more regular playing time at some point.

Conforto has a good shot at earning an Opening Day bench spot with the Cubs, particularly with Tyler Austin (knee) out of the mix for several months, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Conforto was signed to a minor-league deal last month, but he's seemingly doing enough to make a good impression, and the Cubs have at least one reserve outfield spot to fill with Austin undergoing surgery on his right knee. Conforto would give Chicago a reliable veteran presence, and while he might not make a huge fantasy impact right away as a bench piece, he could see his value climb quickly if he ever found himself in an everyday role. The 33-year-old batted just .199 with a .638 OPS and 12 home runs last season across 138 regular-season games for the Dodgers, though he was a bit better in 2024 with the Giants, posting a .237 average, .759 OPS and 20 long balls in 130 contests.

The Cardinals optioned Baez to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Shortly after homering in his third straight Grapefruit League game, Baez is cut from big-league camp. The 22-year-old had a breakout 2025 season, hitting .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers and 54 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. If Baez is able to carry over that success into a hot start in 2026, he could push for a major-league debut sooner rather than later.

The Pirates optioned Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Valdez was one of eight players dismissed from big-league camp in the Pirates' latest round of roster cuts. The Pirates added the 22-year-old corner outfielder to the 40-man roster over the winter after he slashed .286/.376/.520 with 26 home runs across 528 plate appearances between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona in 2025.

Davis swatted a pair of home runs Monday in Grapefruit League action versus the Orioles.

Davis launched a 423-foot blast off of Trey Gibson in the third inning before adding a more modest 376-foot shot to the opposite field in the seventh. It was the first multi-homer spring training game for a Cardinals player since 2023. The former first-round pick is coming off a disappointing 2025 season, having slashed just .242/.358/.353 with 10 home runs in 113 games at Double-A Springfield. Davis is likely headed back to Springfield for the start of the 2026 season.

The Brewers reassigned Jones to minor-league camp Monday, Sophia Minnaert of FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin reports.

The 28-year-old had fared well in Cactus League action prior to getting reassigned, going 3-for-11 with a 3:5 BB:K and two stolen bases through eight games. Jones has seen limited big-league action with the Rockies and White Sox over the past two seasons, but he'll face an uphill battle to resurface in the majors with Milwaukee in 2026 since he doesn't possess a spot on the 40-man roster.