2026 Transactions: Cubs, Rays, Yankees Make Spring Cuts

While the 2026 World Baseball Classic has taken center stage in the baseball community, MLB teams continued to make cuts on March 11 & 12. The Yankees, Cubs, Braves, Rays, and Mariners were among the teams to trim their 2026 spring rosters.

Yankees reassign Hess

The Yankees reassigned two pitchers from spring camp on March 12. Ben Hess, the Yankees’ 2024 first-rounder, was sent down alongside Brendan Beck.

Hess, who finished 2025 in Double-A, pitched well in camp for the Yankees. The right-hander struck out six over five innings and only allowed two walks.

Beck, a former second-round pick, struck out one over three Grapefruit League innings for the Yankees. He threw four scoreless innings and struck out four for Team Great Britain in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

George Lombard Jr. was reassigned after play on March 12.

Cubs cut seven

The Cubs made cuts to their 2026 spring roster on the 12th.

Speedster Justin Dean was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, alongside pitchers Ryan Rolison and Luke Little.

Brett Bateman, Vince Velasquez, Ariel Armas, and Casey Opitz were sent to Minor League camp.

Mariners send down seven

The Mariners made seven cuts on March 11. Pitchers Domingo Gonzalez and Blas Castano were optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. Lazaro Montes, Tyler Cleveland, Michael Morales, Spencer Packard, and Nick Raposo were sent to Minor League camp.

Montes came into the spring as one of the Mariners’ top prospects. However, he also came in as someone who could have used a good spring to get momentum after a rough stretch in Double-A last season. That didn’t happen, as Montes slashed .160/.192/.240 with 10 strikeouts over 11 games.

His 2026 Spring Training Whiff% (39.3%) ranked among the bottom 50 of the Majors (min. 30 swings) as of this writing.

Other notes

The Rays optioned Victor Mesa Jr., Jesse Scholtens, and Joe Rock to Triple-A Durham on the 11th. Former Angel Andrew Wantz and Kodi Whitley were reassigned to Minor League camp.

Athletics pitcher Joey Estes was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Angels optioned shortstop Denzer Guzman to Triple-A Salt Lake. Former Braves pitcher Huascar Ynoa, Raudi Rodriguez, Omar Martinez, and Tyler Bremner were sent to Minor League camp.

Former Major League pitchers Carlos Carrasco, Elieser Hernandez, and James Karinchak were reassigned to Minor League camp for the Braves. Additionally, Atlanta optioned Hayden Harris to Gwinnett.