MLB Baseball 3 Days

Last updated: April 12, 2026, 8:30 PM ET

MLB Injury Havoc Continues

The injury bug continued to decimate rosters across Major League Baseball over the weekend, creating significant depth tests, particularly in Baltimore and Houston. The Orioles placed catcher Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list due to left ankle inflammation before Saturday's game, following news that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle landed on the IL with a broken fourth metatarsal bone in his left foot Mountcastle and O’Neill latest. In Houston, the Astros lost shortstop Jeremy Pena to right knee tightness as a precaution Saturday night, and rookie pitcher Tatsuya Imai was sent back for examination due to concerning right arm fatigue, which manager Joe Espada described as "just not good news" Pena exits with knee tightness. Furthermore, the Astros designated righty Cristian Javier for the 15-day IL with shoulder soreness on Friday, compounding their pitching woes Astros place Javier and Meyers.

Several other clubs faced weekend setbacks, including the Brewers, who saw Christian Yelich exit Sunday's contest with left hamstring tightness; the team is reportedly bracing for "bad news" concerning the injury Yelich exits hurt. In the National League East, Mets reliever Clay Holmes reported left hamstring tightness Friday against the A's, exiting in the sixth inning Holmes exits vs. A's, while the Phillies managed to get rookie Andrew Painter back on the mound after he was scratched Sunday due to a migraine, though he only managed five innings of relief in a 4-3 loss Painter sheds migraine. Adding to the grim inventory, Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows suffered both a broken bone in his left arm and a concussion following a collision with teammate Riley Greene Meadows has broken arm, and Blue Jays slugger George Springer departed Saturday's loss with a fractured big toe on his left foot Springer exits with fractured toe.

Pitching staffs saw further depletion, as both the Rockies and Nationals reported Sunday starters experiencing issues; Colorado's Kyle Freeland was scratched mid-game due to soreness in his pitching shoulder Freeland scratched due to sore shoulder, and Nationals reliever Ken Waldichuk hurt his arm while throwing in the seventh inning Nats reliever Waldichuk injures arm. The injury carousel continued into the bullpen carousel as the Cubs placed righty Hunter Harvey on the injured list Sunday because of right triceps inflammation Cubs place ailing reliever Harvey, while the Angels rookie George Klassen departed in the third inning Saturday with a bruised nail on his right index finger Angels' Klassen leaves start. The Twins also sent Royce Lewis and RHP Cody Laweryson to the IL Twins INF Lewis, RHP Laweryson headed to IL, and the Marlins' Griffin Conine was placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring tear Marlins OF Conine out.

Roster Moves & Player Milestones

Teams adjusted their active rosters in response to the mounting injuries, with the Mets calling up veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel and designating left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment to maintain their 26-man complement Mets call up Kimbrel. Meanwhile, the Athletics placed outfielder Brent Rooker on the 10-day IL due to an oblique strain, ending his impressive 213-game playing streak that began last season A's place Rooker on IL, and the Yankees designated Cade Winquest without him ever appearing in a major league contest Yankees designate Winquest. On the positive side for the Cubs, outfielder Seiya Suzuki was activated from the IL following a sprained knee and was slotted into Friday's series opener against the Pirates Cubs OF Suzuki set for debut. In a notable milestone, Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy powered a three-homer night, capped by a game-winning, two-out solo blast in the ninth inning to secure an 8-7 victory over the Rangers Muncy caps 3-HR night.

Shohei Ohtani continued his historic run, extending his on-base streak to 44 games with a fifth-inning single, thereby surpassing Ichiro Suzuki's record for the longest on-base streak by a Japanese-born player Ohtani surpasses Ichiro's streak. Speaking of Ichiro, the Mariners unveiled a statue of the Hall of Famer at T-Mobile Park on Friday, although the ceremony experienced a brief mishap when a bat on the statue broke during the unveiling Ichiro statue breaks. In personnel news outside of immediate playing status, MLB reported Friday that the percentage of Black players on Opening Day rosters increased for the second consecutive year, marking the first such back-to-back increase in at least two decades MLB's percentage of Black players increases.

League News & Tributes

The league mourned the loss of former infielder and manager Phil Garner, who passed away at age 76; Garner was a three-time All-Star who guided the Astros to their first World Series appearance Former manager Garner dies. Off the field, news emerged that Kansas City officials are advancing a proposal that would authorize the issuance of $600 million in municipal bonds specifically earmarked for financing a new ballpark for the Royals K.C. officials mull $600M in bonds. to broadcast enhancements, the Zac Brown Band, a three-time Grammy winner, is scheduled to perform the opening feature for NBC’s Sunday night coverage of Major League Baseball SNB opening to feature Zac Brown Band. Meanwhile, ESPN is projecting forward, with a segment detailing potential winners for the inaugural 2026 MLB Bat Flip Championship Belt MLB Bat Flip Championship Belt.

Player Assessments & Financial Context

While the Mets struggled, particularly with shortstop Francisco Lindor committing his third miscue in two days during an 11-6 defeat to the A's, manager Carlos Mendoza admitted the uncharacteristic lapses were difficult to rationalize Lindor's gaffes leave Mets at loss, though Jeff McNeil did enjoy an emotional return to Citi Field following his offseason trade to Oakland McNeil emotional after homecoming. In the Bronx, 27-year-old Ben Rice, who developed his game rising from an Ivy League catcher to the Yankees' cleanup hitter in just his second full season, continues to make an impact Ivy League catcher to cleanup hitter. On the financial side, the league's history of player acquisition was revisited, with ESPN ranking the best and worst signings in MLB history on the 50th anniversary of the first free agent contract Ranking the best -- and worst -- signings. Finally, Zach Eflin, having undergone Tommy John surgery less than a week after his 32nd birthday, is reportedly setting his sights on a full return to the mound in the 2027 season Orioles' Eflin eyes 2027 return.