Sal Stewart, 1B, Reds: For a fourth straight game, the Reds’ rookie first baseman reached base at least three times in a game. On Monday he went 1-for-4 with a pair of walks versus the Pirates. The Reds won 2-0. Stewart's hit was a 104 mph single off Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft in the first inning. He drew walks in the fourth and sixth innings. On the season, Stewart has eight hits and five walks. He is hitting .667 with a .765 OBP through four games.

Foster Griffin, LHP, Nationals: Making his first MLB appearance since 2022, Griffin allowed two runs in five innings during a Washington's 13-2 rout of the Phillies. Griffin started and won the game as he allowed five hits and a home run.

Griffin threw seven pitch types in the start and averaged 92.5 mph on his four-seam fastball. He featured that pitch and his cutter and changeup against righthanded batters, while working in sweepers to Phillies lefthanded batters Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh.

The Royals drafted Griffin in the first round out of high school in 2014. He reached the majors for a cup of coffee in 2020 and again in 2022 before spending all of 2023 through 2025 with Yomiuri in Japan. He shined in 2025 with a 1.62 ERA in 78 innings. Washington signed him for one year and $5.5 million.

Brice Matthews, UTIL, Astros: Making his first career big league start in left field, Matthews connected for a fifth-inning home run against Red Sox lefthander Ranger Suarez. It was Matthews' first homer of the year after he hit four in 13 games last season.

Matthews hit his homer at 111.1 mph and it traveled 434 feet. He had another hard-hit ball in the sixth—96.5 mph—but it resulted in a flyout. He went 1-for-3 in the game with the homer and also a strikeout.

Parker Messick, LHP, Guardians: The 25-year-old lefty was superb in his season debut against the Dodgers, tossing six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and zero walks. As he tends to do, Messick craftily deployed a deep arsenal fronted by a 92-93 mph fastball and a mid-80s changeup that he used to finish off three of his five strikeouts. He minimized hard contact and got the better of RHP Roki Sasaki, who went four innings and allowed one run.

Editor’s Picks

15 Impressive Spring Training Looks: Ian Cundall empties his Florida spring training notebook to highlight players who intrigued him in close-up backfield looks. Read more…

Mets Intel: Updates on a bevy of Mets prospects entering the 2026 season, including new reporting on Elian Peña, Wandy Asigen & more. Read more…

Anticipated Debuts: Ian Cundall shines the spotlight on six 2025 MLB Draft picks ready to make professional debuts this year. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Parker Carlson, RHP, Mets: This year, one prime candidate to come from out of nowhere and attain prospect status is 23-year-old righthander Parker Carlson, who signed with the Mets as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn last year. 

Carlson worked as a reliever in all four college seasons despite a wide repertoire and strong control. His senior season was his best: a 4.28 ERA in 17 appearances with 29 strikeouts and five walks in 27.1 innings.

At Auburn, Carlson was throwing 90-91 mph. This spring he was sitting 93-95 after offseason work and was bumping 97 mph. If he can hold that velocity and maintain his control, he has the potential to step forward.

Carlson was featured in Matt Eddy’s Mets intel following spring camp.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Cooper Pratt is finalizing an eight-year extension with the Brewers, as first reported by Bob Nightengale. He ranks 50th on our Top 100 and third in Milwaukee’s system.

• Astros outfielder Zach Cole is dealing with a fractured toe, according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.

• Braves RHP Didier Fuentes struck out four batters and allowed just one run over four innings on Sunday. A day later, the Braves optioned him to Triple-A.

• Mets outfielder Carson Benge went 2-for-4 with another steal on Monday.

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