MLB Player News
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Reese Olson SP | DET
Tigers' Reese Olson: Expected to be ready for camp
Olson is expected to be healthy for the start of spring training after getting shut down in late July due to a right shoulder strain, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Olson missed the last two months of the 2025 regular season as well as Detroit's playoff run, but the righty started a throwing program in December and is trending in the right direction heading into 2026. Entering his fourth year in the majors, Olson has yet to surpass 112.1 innings, though he's also posted a sub-4.00 ERA each season, which gives a glimpse at what he's capable of when healthy. The 26-year-old figures to slot in behind Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty in the Tigers' rotation, and he could take a step forward in 2026 from a fantasy perspective if he's able to increase his workload.
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Ken Waldichuk SP | TB
Rays' Ken Waldichuk: Booted from 40-man roster
Waldichuk was designated for assignment by the Rays on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Waldichuk will lose out on his 40-man roster spot to make room for the addition of Ben Williamson, who was acquired earlier Monday from Seattle. Waldichuk spent the majority of his 2025 season at Triple-A, posting an 8.65 ERA and 2.06 WHIP across 51.0 innings (15 starts).
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Emerson Hancock SP | SEA
Mariners' Emerson Hancock: Entering spring as starting pitcher
Hancock will enter spring training as a starting pitcher, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports.
Hancock was moved to the bullpen last August, but with Logan Evans (elbow) out for the season, the Mariners want to have Hancock available to start, if needed. If the Mariners' rotation is healthy on Opening Day, Hancock will likely shift back to a relief role. He allowed four runs (two earned) with a 4:1 K:BB over 8.2 innings as a reliever in 2025.
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Trey Yesavage SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: Looking to increase repertoire
Yesavage would like to add a curveball to his pitch mix this season, Kristjan Lautens of the Toronto Star reports.
The 22-year-old right-hander rocketed through the Blue Jays' system last season after being the 20th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, beginning the campaign at Single-A Dunedin and ending it by setting a World Series record for strikeouts in a game by a rookie. Yesavage leaned heavily on his fastball in the majors while mixing in a slider and splitter nearly equally, but he knows he'll need to give big-league hitters another wrinkle now that they've had a look at him. "I have a funky [over the top] arm angle, so I've just got to play around with it. I would love [a pitch] that moves glove side," he said last week. Jays GM Ross Atkins has already indicated Yesavage will begin the year in the rotation, and after he threw 139.2 innings across all levels including the postseason in 2025, he won't have a strict innings limit.
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Jurrangelo Cijntje SP | SEA
Mariners' Jurrangelo Cijntje: Focusing on throwing right-handed
Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Sunday that Cijntje will be used as a right-handed starting pitcher during spring training, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
In 2025, the switch pitcher initially made starts right-handed on Saturdays and relief appearances as a lefty on Wednesdays. That plan was abandoned after he was ineffective in the relief outings, and he switched to throwing lefty in certain matchups during his right-handed starts. Cijntje will still occasionally throw left-handed in bullpen sessions, and the Mariners have not ruled out a return to switch-pitching at some point. However, Cijntje's focus for now will be on developing as a right-handed starter. The 22-year-old finished 2025 with a 3.99 ERA and 120:51 K:BB over 108.1 innings between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas. Cijntje will return to Arkansas to begin the 2026 campaign and could push to debut at some point later on in the summer.
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Jairo Iriarte SP | CHW
White Sox's Jairo Iriarte: Designated for assignment
The White Sox designated Iriarte for assignment Sunday.
The right-hander received his first taste of the majors late in 2024 and gave up one earned run with a 6:8 K:BB over six innings. Iriarte failed to make Chicago's Opening Day roster last spring and stumbled to a 7.24 ERA and 7.2 BB/9 with Triple-A Charlotte in 2025, which has now cost him his place on the 40-man roster.
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Gage Ziehl SP | BOS
Red Sox's Gage Ziehl: Sent to Boston
The Red Sox are acquiring Ziehl and a player to be named later from the White Sox on Sunday in exchange for Jordan Hicks (shoulder), David Sandlin, two PTBNL and cash, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Ziehl was sent to Chicago at the summer deadline in the Austin Slater trade and is now on the move once again. The 22-year-old right-hander worked across four minor-league levels during his first professional season in 2025 and posted a 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 90:19 K:BB over 107 innings. Ziehl made one appearance at the Double-A level last year but may be more likely to open 2026 at High-A.
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David Sandlin SP | CHW
White Sox's David Sandlin: Traded to White Sox
The White Sox are acquiring Sandlin, Jordan Hicks (shoulder), two players-to-be-named and cash from the Red Sox on Sunday in exchange for Gage Ziehl and a player-to-be-named, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Sandlin was added to Boston's 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he'll now make his way to Chicago. The right-hander had a 3.61 ERA across 82.1 innings at the Double-A level last season but struggled to a 7.61 ERA upon being promoted to Triple-A. Sandlin is likely to return to the Triple-A level to begin 2026 but will be in big-league camp with the White Sox, so he'll have an outside chance of cracking the Opening Day roster.
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Brayan Bello SP | BOS
Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Part of trade talks
Bello has been the subject of recent trade talks, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
According to a December report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Red Sox "quietly shopped" Bello -- something the organization disputed at the time -- and a league source confirmed to McCaffrey that Bello's name has surfaced in trade discussions. What's changed since December is that Boston's added several starters and has a wealth of starting options. In addition to Bello, Patrick Sandoval and Jordan Hicks are generating interest. The 26-year-old Bello is entering the third year of a six-year deal and is seen as a young, controllable mid-rotation starter another organization might covet. Apparently, Boston is more likely to trade Bello than its top prospects, Connelly Early or Payton Tolle. Bello posted a 3.35 ERA in 2025, but it could have been higher given a favorable BABIP (.268) and a lack of swing-and-miss ability (17.7 K%, 6.7 K/9).
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Brody Hopkins SP | TB
Rays' Brody Hopkins: Nets spring training invite
The Rays have extended Hopkins an invitation to big-league camp in spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Hopkins was excellent at Double-A Montgomery this past season, collecting a 2.72 ERA and 141:60 K:BB over 116 innings. He has some of the best stuff of any pitching prospect in baseball and could become a legitimate ace if he's able to throw enough strikes. Hopkins isn't going to break camp with the big club, but there's a good chance he will debut at some point in 2026.