MLB Player News

Miller has been limited to playing catch thus far during spring training and is ramping up slowly after he underwent labral repair surgery on both of his hips in October, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Though he's present at big-league camp and is soaking up knowledge from veteran pitchers such as Tarik Skubal and Justin Verlander, Miller isn't expected to pitch in any Grapefruit League games while he works his way back from a pair of surgeries. Instead, the 24-year-old prospect is focusing on a throwing program and getting back to full health. Miller showed some promise in 2025 when healthy, posting a 1.80 ERA and striking out 21 batters across 20 total innings between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie. He will likely begin 2026 at Double-A again and could move up to Triple-A Toledo at some point if he continues to impress.

Canning (Achilles) signed a one-year contract with the Padres on Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Canning was on his way toward having one of the best seasons of his MLB career in 2025, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 76.1 innings before rupturing his left Achilles tendon in late June. It's unclear where the 29-year-old is in his rehab process, but when healthy, he will likely claim a spot in San Diego's rotation.

Gallen signed a one-year, $22.025 milion contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

After not receiving the level of interest he might have expected on the open market, Gallen will officially return to the Diamondbacks for another season on a contract that will pay him the same amount as the qualifying offer he declined earlier this winter. The 30-year-old righty is coming off the worst season of his big-league career, as he finished 2025 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while serving up 31 homers -- tied for fourth-most in MLB. He remains a reliable option from a health standpoint, however, making at least 31 starts in three of the past four years.

Means (Achilles) signed a two-year, minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday.

Means missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he's now due to miss the entire 2026 campaign after rupturing his Achilles during the offseason. His two-year deal will allow him to remain with the Royals in 2027, at which point the left-hander will work toward making his first MLB appearance since 2024 and just his 11th since 2022.

The Rangers designated Kent for assignment Friday.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the signing of Jordan Montgomery (elbow). Kent was a waiver claim of the Rangers in January and could be on the move again. The right-hander posted a 4.58 ERA and 16:8 K:BB over 17.2 regular-season innings with the Guardians last season.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough announced Friday that Paddack will be included in Miami's starting rotation to begin the season, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The right-hander signed with the Marlins earlier this week and will be guaranteed a rotation spot despite posting a 5.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 112:37 K:BB across 158 regular-season innings between the Tigers and Twins last year. That workload was a career high and was the first time since Paddack's rookie year in 2019 that he topped 110 frames. He's never come close to replicating the 3.33 ERA he posted during his debut campaign, however.

Tiger suffered a minor setback with his rehab from an internal brace surgery and is not scheduled to face hitters until the end of spring training, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Tiger missed all of last season following the September 2024 surgery. The 25-year-old was not going to make the Opening Day roster, as he's yet to advance past High-A and is coming off a lost campaign, and it's far from ideal that his development has been further delayed.

Ritchie has drawn "some excitement" with how he's looked early on in spring training, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Ritchie is a long shot to break camp as part of Atlanta's rotation, but he could push to make his major-league debut sooner rather than later. The 22-year-old began the 2025 season at High-A Rome and finished it at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 2.64 ERA and 140:54 K:BB over 140 innings across three levels. It was his first full pro season, as he missed much of the previous two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery after being the 35th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.

Alcantara is incorporating a sweeper into his pitch mix, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 30-year-old righty began working on the pitch this offseason, and Alcantara is already comfortable enough with it that he threw nine of them during a pitch-design session Thursday, getting a swing and miss from Javier Sanoja on one sweeper. "Me and [pitching coach Daniel Moskos] had a conversation last year about that," Alcantara said. "We need a pitch that breaks more and is more slow. Finally, we have it." Alcantara has a strong finish to 2025 even without the new offering, going 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB in 53.2 innings over his last eight starts -- numbers comparable to his 2022 campaign, when he won the NL Cy Young Award.

Schmidt (elbow) threw on flat ground Friday as he continues his rehab from internal brace surgery, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Schmidt had the operation last July and will not be an option for the Yankees until at least the second half. The right-hander has already been placed on the 60-day injured list in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.