Rob Refsnyder Batting Leadoff for Mariners on Saturday: Seattle Mariners outfielder Rob Refsnyder is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat in the leadoff spot on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Joey Cantillo at T-Mobile Park, according to MLB.com. Refsnyder is known as a lefty killer in his career, and he's the only Mariners player who has faced Cantillo in his career, going 1-for-3 against him. It's Refsnyder's first action of the 2026 season for Seattle after spending the last four years with the Boston Red Sox. The 35-year-old veteran South Korean native is a career .255/.343/.387 hitter with 33 home runs, 154 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in his 10 big-league seasons. Against southpaws, though, Refsnyder has hit .281/.383/.443 with an .826 slash line, and 22 of his 33 career home runs in 791 plate appearances. In comparison, he has just a .633 OPS against right-handers. Similar to what his role was like in Boston, Refsnyder will enter Seattle's lineup as an outfielder or DH against lefties in 2026. With Refsnyder at leadoff, third baseman Brendan Donovan will move down to the six-hole on Saturday. - as of Sat, 28 Mar 2026 17:10:39
Sean Murphy Doing Baseball Activities, Could Begin Rehab Assignment Soon: Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (hip) is doing all baseball activities and could start a minor-league rehab assignment soon, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Murphy wasn't ready for the start of the 2026 season after having surgery last September to fix a labral tear in his right hip. Because of the severity of his injury, expect the Braves to give Murphy plenty of time on his rehab assignment, especially since they are covered at catcher in the big leagues with both Drake Baldwin and Jonah Heim. The 31-year-old veteran and former All-Star made his first All-Star squad in his first year in Atlanta in 2023, slashing .251/.365/.478 with an .844 OPS, 21 home runs, 68 RBI, and 65 runs scored in 108 games played. Since then, Murphy has struggled to stay healthy and has played in 166 games in the last two years, hitting just .197/.293/.384 with 26 homers and 70 RBI. Murphy is no longer Atlanta's primary catcher after Baldwin won National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2025, but he should play pretty regularly between catcher and designated hitter. - as of Sat, 28 Mar 2026 17:03:34
Jac Caglianone Making First Start on Saturday Against Braves: Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone sat on the bench in the Opening Day loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday with tough left-hander Chris Sale on the mound, but he will make his 2026 starting debut on Saturday at Truist Park, according to MLB.com. Caglianone is starting in right field and is batting seventh against Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. The Royals have said that Cags will start against left-handed pitchers this year, but they wanted to protect him to kick off the season against one of the most dominant southpaws in the game. The 23-year-old left-handed slugger has high-end power potential, but he looked overmatched in his MLB debut last year, hitting .157 (33-for-210) with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 18 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances. The good news is that he didn't strike out all that much. Caglianone will get a longer runway in 2026 and could be an asset in all fantasy leagues, but he'll need to make more consistent hard contact to get there. - as of Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:49:35