MLB Player News

Kochanowicz was informed Friday that he made the Angels' Opening Day roster in an unspecified role, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Kochanowicz has been competing for a spot in the Halos' rotation, and while it's not a guarantee he'll be a starter, he's officially made the team. Still, there's a strong chance Kochanowicz is part of the rotation, given Alek Manoah's struggles this spring and an elbow issue for Grayson Rodriguez. Kochanowicz posted a 6.81 ERA across 111.0 innings for the Angels last season.

Abel is poised to begin the season in Minnesota's starting rotation after Zebby Matthews was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

The Twins have yet to announce their official rotation plans, but Abel has apparently won the battle for the No. 5 spot. The 24-year-old was dominant during spring training with a 1.35 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 17:1 K:BB across 13.1 innings. Abel struggled to a 6.23 ERA in 10 appearances between the Phillies and Twins in his first taste of the majors last season, but he should find more success if he's able to keep limiting free passes, as he's had a walk rate of at least nine percent at every professional level.

Rodriguez (arm) played light catch Friday and said he doesn't consider his injury serious, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rodriguez is taking a cautious approach in his recovery from a dead arm, but that's due to his injury history rather than the severity of the current issue, as the right-hander called the injury "not serious." Still, it's unclear if Rodriguez will have to open the regular season on the injured list.

Ryan will start the Twins' Opening Day game against Baltimore, the team announced Friday.

With Pablo Lopez (elbow) sidelined, it's not a surprise to see Ryan get the Opening Day nod. It'll be his second Opening Day start, with his first coming in 2022. Ryan set career bests in ERA (3.42) and innings pitched (171) in 2025.

The Twins optioned Matthews to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.

Matthews had been a candidate to make Minnesota's Opening Day rotation, but the 25-year-old will come up short. In 2025, the right-hander made 16 big-league starts, posting a 5.56 ERA and an 88:24 K:BB across 79.1 innings. Matthews' move to Triple-A likely means Mick Abel will have a spot in the Twins' rotation.

The Athletics optioned Gelof to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

The 26-year-old had a delayed start to spring training while completing his rehab from surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder, and he went 5-for-18 with a double, three walks and four strikeouts in six Cactus League games. Gelof posted an .840 OPS in 69 games as a rookie in 2023, but he's scuffled to a .612 OPS the past two seasons and played in just 30 MLB games last year due to injuries and ineffectiveness.

The Athletics optioned Ferguson to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

Ferguson was one of the A's most used relievers in 2025, making 56 appearances and throwing 58.0 innings. However, he'll be sent down to the minors before Opening Day. Ferguson posted a 6.00 ERA, a 1.83 WHIP and a 6:2 K:BB across six innings this spring.

Kirk has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts in three games since rejoining the Blue Jays following the World Baseball Classic.

The 27-year-old catcher was a key player for Mexico in the tournament, batting .267 (4-for-15) in four games with a double and a homer, but Kirk hasn't been able to maintain that form back in the Grapefruit League. He's coming off a strong 2025 season in which he set new career highs with 15 homers and 76 RBI in 130 regular-season games while slashing .282/.348/.421.

Guerrero went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

It was his first game back with the Blue Jays after the first baseman starred for the Dominican Republic at the WBC, batting .444 (8-for-18) in five games with three doubles and two homers. Guerrero is also 5-for-13 (.385) in Grapefruit League action, and he has yet to strike out this spring either for the Jays or in the WBC. The 27-year-old will be looking to take his offense to another level after slashing .292/.381/.467 over 156 regular-season games last season with 23 homers and 84 RBI.

The Angels assigned Klassen to minor-league camp Friday.

Klassen's strong start to spring training put him in contention to make the Angels' big-league rotation, but it looks like the 24-year-old will open 2026 in the minors. One of the Halos' top prospects, Klassen posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB across 11.2 innings this spring.