Scherzer walked one and struck out one over four scoreless, no-hit innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Making his first appearance of the spring, the 41-year-old Scherzer ended up in something of a pitcher's duel with 22-year-old Andrew Painter in what ended up being a 1-0 win for the Blue Jays. Scherzer faced the tougher lineup of the two, as the Phillies sent out most of their Opening Day starters who weren't participating in the WBC, including Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto. Scherzer tossed 29 of 40 pitches for strikes, and while it's not yet clear how Toronto will arrange its rotation to begin the season with Jose Berrios healthy and Trey Yesavage likely to handle a limited workload, the future Hall of Famer Scherzer looks like he'll be ready for a significant role right out of the gate.

The Astros optioned Alexander to minor-league camp Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander had a 4.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 65:26 K:BB across 77.1 innings between Atlanta and Houston last season but was never a likely bet to crack the Astros' Opening Day roster. Alexander is likely to work out of the rotation at Triple-A Sugar Land to begin 2026 and could get another look in the majors as a swingman at some point this year.

Martin allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four across three innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Martin has had mixed results this spring, but he settled into a groove during Saturday's appearance. He threw 32 strikes on 50 pitches, while generating punchouts of Brendan Donovan, Luke Raley and Mitch Garver. The White Sox have made little known about their rotation plans to this point in the spring, though Martin's ramp-up suggests he has a good chance of securing a spot to begin the 2026 campaign.

The White Sox optioned McDougal to Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday.

McDougal was awarded with a spot on the White Sox's 40-man roster over the offseason after posting a 3.26 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 113.1 total innings between High-A and Double-A in 2025. The 22-year-old will be elevated to Triple-A to begin the regular season and could make his MLB debut sometime this year if he continues to pitch well.

The Royals optioned Zobac to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday.

Zobac was awarded a spot on Kansas City's 40-man roster during the offseason, but he'll return to Double-A to begin the new year. The 25-year-old righty posted a 7.68 ERA and 1.91 WHIP over 36.1 innings at Northwest Arkansas last season but pitched 2.2 scoreless frames this spring.

The Royals optioned Kudrna to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Kudrna gave up 18 earned runs in just 11.1 innings during his first taste of Triple-A action last season. He continued to struggle this spring, allowing eight earned runs in 3.1 frames, and he'll now return to Omaha to right the ship.

Verlander allowed two runs on two hits across two innings of work in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He walked two and struck out four.

Verlander wasn't particularly sharp in his spring debut as he allowed four baserunners across only two innings and needed 50 pitches to cover the frames, but the four strikeouts were a nice sign. The veteran righty signed with Detroit on Feb. 10, rejoining the team with which he began his MLB career back in 2005. Verlander should slot in near the back of Detroit's stacked rotation and could have some fantasy value in the right matchups, though his days of being an ace seem long gone at this point.

Early allowed two hits and walked one while striking out four over 3.2 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Tigers.

Early made his second Grapefruit League start and third appearance overall. The left-hander threw 51 pitches (31 strikes) and showcased a fastball that touched 96.2 mph and averaged 94.8, nearly one tick higher than it averaged in 2025. While nominally still in the competition for the final spot in the rotation, Early is expected to open the regular season at Triple-A Worcester. He's allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over 8.1 spring innings.

The Orioles optioned Young to minor-league camp Saturday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Young made 12 starts for Baltimore last season, pitching to an unsightly 6.24 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 57.2 innings. He was always a long shot to break camp given the Orioles' pitching additions over the offseason. The right-hander will presumably stay stretched out as starting depth at Triple-A Norfolk.

Williams allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out five over 3.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Angels.

Williams had early trouble in the first inning but settled down after that in his third Cactus League start. He increased his pitch count to 56 (41 strikes) and didn't issue a free pass for the second straight outing. Walks were an issue for the right-hander in 2025 (4.5 BB/9), but thus far, Williams has issued just one walk through eight spring innings.