MLB Player News

Cole (elbow) said following a 35-pitch live batting practice session Thursday that he and the Yankees "will likely" have a conversation about his next throwing session coming in a Grapefruit League game, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Cole's next outing will come in six days, but it has yet to be decided whether it will be in an official spring training game or a different capacity. The right-hander's rehab from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace has gone well, but if the Yankees put Cole on the 60-day injured list -- which still seems likely -- he will not be eligible to make his season debut until late May.

Ober allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, the right-hander averaged 88.8 mph with his fastball.

Ober's fastball was sitting in the lower 90s early in camp, but it averaged 89.9 mph during his spring debut last week and ticked even lower Thursday. The 30-year-old's average velocity of 90.3 mph in 2025 was a career low as he struggled to a career-worst 5.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, and the trend so far in spring training is a concerning development.

Bremner walked two batters and struck out one over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox.

Bremner, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, has been with the big-league club throughout camp but hadn't appeared in a game until Wednesday, as he had instead been focusing on working on his pitch mix, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. While Bremner struggled with his control in throwing just 10 of 22 pitches for strikes against Chicago, the right-handed hurler impressed by reaching 98.8 mph on his fastball and also threw a changeup, cutter and slider, according to Jesus Cano of Baseball America. He isn't going to break camp with the Angels, but considering how quickly the organization tends to promote its top prospects, it wouldn't be shocking if Bremner makes his MLB regular-season debut before the end of the 2026 campaign.

The Cubs have named Boyd their Opening Day starter, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

He'll be tasked with facing the Nationals and Cade Cavalli on March 26. Boyd earned the Opening Day nod following a terrific first season in Chicago which saw him collect a 3.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 154:42 K:BB across 179.2 regular-season innings.

Meyer struck out six over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, allowing one hit and one walk.

The right-hander fired 30 of 48 pitches for strikes as he continues to get built up ahead of the regular season, and he topped out at 97.1 mph on a first-inning four-seamer to Jose Altuve. Meyer has yet to allow a run over seven spring innings with a 12:1 K:BB and he's flashed ace-level upside before, but after throwing only 64.2 innings in 2025, simply staying on the mound and taking a regular turn in the Marlins' rotation would be an accomplishment.

Lauer allowed four runs on four hits and a walk over 3.1 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three.

The big blow off the southpaw was a three-run shot by Giancarlo Stanton in the third inning. Lauer built up to 60 pitches (39 strikes), and while he's still expected to begin the season as a long reliever, his path to a spot in the rotation is beginning to look a little clearer. Shane Bieber (forearm) will begin the year on the IL, and Jose Berrios is dealing with elbow inflammation. That could leave Max Scherzer and Lauer in line to be the No. 5 and, if needed, No. 6 starters for the first weeks of the season.

Berrios was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League start against the Phillies on Thursday due to right elbow inflammation, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The injury was revealed on an MRI during the insurance process for the World Baseball Classic, for which Berrios was denied a chance to participate. The right-hander dealt with elbow inflammation down the stretch last year and also pitched through a biceps issue, but the current inflammation is apparently unrelated. Berrios said he's not experiencing any pain, and he'll continue to throw over the next few days as he continues to be evaluated.

Perez gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over four innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out six.

The veteran southpaw entered the game to begin the fifth inning and went the rest of the way, tossing 51 pitches (34 strikes), With Joey Wentz (knee) out of the picture, Perez is in line to work as Atlanta's sixth starter out of the gate as the team plays 13 straight games to kick off its campaign. Over 11 games (10 starts) for the White Sox in 2025, Perez produced a respectable 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB in 56 innings.

Strider allowed two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He struck out five.

The right-hander built up to 61 pitches (43 strikes) and mostly sat 94-95 mph with his fastball, topping out at 96.5 mph. Strider might not get back his pre-injury heat -- he was averaging 97.2 mph with his four-seamer as recently as 2023 -- but he's expanded his arsenal with a curveball in addition to his slider and changeup, and he looked comfortable with all four offerings Wednesday. Strider is looking to rebound from an uncharacteristically shaky 4.45 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 23 starts in 2025.

Morales allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks across 4.2 innings in Wednesday's Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks. He struck out three.

The right-hander allowed a first-inning solo homer to Ildemaro Vargas but managed to navigate traffic and surrender only one additional unearned run the rest of the way. It wasn't a stellar outing for Morales, but it marked his longest appearance of the spring and an improvement over his first three outings, during which he allowed a combined seven earned runs across 7.1 innings. After posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 10 MLB appearances (nine starts) and 48.2 innings last season, the 23-year-old figures to land in the Athletics' rotation to open the regular season, though a 4.67 FIP suggests some regression is possible heading into his second big-league campaign.