MLB Player News

Baz was cruising through the first four innings of this game. His fastball was unhittable in the strike zone and he spotted his knuckle-curve beautifully below it. Then, he lost his command in the fifth inning and the Rangers lineup got going. His changeup was floating on him and he hung a knuckle-curve that Wyatt Langford yanked for a run-scoring double. Still, this was another step in the right direction after a disastrous start to May from Baz and he’s now given up three or fewer runs in four of his last five starts. He’ll look to keep building his confidence in a tough two-start week against the Red Sox and Mets.

No word yet on the severity of the issue or on how much time the 25-year-old infielder may miss. Sweeney had already been seemingly phased out of the mix to open the season as the Tigers’ starting shortstop, so missing time during Grapefruit League play isn’t likely to hurt him in that regard.

It could just be a meeting to go over the results of the MRI, but it’s always possible that there’s something a bit more serious at play here. At this stage, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Uceta open the year on the injured list. Stay tuned.

The 25-year-old speedster has still been able to do work on the field, but the Rays are going to take every possible precaution not to make things worse here. They don’t believe that it’s a major issue and it shouldn’t impact Simpson’s availability for the start of the regular season. He’s considered day-to-day.

That’s in addition to the oblique issue that had shelved him recently in Orioles’ camp. Elias noted that Westburg will not undergo Tommy John surgery, opting instead for PRP injections. He’s going to miss the entire month of April at a minimum and will then be re-evaluated. It’s another major setback for the talented but oft-injured 27-year-old infielder.

The 24-year-old right-hander has already been placed on the 60-day injured list to open the season, with the expectation that he could be ready to return when he’s eligible at the end of May. Jones underwent his internal brace surgery last May, so he’ll be on the tail end of the 10–12-month timeframe for recovery that he was given following the procedure.

You can never have enough quality catching depth. The 35-year-old backstop hit just .204/.270/.337 with nine homers, 29 RBI and a 74/21 K/BB ratio across 283 plate appearances with the Padres in 2025. He’ll add extra depth behind the plate in major league camp, though he seems unlikely to crack the Royals’ Opening Day roster unless injury strikes.

Bender recently had a flareup as he continues his recovery from a right tibia stress reaction, so the Marlins are bringing him along slowly. He’ll continue to work on the side in pitch design sessions before progressing to facing live hitters later on in camp. There’s still plenty of time for him to get ready before Opening Day.

It’s another important step for Cole as he continues in his recovery. The 35-year-old hurler is slated to work one inning in a simulated game. He actually sounds like he’s a bit ahead of schedule in his recovery and there has been talk that Cole could get into Grapefruit League games before spring training is through. As long as he avoids any setbacks, he could be ready to rejoin the Yankees’ rotation before the end of May.

Spectacular defense made Lagares a nice regular for a little while after he debuted with the Mets in 2013, but after his best season got him a Gold Glove in 2014, injuries began to take a toll and he just didn’t hit enough to remain a regular. He wound up at .250/.291/.360 with 31 homers in 850 games over 10 big-league seasons. He briefly played in Korea in 2022, but since then, he’d only played winter ball for Aguilas in his native Dominican Republic.

With Milwaukee leading the way in the NL Central, Murphy has won NL Manager of the Year both seasons since he replaced Craig Counsell at the helm of the Brewers. Whether he or the team’s front office deserves the most credit for the team exceeding expectations is a fair debate, but there’s certainly no need to mess with what’s working.