Early allowed one hit and two walks while striking out seven over five scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Yankees.

The three-way competition for the fifth starter's job rages on, and Early submitted another piece of evidence that he's ready for the job. The left-hander has allowed four runs (three earned) over 17 innings (1.59 ERA) with five walks and 16 strikeouts in the Cactus League. The other contenders have been equally effective. Payton Tolle threw four scoreless innings of relief Tuesday, lowering his spring ERA to 2.53, while Johan Oviedo, perhaps the frontrunner, has matched Early's 1.59 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 9.2 innings. All three pitchers have minor league options.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Berrios has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow and won't be available for Opening Day, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Schneider noted that Berrios is pain free, and the hope is that the right-hander will resume throwing soon with the intention of pitching through the injury. With Shane Bieber (forearm) opening the season on the injured list and Trey Yesavage being brought along slowly to monitor his workload, Berrios could still have a significant role this season after finishing the 2025 campaign in the bullpen, but first he'll need to show he can be effective despite the elbow issue.

Falter allowed no hits or walks across three scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the Dodgers. He struck out five.

Falter was originally slated to start Tuesday's contest, but manager Matt Quatraro instead deployed the southpaw out of the bullpen to evaluate his versatility and adaptability, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Falter responded with his best outing of the spring, entering in the fourth inning and striking out five of the nine batters he faced while averaging 93.6 mph on his fastball, up from 92.1 mph last season. The 28-year-old appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Royals rotation, especially if the club sticks with a traditional five-man group, so his ability to pitch effectively in relief could boost his chances of making the roster as a left-handed bullpen option.

Boyle allowed two runs on two hits and four walks in three innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out six.

Through four Grapefruit League outings (two starts), Boyle now has a 3.72 ERA, a shaky 1.66 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB covering 9.2 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander is in contention for a bullpen spot with the Rays this spring as a long reliever, but he's not in position to begin the year in Tampa Bay's rotation after closing 2025 as a starter. Last year, Boyle recorded a 4.67 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 58:28 K:BB over 52 regular-season frames (nine starts).

Ober allowed a run on two hits and two walks while striking out none during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, the right-hander averaged 88.2 mph with his fastball and generated just three swinging strikes.

Ober has surrendered just two runs across 8.2 frames in his three Grapefruit League appearances, but he has only three strikeouts and has seen his fastball velocity decrease in each spring outing, with him not cracking 90 mph even once Tuesday. The 30-year-old's average fastball in 2025 was a career-low 90.3 mph, and he had the worst season of his career with a 5.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 27 starts. Ober doesn't have much time to right the ship with Opening Day a little more than a week away.

Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Rodon (elbow) is not expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game this spring, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rodon has been throwing side sessions and batting practice this spring and most recently threw 30 pitches across a pair of simulated innings over the weekend. However, there's just not enough time for Rodon to get into Grapefruit League contests. He's still building his arm up following offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. According to Phillips, Rodon is on track to make his regular-season debut sometime in April.

Miller (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Miller has been battling inflammation in his left side for the past three weeks, and Tuesday will mark his first full-effort bullpen session since the injury. He was scheduled to throw one last Wednesday, but it was scrapped after his oblique didn't feel right. Miller feels like a long shot to be ready for Opening Day at this point. The 27-year-old right-hander is looking for a bounce-back season after his 2025 season was marred by elbow issues.

Springs allowed three hits and three walks across 4.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League win over the Angels. He struck out four.

Springs turned in his longest outing of the spring, working through a bases-loaded jam in the first inning before ultimately pitching into the fifth frame without allowing a run. It's been an up-and-down showing in Cactus League play, as the southpaw has delivered two scoreless outings but combined to allow 10 runs in his other two starts. Walks have been an issue, with the 33-year-old issuing nine free passes across 11.1 innings after posting a respectable 2.8 BB/9 over 171 innings last year. Springs is expected to slot into the middle of the rotation in the regular season for his second campaign with the Athletics in 2026.

Avila allowed two hits and a hit-by-pitch across 2.1 scoreless innings Monday in Team Venezuela's 4-2 win over Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He struck out one.

Avila provided valuable length in what amounted to an all-hands-on-deck bullpen game, entering in the fourth inning and recording seven crucial outs without allowing a run to keep Italy at two runs and help fuel Venezuela's comeback victory to reach the World Baseball Classic championship game. Across two WBC appearances, the young right-hander has allowed an unearned run on three hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches while tallying three strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Coming off a 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 14 relief innings with the Royals last season, Avila is a candidate to make the Opening Day roster out of the bullpen, though he could also be stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Omaha.

Cole (elbow) will start Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox and pitch one inning, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander will be making his first appearance in a game since undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last March. It's an encouraging development for Cole, who is likely to open the season on the 60-day injured list but could return when he's first eligible in in late May.