Wentz was removed from his Grapefruit League appearance Sunday against the Rays in the fifth inning due to an apparent right knee injury, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Wentz recorded two outs and was charged with one earned run on two hits before departing from the game following a collision near first base with a Rays player. According to Bishop, Wentz was carted off the field, though on a more promising note, the southpaw was able to walk into the clubhouse without assistance. Wentz can be considered day-to-day before Atlanta provides an update on his diagnosis, but a potential absence of any length of time would represent yet another blow to a rotation that has already lost Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) and Hurston Waldrep (elbow) to long-term injuries this spring.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Wicks has been diagnosed with radial nerve irritation in his left forearm and will begin the season on the injured list, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Expect Chicago to officially place the 26-year-old southpaw on the IL shortly before Opening Day, when the club sets its 26-man roster. Wicks had yet to make any appearances during the Cactus League before the nerve issue was detected. Once he's cleared to resume activity, he'll need to complete a full throwing progression before beginning what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Hodge has been diagnosed with a right flexor tendon strain and will be shut down from throwing for two weeks before being re-evaluated, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

The timing of the injury will remove Hodge from contention for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, as he'll instead be ticketed for the injured list. Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 36 appearances with the Cubs in 2025 and didn't help his chances of breaking camp with the big club by yielding seven earned runs and issuing seven walks over two innings in the Cactus League before being diagnosed with the injury.

The Reds announced Sunday that Abbott will start Opening Day against the Red Sox on March 26.

The left-hander had a breakout 2025 campaign during which he posted a 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 149:43 K:BB across 166.1 innings in the regular season. He was always in the mix to start Opening Day, but Hunter Greene's elbow issues left Abbott as the obvious answer to take the ball first for Cincinnati in 2026.

Littell agreed to a one-year contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The right-hander produced a 3.81 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 130:32 K:BB across 186.2 regular-season innings between the Rays and Reds last season, but he was unable to secure a contract for 2026 until well after the start of spring training. There's now less than three weeks until Opening Day, so Littell doesn't have a ton of time to get built up for the start of the season. Once ready to go, the 30-year-old Littell should step in as the top of Washington's staff alongside Cade Cavalli and Josiah Gray.

Lodolo allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings in Saturday's spring start against the Royals.

Lodolo faced adversity from jump street when former teammate Jonathan India led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run. More traffic followed in the next two innings, but the left-hander managed to work out of jams in his second Cactus League outing. Pitchers like to avoid that type of stress when the games count in the standings, but in the spring it can be helpful, and Lodolo worked his pitch count up to 58 (32 strikes).

The Marlins optioned Kempner to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

Kempner was added to Miami's 40-man roster in November but was never a likely bet to crack the Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old had a quality showing in his first taste of Triple-A last year with a 2.65 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 25:15 K:BB over 17 innings, and he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2026 if he continues to pitch well for Jacksonville.

Cavalli allowed one unearned run on one hit over four innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The 27-year-old right-hander carved up a top-heavy Houston lineup that featured Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, flashing a fastball that topped out at 98.6 mph. Cavalli has never been able to capitalize on the upside that made him a first-round pick in 2020, largely due to injuries, but he's on track to be the Opening Day starter for the rebuilding Nationals this season. Over 10 starts and 48.2 innings in 2025, Cavalli managed a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB.

Senga gave up two runs on three hits over 2.2 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The two runs came on solo shots, one by top prospect Joshua Baez, but Senga was consistently topping 97 mph with his fastball and hit 98.9 mph on a four-seamer to Alec Burleson. That's a huge improvement on 2025, when he averaged just 94.7 mph with the pitch. The 33-year-old right-hander credited some mechanical tweaks for the improved velocity, per Chuck King of MLB.com. "My body is different from where it was three years ago now, so I'm not really trying to get back to that," Senga said after Saturday's start. "It's a new me, and I'm trying to find new mechanics." If Senga's new-found life on his fastball holds into the regular season, he could return to the level of performance he showed in his first MLB season in 2023, when he posted a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 202:77 K:BB in 166.1 regular-season innings.

The Nationals optioned Cornelio to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

Cornelio impressed in his limited Grapefruit League action with a 7:0 BB:K while holding batters to a .176 average over five innings, but having minor-league options remaining may have worked against his bid for a spot on the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old righty is likely to remain on a starter's development track at Rochester, though poor command and the lack of a deep arsenal could make him a better fit in the bullpen once he reaches the big leagues.