Ponce allowed one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out five without walking a batter.

Facing a split-squad lineup of bench players and minor leaguers, Ponce fired 44 of 65 pitches for strikes while topping out at 96.3 mph with his four-seam fastball. The right-hander has a 0.66 ERA this spring over 13.2 innings with a 12:4 K:BB and zero homers allowed, and Ponce's importance to the Blue Jays' rotation has only grown since he was signed in December, with Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all set to open the season on the IL.

Estrada could begin the season on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Some dominoes are falling on the Toronto staff due to injuries. With Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all set to begin the year on the IL, Eric Lauer is expected to move into the rotation, leaving a vacancy in the bullpen for a long reliever or swingman. Estrada appears to be the leading candidate for the gig after building up to about 40 pitches in his most recent spring outing and posting a 4.50 ERA and 3:2 K:BB through 10 innings over five Grapefruit League appearances (one start). The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a shaky 2025, as he produced a 5.73 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 99:32 K:BB in 97.1 innings at Triple-A before getting tagged for seven runs in his first 7.1 big-league innings, albeit with an encouraging 10:1 K:BB.

The Angels optioned Farris to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Farris had been pushing for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but it seems he's fallen short. The 25-year-old lefty yielded 12 runs across six innings of work this spring, but he did showcase increased velocity, with his fastball sitting near 93 mph. With Farris out of the picture, it looks like the final two spots in the rotation will be decided between Grayson Rodriguez (elbow), Alek Manoah and Jack Kochanowicz.

Alvarado allowed two hits and a walk across a scoreless inning in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Mariners.

Alvarado got into a jam in the eighth inning by loading the bases but escaped without allowing a run. This marked the right-hander's first outing back with the Athletics after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings across two appearances for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Coming off a 2025 season in which he posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 42.1 innings, Alvarado could see save opportunities as the A's plan to deploy a closer-by-committee approach, though he has yet to record his first big-league save.

Latz allowed nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out five over three innings in Thursday's spring start against the Brewers.

The southpaw picked an unfortunate time to post this clunker, as it came one day after his competitor for the final rotation spot, Kumar Rocker, threw four scoreless frames. As troublesome as the results were, more concerning might be Latz's inability to hold the velocity on his four-seamer. The pitch sat 94-96 mph in his first two innings before dipping to 90-92 mph in the third and fourth frames. Latz and Rocker are trending in opposite directions, and while no decision has been made, signs point to Rocker securing the final rotation spot, likely leaving Latz in the bullpen.

The Yankees optioned Chivilli to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

Chivilli was in the mix for one of the final bullpen spots, but he was tagged for 11 earned runs on 11 hits and two walks across 6.2 innings during Grapefruit League action. He served up three home runs and struck out 10. Chivilli will try to right the ship at Triple-A to begin the season.

Kay is expected to begin the season as the White Sox's No. 3 starter, lining him up to make his season debut March 29 at Milwaukee, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander joined Chicago on a two-year, $12 million contract in December after pitching to a 2.53 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 249:94 K:BB over 291.2 frames in Japan the previous two years. Kay was unremarkable across parts of five MLB seasons before heading to Japan, but his return stateside has gone well so far with a 2.16 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in five spring starts.

Manager Joe Espada announced Thursday that Sousa will begin the regular season on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique injury, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Sousa injured his oblique during his last Grapefruit League appearance while playing the field. It's another blow to the Houston bullpen, as Sousa will join closer Josh Hader (biceps) on the injured list to open the season. The 30-year-old Sousa pitched in 44 games out of the Astros bullpen last season, logging a 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 59:15 K:BB across 50.2 innings.

Alberto cleared waivers and was returned to the Rays on Thursday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

The 24-year-old was selected by the White Sox during the Rule 5 Draft in November, but he didn't make the Opening Day roster and is now back with his previous organization. Alberto spent most of last season at the High-A level and had a 2.91 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 45:17 K:BB across 34 innings.

Estevez allowed no hits and three walks with no strikeouts across a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers.

Estevez made his return to Cactus League play after tossing an inning for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and didn't allow a run, though the outing was far from sharp. The right-hander entered in the sixth inning and promptly walked the first two batters he faced on nine pitches, eventually loading the bases via free passes before inducing a weak groundout from Jake Burger to escape the frame unscathed. As was the case in his earlier spring appearances, Estevez's velocity remained significantly down, with his fastball averaging 89.0 mph after sitting at 95.9 mph last season, while his offspeed offerings were also down several ticks. The veteran is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he recorded a career-high and league-best 42 saves with a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 54:22 K:BB across 67 outings and is in line to handle closing duties for the Royals again in 2026, though his diminished velocity is a key factor to monitor moving forward.