MLB Player News

Crouse (lat) struck out two and allowed two earned runs on three hits over an inning of relief Saturday in the Orioles' 8-6 win over the Pirates in his Grapefruit League debut.

The appearance was Crouse's first of spring training and signals that he's back to full health after he hadn't pitched in a game since April 3, 2025 while he recovered from a right lat strain. After being cut loose by the Angels last April shortly upon suffering the injury, Crouse had remained a free agent until he signed a minor-league deal with the Orioles in January. He's likely to open the season at Triple-A Norfolk.

The Rangers optioned Corniell (triceps/back) to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.

Though he was able to make his big-league debut late last season, Corniell will end up dropping back down to the Double-A level to begin the 2026 campaign after back and triceps injuries prevented him from gaining much momentum this spring in his bid for a spot in the bullpen. Corniell at least appears to be heading into the season healthy after making his Cactus League debut Friday, issuing one walk and allowing no hits over a scoreless inning of relief.

The Rangers announced Sunday that Eovaldi will start Opening Day against the Phillies on March 26.

The veteran right-hander is getting his third straight Opening Day nod for the Rangers, though he may more realistically be considered the club's No. 2 pitcher behind Jacob deGrom. Eovaldi was limited to 22 starts last season due to shoulder issues, but he was dominant when available with a 1.73 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 129:21 K:BB across 130 innings.

Gomber allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Reds.

Gomber's been a forgotten arm during spring training since he signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in January. The competition for a spot in Texas' rotation has been focused on Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker, but Gomber's name should be added to the calculus. Saturday's outing was his second Cactus League start, and he upped his pitch count to 73 (47 strikes).

Olivares had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow in early October, and he will start the season on the minor league injured list, Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Olivares had a 4.11 ERA and 111:59 K:BB in 96.1 innings at High-A Cedar Rapids last season. His strong strikeout rates make him a mildly intriguing prospect, but he was left off the 40-man roster this offseason and went unclaimed in the Rule 5 Draft.

Skubal allowed one run on three hits across 4.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. He struck out seven.

After making just one appearance for the United States in the World Baseball Classic, Skubal returned to the Grapefruit League and looked sharp in his latest tune-up. The lefty now has a 2.79 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 9.2 innings this spring, and he also allowed one run over three innings with five strikeouts for Team USA. Skubal has been named Detroit's starter for Opening Day on March 26 against the Padres.

Scherzer gave up two hits and two walks over 4.2 scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He struck out five.

With Tarik Skubal on the mound for Detroit, Scherzer's competitive fire kicked in even in a low-stakes exhibition game, and he tossed 42 of 65 pitches for strikes before exiting the mound with the Jays ahead 1-0. Scherzer has yet to give up a run in two spring starts since re-signing with Toronto in late February, posting a 6:3 K:BB in 8.2 innings, and with Jose Berrios (elbow) looking uncertain for Opening Day, the 41-year-old appears ticketed for a spot in the rotation to begin 2026.

Ryan will no longer pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Ryan was in the pitcher pool for the WBC, but Team USA elected to add Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman to the roster instead. Ryan made his spring debut Tuesday after recovering from a back injury that flared up in mid-February. The 29-year-old right-hander is projected to serve as the Twins' starter for Opening Day against the Orioles on March 26. He tossed a career-high 171 innings across 31 regular-season games in 2025 and finished with a 3.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 194:39 K:BB.

The Blue Jays announced Saturday that Gausman will be the team's Opening Day starter March 27 against the Athletics in Toronto.

The announcement doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering Gausman has been the Blue Jays' ace since joining the franchise in 2022. He's coming off a 2025 campaign in which he pitched a career-high 193 innings during the regular season (32 starts) with a 3.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 189:50 K:BB. Gausman will lead a Blue Jays rotation that also features Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber (forearm) and Trey Yesavage.

Oviedo allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five over 3.1 innings in Friday's spring start against the Rays.

Oviedo was dynamic in the first inning when he struck out the side before a two-out walk in the third extended the inning and led to two runs. "The first inning was the highlight of his outing," Boston manager Alex Cora told Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. "His stuff is really good. We cannot deny that. And when we throw it over the heart of the plate, there's a lot of outs. So we've just gotta keep doing that consistently." Through four Grapefruit League starts, Oviedo has allowed two runs (1.59 ERA) on eight hits and six walks over 11.1 innings.