Ragans gave up two hits and a walk while collecting two strikeouts over two scoreless innings during his Cactus League debut against the Athletics on Monday.

In his first appearance since signing a contract extension to remain with the Royals through 2027, Ragans looked as sharp as ever Monday. He threw 25 of his 34 pitches for strikes and averaged 96.9 mph on his fastball (compared to 95.5 mph during the 2024 regular season). The 27-year-old southpaw figures to be one of the leading candidates to start Opening Day against the Guardians on March 27, though the Royals haven't made an official announcement yet.

Aleman had an appointment Tuesday to evaluate what may be an inguinal hernia.

Aleman hasn't yet received an official diagnosis, but a hernia and the ensuing procedure to address it would sideline him for an extended period of time and all but eliminate his chances at making the Guardians' Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old righty posted a 1.99 ERA and 1.08 WHIP at Triple-A Columbus last season, but he was limited to just 24 appearances after a lat injury kept him out for three months. He's likely to spend more time in the minors once healthy, though he's a candidate to be called up at some point this summer.

Effross will likely undergo testing after exiting a Grapefruit League appearance Tuesday against the Twins with a hamstring injury, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Effross lasted only one pitch before grabbing at his hamstring and walking off the field with the trainer. The reliever missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and made just 32 appearances between the majors and minors in 2024 while coming back from back surgery.

Effross was removed from Tuesday's Grapefruit League appearance versus the Twins with an apparent leg injury, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Effross threw just one pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning before grabbing his hamstring area and walking off the mound with the trainer. The Yankees should have more on the reliever's condition soon.

Marsh (shoulder) is slated to throw another bullpen session Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Marsh has been throwing side sessions for the past week as he works his way back from right shoulder tightness. He's reportedly responded well to the bullpen work and appears to be inching closer to facing live batters. Marsh made 25 regular-season starts for the Royals last season, producing a 9-9 record, 4.53 ERA and 123:39 K:BB ratio over 129 innings.

Vanasco (hip) is scheduled to complete a bullpen session Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The last report was that Vanasco had been playing catch almost daily, and now he has advanced to throwing bullpen sessions. Vanasco is recovering from a labral tear in his right hip and is in camp on a minor-league deal.

Hendriks is slated to pitch in Wednesday's game against the Rays, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

This will be Hendriks' first Grapefruit League action of the year and his first game action since June of 2023. Aroldis Chapman is also expected to pitch in Wednesday's exhibition, while Justin Slaten is scheduled to throw a live batting practice. Therefore, as Browne wrote, the closer competition will officially get underway. In addition to Hendriks, Chapman and Slaten, Garrett Whitlock is expected to get late-inning work, so how each pitcher fares this spring will be important for determining who gets the first save chances of the year in Boston.

Bautista (elbow) will throw a couple more live batting practice sessions before getting into game action, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

It's worth noting that Kubatko reported Monday that Bautista said he "should" get in a game after this week's session, and now it sounds like he'll need at least one more live BP before getting into games next week at the earliest. He will either throw Wednesday or Thursday after throwing 25 pitches Sunday.

The Astros reassigned Otto (shoulder) to minor-league camp Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Both pitchers have been behind schedule due to right shoulder issues, which effectively ended any chance they had to make the Opening Day roster. Otto missed time with a shoulder problem last season at Triple-A El Paso in the Padres organization, and it's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in games.

Dubin will be shut down after being diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It's not known how long the shutdown period will last, but it would appear unlikely that Dubin will be ready in time for Opening Day. The right-handed reliever held a 4.17 ERA and 49:26 K:BB over 45.1 regular-season innings for Houston in 2024.