MLB Player News
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Keagan Gillies SP | BAL
Orioles' Keagan Gillies: Nursing serious quad injury
Gillies will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a quad injury, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Gillies had been in camp as a non-roster invitee and will now get a late start to the minor-league season. The 6-foot-8 right-hander posted a 2.68 ERA and 51:13 K:BB over 53.2 frames between Double-A Chesapeake and Triple-A Norfolk in 2025.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: First time facing hitters since TJS
Cole (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
It will be Cole's first time facing hitters since last March's Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. The veteran hurler's rehab has gone swimmingly to this point, and he will continue to check off boxes as he eyes a season debut in late May or early June.
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Johan Oviedo SP | BOS
Red Sox's Johan Oviedo: Team wants more explosion
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that coaches are working with Oviedo to be more explosive with his delivery, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "Just a big dude that we gotta get moving," Cora said of the 6-foot-6, 275-pound right-hander. "Not work faster as far as like tempo, but move faster. And I think we accomplished that today."
Oviedo threw a two-inning live batting practice Thursday, and the manager said he's getting closer to what coaches are looking for. Cora also raved about the right-hander's extension, but strike-throwing remains key for the hurler, whose first spring start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Twins. Oviedo appears to be the frontrunner for a spot at the back end of the rotation. One candidate, Kutter Crawford (wrist), could open the season on the injured list, and two others, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, may begin the year at Triple-A Worcester. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval is also in the mix, but he missed all of 2025 with an elbow injury.
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Shane Bieber SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Shane Bieber: Throwing from 120 feet
Manager John Schneider said Thursday that Bieber (forearm) has progressed to throwing from 120 feet, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
The team has already confirmed that Bieber will begin the regular season on the injured list due to forearm fatigue -- something he pitched through during Toronto's playoff run in 2025. Schneider added that he expects Bieber to begin throwing bullpen sessions within the next two weeks, at which point more information may emerge regarding how much time the right-hander will miss to begin the new campaign.
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Kutter Crawford SP | BOS
Red Sox's Kutter Crawford: Could begin season on injured list
Crawford (wrist/illness) could begin the season on the injured list, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Crawford is behind other pitchers in Red Sox camp following last year's right wrist surgery and a recent bout with the flu. He's throwing off the mound, but with several other candidates to fill the last spot in their rotation, the Red Sox could choose to slow-play Crawford after he missed the entire 2025 campaign. Crawford made 33 starts for Boston in 2024, posting a 4.36 ERA and 175:51 K:BB over 183.2 innings.
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Cameron Schlittler SP | NYY
Yankees' Cam Schlittler: Close to facing hitters
Schlittler (back) recovered well from Tuesday's bullpen session and will throw one more before likely moving on to facing hitters, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.
Schlittler has been slowed a bit early on in camp by a mid-back issue, but he's on the mend. If the young right-hander is indeed cleared to face hitters soon, pitching in a Grapefruit League contest should follow shortly after. Schlittler is locked into a spot in the Yankees' rotation after holding a 2.96 ERA and 84:31 K:BB over 73 regular-season innings in 2025.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Mechanical tweak leads to success
Williams credits a midseason mechanical adjustment to explain his improvement in the second half of 2025, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Williams made a subtle adjustment during on off day in June, raising the position of his hands from resting at the belt to the chest. The goal was to create a longer arm path to better locate his pitches, and he described it as "night and day" from that point on. Following a period of adjustment, Williams was one of the better pitchers in the game after the All-Star break. He went 7-1 with a 2.18 ERA while pitching at least six innings in eight of 12 starts following the break. Additionally, the walks (5.3 BB/9) that were a pesky issue and raised his pitch counts over the first half of the season dropped to 3.3 per nine innings in the second half. The right-hander, who made 31 starts in 2025, is now an anchor in the Guardians rotation entering 2026.
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Drew Rasmussen SP | TB
Rays' Drew Rasmussen: Named Opening Day starter
The Rays have named Rasmussen their Opening Day starter, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rasmussen was excellent in 2025 in his first full season back from elbow surgery, collecting a 2.76 ERA and 127:37 K:BB over 150 innings covering 31 starts. He had his workload carefully monitored last season but should have the reins loosened in 2026. That said, given that Rasmussen has undergone three major elbow surgeries, he's unlikely to ever be a workhorse. His Opening Day assignment will come March 26 in St. Louis.
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Caden Dana SP | LAA
Angels' Caden Dana: Delayed by illness
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said Wednesday that Dana has yet to throw a bullpen session during spring training while he recovers from an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Dana seems to have overcome the illness and has since reported back to camp, but after missing about a week of workouts, he's currently behind the Angels' other rotation candidates during spring training. Suzuki said that Dana is in great shape and shouldn't need much time to build back up, so the bout with the illness likely won't be anything that dramatically affects his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Dana made seven appearances (five starts) for the Halos in 2025 and logged a 6.40 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB in 32.1 innings.
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Kris Bubic SP | KC
Royals' Kris Bubic: Throws live batting practice
Bubic (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session Saturday, Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
It was the first time in nearly seven months that Bubic faced hitters, as he missed nearly all of the second half of 2025 after being diagnosed with a left rotator cuff strain. The southpaw said after the session that he "felt good" about his velocity and movement and experienced only "normal soreness." Bubic is slated for another live BP session Wednesday and will progress to game action after that. He is expected to be ready to roll on Opening Day.