MLB Player News

Manager Aaron Boone confirmed Thursday that Weathers will open the season in the Yankees' starting rotation, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

With Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodon (elbow) both opening the season on the injured list, Weathers' inclusion in the rotation doesn't come as a surprise. However, he's been knocked around this spring, and it continued Thursday against the Blue Jays as he surrendered seven earned runs on eight hits and one walk across three innings. Weathers sports an ugly 11.68 ERA through four Grapefruit League starts, but Boone believes Weathers' stuff "is where it needs to be."

The Yankees reassigned Lagrange to minor-league camp Thursday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

"He made it a difficult decision, which coming into this, I wouldn't have even thought there was a decision," manager Aaron Boone said of the move Thursday. Lagrange lit up Grapefruit League play with an easy triple-digits fastball en route to a 0.66 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB across 13.2 innings. Should he continue his dominance in the minors, Lagrange could make his MLB debut with the Yankees at some point during the 2026 campaign after splitting the 2025 season between Single-A and Double-A.

Johnson allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five innings in a Grapefruit League start against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Johnson got through four scoreless frames before the Brewers tagged him for a run on a walk, a wild pitch and a single in the fifth. Overall, Johnson threw 49 of 73 pitches for strikes and topped out at 95.7 mph on his fastball. The 2024 second-round draft pick has put together a nice spring, posting a 3.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB across 16.2 innings spanning five appearances (including two starts). With Alek Manoah struggling mightily to the tune of a 9.39 ERA and 2.41 WHIP this spring, Johnson has a chance to claim a spot in the Angels' Opening Day rotation should Manoah fail to break camp with the big club. In that scenario, Jack Kochanowicz -- who has also had a good spring -- appears to be Johnson's biggest competition for the role. Speaking of the two hurlers Wednesday, coach Kurt Suzuki said, "We've we got good problems. We've got to make tough decisions. Those two guys have been pitching unbelievable this whole spring. Kudos to them," per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Kochanowicz completed five innings against Cincinnati in a split-squad Cactus League game Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out six batters.

Kochanowicz looked great Wednesday, logging his longest start so far this spring and working up to 74 pitches (50 strikes). The six punchouts were an aberration for him -- he's posted a meager 12.5 percent strikeout rate over 176.1 career big-league innings, which is a big deterrent in terms of fantasy appeal. Still, Kochanowicz has pitched well this spring, posting a 1.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB across 13.2 frames spanning four appearances (three starts). Meanwhile, Alek Manoah has stumbled to a 9.39 ERA and 2.41 WHIP in his five outings, putting his spot in the Opening Day rotation in serious jeopardy. Should Manoah not break camp in the Angels' rotation, Kochanowicz has made a strong case to step into the vacated role.

Lagrange tossed four scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox on Wednesday, allowing two hits and issuing one walk while striking out four batters.

Lagrange entered in the third inning in a scoreless game and departed after the sixth with the score unchanged. The 22-year-old right-hander has wowed this spring, not only by regularly flashing a triple-digit fastball but also by putting together a sterling 0.66 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB over 13.2 innings spanning four outings (including one start). He's still unlikely to make New York's Opening Day roster, but Lagrange has certainly bolstered his prospect status with his dominant spring, and he could reach the big leagues (perhaps in a relief role) at some point during the campaign if he continues to pitch well in the minors.

Cole (elbow) allowed two hits in one scoreless inning against Boston in a Grapefruit League game Wednesday. He did not walk or strike out any batters.

Cole pitched in a game for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last March. While he allowed two singles (one came on a bunt), he faced just four batters due to a caught-stealing. Cole threw 10 pitches and topped out at 98.7 mph on his fastball, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Though it was a short outing, this was a significant step for the 2023 AL Cy Young winner in his quest to rejoin the Yankees' rotation. He's expected to continue to gradually ramp up, with late May a reasonable expectation for his regular-season debut.

Yesavage will open the season on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Manager John Schneider said Thursday that Yesavage came to spring training with the injury, which explains his slow build-up throughout camp. The Blue Jays don't expect Yesavage will need to stop throwing, but he needs more time to get ready for the regular season. The plan is for Yesavage to throw off a mound again next week. With Yesavage, Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) set to miss the beginning of the season, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer figure to join Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman in the rotation.

Fedde will begin the 2026 season in the White Sox's rotation, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Fedde has only thrown 8.2 innings this spring, though he's limited opponents to three earned runs paired with a 7:2 K:BB. He'll likely appear in at least one more game this spring before lining up to make his regular-season debut at Miami during the team's second series.

The Royals optioned Spence to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

The Athletics traded Spence to Kansas City in February, and after surrendering eight earned runs over seven innings during spring training, he will report to Triple-A to begin his tenure with his new organization. The right-hander owns a 4.77 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 236 innings in his big-league career and may be recalled later in the season to provide long-relief help.

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.