MLB Player News

Houck (elbow) will begin a throwing program next week, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Houck underwent a hybrid reconstruction of his UCL plus a flexor tendon repair in his right elbow last August. The right-hander hopes to contribute to the Red Sox in September, but the club won't really be counting on him again until 2027.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cole (elbow) could pitch in some Grapefruit League games before the end of camp, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Cole missed the entirety of the 2025 season following Tommy John with internal bracing surgery last March. He's been throwing since August and will progress to live batting practice session in a couple weeks, with game action a possibility later in March. However, while Cole's rehab has gone as well as could be expected, the Yankees don't expect him to rejoin their rotation until late May or early June.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Wednesday that Eflin (back) will be a full participant as spring training gets underway, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Eflin missed the final two months of 2025 due to a back injury that he addressed with lumbar microdiscectomy surgery Aug. 18, but he was cleared to resume throwing off a mound in early January. Baltimore re-signed the veteran righty on a one-year, $10 million deal in October, so Eflin should be ticketed for a back-end rotation spot.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Wednesday that Wells will be built up as a starting pitcher during spring training, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

According to Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun, Elias said that the Orioles haven't made a firm determination what role Wells will handle over the long haul, but at least to begin camp, the 31-year-old righty will be in the mix for a rotation spot. After completing his recovery from June 2024 UCL revision and internal brace augmentation surgery on his elbow, Wells was activated from the injured list last September and pitched well over the final month of the season, logging a 2.91 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 18:2 K:BB in 21.2 innings over his four starts.

Garrett (elbow) will be available to pitch this week as spring training gets underway, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins announced Wednesday that aside from Calvin Faucher -- who has yet to report to camp --and the rehabbing Ronny Henriquez (elbow), all pitchers on the 40-man roster are operating with no restrictions to begin camp. Garrett missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing elbow surgery with an internal brace in December 2024, but he told Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com that he threw "a couple" live bullpen sessions prior to reporting to camp and is scheduled to throw another one Wednesday. Since he's coming off a major injury, Garrett may be eased into Grapefruit League action, but the 28-year-old lefty should have a fairly clear path to an Opening Day rotation spot.

Astros manager Joe Espada announced Wednesday that Brown will be the team's Opening Day starter, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Most teams don't reveal their Opening Day starters this early in spring training, but Brown was the obvious choice after finishing third in American League Cy Young voting in 2025. The 27-year-old right-hander will go up against the Angels at home on Opening Day.

Meyer (hip) will be available to pitch this week as spring training gets underway, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins announced Wednesday that aside from Calvin Faucher -- who has yet to report to camp --and the rehabbing Ronny Henriquez (elbow), all pitchers on the 40-man roster are operating with no restrictions to begin camp. A healthy Meyer should have the inside track on a spot in the Opening Day rotation. The 26-year-old turned in a 4.73 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 68:20 K:BB across 64.2 innings over 12 starts in 2025 before he was shut down with a left hip labral injury that required season-ending surgery in late June.

Manager A.J. Hinch announced Wednesday that Skubal will draw the starting nod for the Tigers' Opening Day game March 26 versus the Padres in San Diego, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

While his long-term future in Detroit remains murky, Skubal will once again head into the 2026 campaign as the staff ace coming off back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards. The Tigers may look to manage Skubal's innings during the Grapefruit League after he logged a combined 216 frames between the regular season and playoffs in 2025, but he should be fully ramped up and ready to handle a standard workload by the time Opening Day arrives.

Gipson-Long is recovering from a left oblique strain, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

It's unclear at this point when Gipson-Long suffered the injury or how long he might be shelved. The right-hander already looked to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Tigers' rotation, even with Reese Olson (shoulder) and Jackson Jobe (elbow) potentially set to miss the entire season, and this development won't help his case. Gipson-Long has missed much of the last two seasons due to Tommy John and hip surgeries.

The Rangers signed Montgomery (elbow) to a one-year, $1.25 million contract Wednesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Montgomery had a hybrid UCL reconstruction last March but hopes to be major-league ready around the All-Star break. The 33-year-old had a disastrous 2024 season with the Diamondbacks after signing late in spring training, posting a 6.23 ERA over 25 appearances. He was terrific in 2023, however, which included starring for the Rangers down the stretch of the regular season and their run to the World Series. The two sides are hoping to recapture some of that magic in 2026.