MLB Player News
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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.
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Emiliano Teodo SP | TEX
Rangers' Emiliano Teodo: Completes first side session
Teodo (back) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
Tuesday marked the first time that Teodo had thrown off a mound all spring, as the Rangers have taken a deliberate approach with the 25-year-old righty while he works his way back from a back issue that kept him out for more than two months last season. Teodo is entering his second season as a member of the Rangers' 40-man roster but has yet to make his MLB debut. He posted a 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 23:17 K:BB over 18 innings with Triple-A Round Rock in 2025 and will likely be headed back to the affiliate to begin the 2026 campaign.
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Taj Bradley SP | MIN
Twins' Taj Bradley: Likely rotation candidate
Bradley has a good chance of winning a rotation spot for the Twins, Matthew Leach of MLB.com surmises.
Bradley might have had an inside track at winning a job battle even before Pablo Lopez's elbow injury, but with three starting spots now open, the likelihood is even higher. Bradley is pitching in the World Baseball Classic, so some of his reps will be away from manager Derek Shelton's direct observations.
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Jake Bennett SP | BOS
Red Sox's Jake Bennett: Impressing in Red Sox camp
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Bennett has been "impressive" so far in camp, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Pitching coach Andrew Bailey has also liked what he's seen so far from the left-handed Bennett, saying "there's a ton to dream on there." Acquired from the Nationals in December for Luis Perales, Bennett held a 2.27 ERA and 64:19 K:BB over 75.1 innings covering three levels in 2025 in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox have a potential need in left-handed relief but will keep Bennett stretched out as a starter in the minors to begin the 2026 season.
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Pablo Lopez SP | MIN
Twins' Pablo Lopez: Diagnosed with torn UCL
Lopez has been diagnosed with a UCL tear in his right elbow and could require Tommy John surgery, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Lopez will seek out a second opinion before a decision is made, but season-ending surgery is highly probable. The right-hander was limited to just 75.2 innings in 2025 due to shoulder and forearm issues and now faces the prospect of a year-plus long absence. Lopez is owed $21.75 million this season and will make the same amount in 2027 in his final year under contract.
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Cameron Schlittler SP | NYY
Yankees' Cam Schlittler: Returns to mound work Tuesday
Schlittler (back) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Schlittler dealt with some inflammation in his back last week when he reported to camp, but the 25-year-old right-hander is past the issue and has resumed normal mound work. Schlittler made his MLB debut last season, making 14 regular-season starts for the Yankees, and posted a 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 84:31 K:BB across 73 innings. He should man a spot in New York's Opening Day rotation.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Throws bullpen session Tuesday
Cole (elbow) threw a bullpen at spring training Tuesday, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Cole, of course, is recovering from a Tommy John procedure that involved internal bracing last March, and he's been throwing since August. However, he recently progressed to mound work, and Cole's rehab appears to be on track. Manager Aaron Boone said last week that Cole could pitch in some Grapefruit League games before the end of camp, though Cole isn't expected to make his regular-season debut until sometime in late May or early June.
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Kyle Bradish SP | BAL
Orioles' Kyle Bradish: Expects to have workload limits
Bradish said Sunday that he expects to have some form of innings limit or workload restrictions in 2026, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Bradish noted that he trained this offseason with the goal of pitching a full season, but he anticipates the Orioles will have some kind of workload limits in place in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. What exactly that will look like isn't clear, but it's unlikely Bradish will be completely shut down at any point. The righty was excellent down the stretch last season for the Orioles after completing his rehab, posting a 2.53 ERA and 47:10 K:BB over 32 innings covering six starts.