MLB Player News

Estrada could begin the season on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Some dominoes are falling on the Toronto staff due to injuries. With Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all set to begin the year on the IL, Eric Lauer is expected to move into the rotation, leaving a vacancy in the bullpen for a long reliever or swingman. Estrada appears to be the leading candidate for the gig after building up to about 40 pitches in his most recent spring outing and posting a 4.50 ERA and 3:2 K:BB through 10 innings over five Grapefruit League appearances (one start). The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a shaky 2025, as he produced a 5.73 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 99:32 K:BB in 97.1 innings at Triple-A before getting tagged for seven runs in his first 7.1 big-league innings, albeit with an encouraging 10:1 K:BB.

Fluharty is a candidate to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old southpaw has looked good this spring, posting a 1.59 ERA and 8:0 K:BB over 5.2 innings, but Fluharty could be caught in a numbers game. With Eric Lauer now needed in the rotation due to injuries to Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow), someone like Lazaro Estrada could claim a spot as the long reliever, while Rule 5 pick Angel Bastardo has also made a strong case for a bullpen job. Fluharty has minor-league options remaining, but so does Braydon Fisher, and the latter is a right-hander, perhaps making him a little more likely to be the reliever squeezed off the Opening Day roster. As a rookie in 2025, Fluharty posted a 4.44 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 56:24 K:BB over 52.2 innings with five wins, one save and five holds in 55 appearances.

Fisher is a candidate to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander hasn't done anything this spring to lose his spot in the bullpen, posting a 1.59 ERA and 8:2 K:BB over 5.2 innings, but Fisher could be caught in a numbers game. With Eric Lauer now needed in the rotation due to injuries to Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow), someone like Lazaro Estrada could claim a spot as the long reliever, while Rule 5 pick Angel Bastardo has also made a strong case for a bullpen job. Fisher and Mason Fluharty both have minor-league options remaining, but Fluharty is a left-hander, giving him a little more job security. As a rookie in 2025, Fisher posted a 2.70 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 62:19 K:BB over 50 innings in a middle-relief role with seven wins and five holds in 52 appearances.

Lauer is expected to begin the season in the Blue Jays' rotation with Trey Yesavage (shoulder) headed for the IL, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

While manager John Schneider didn't guarantee the southpaw a spot in the rotation Thursday, there wouldn't seem to be any other clear options in camp for Toronto with Yesavage, Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all on the shelf. "He's got a good chance," Schneider said. "Just got to figure out exactly who is where." The Jays play seven straight games to begin their regular season, six at home against the A's and Rockies before beginning a road series against the White Sox on April 2, so using a four-man rotation early wouldn't seem to be an option. Lauer's last spring outing came on a back field, but he built up to nearly 70 pitches in a minor-league game. Over 104.2 innings in a swingman role in 2025, the 30-year-old posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 102:26 K:BB in 28 appearances (15 starts).

Gipson-Long (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gipson-Long looks to still be on track for an Opening Day return, which is encouraging after the 28-year-old sustained an oblique strain early in spring training. Considering the Tigers bolstered their starting rotation this offseason, Gipson-Long likely would be in a bullpen role if he makes the MLB roster.

Stanton went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's split-squad Grapefruit League win over the Orioles.

Stanton kicked off the scoring with a first-inning sacrifice fly, then belted a solo homer to right field in the sixth inning. The veteran slugger didn't make his Grapefruit League debut until March 3 and didn't hit his first homer of the exhibition slate until March 9, but his four long balls is tied with top prospect Spencer Jones for the Yankees' lead this spring. If Stanton can stay reasonably healthy this season, a big if given the state of his chronically sore elbows, he should provide fantasy managers with big power numbers after going deep 24 times in only 77 regular-season games last year.

Horn (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Horn continues to throw bullpens as part of his recovery from a left elbow scope performed this offseason. The southpaw should be an option for the Tigers' big-league bullpen later this season.

The Angels optioned Farris to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Farris had been pushing for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but it seems he's fallen short. The 25-year-old lefty yielded 12 runs across six innings of work this spring, but he did showcase increased velocity, with his fastball sitting near 93 mph. With Farris out of the picture, it looks like the final two spots in the rotation will be decided between Grayson Rodriguez (elbow), Alek Manoah and Jack Kochanowicz.

Fried walked four batters and allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts over five innings in a split-squad Grapefruit League start against Baltimore on Thursday.

Fried had trouble finding the zone Thursday, throwing a modest 48 strikes among his 81 pitches and issuing four free passes. With that said, none of the batters he walked came around to score, and most of the damage against the veteran hurler came on a two-run homer by Coby Mayo in the second inning. This was almost certainly Fried's final appearance of the spring, and he'll finish the exhibition slate with a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB over 14.1 innings spanning five starts. The right-hander's next start will take place on Opening Day -- Wednesday, March 25 against San Francisco.

Alvarado allowed two hits and a walk across a scoreless inning in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Mariners.

Alvarado got into a jam in the eighth inning by loading the bases but escaped without allowing a run. This marked the right-hander's first outing back with the Athletics after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings across two appearances for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Coming off a 2025 season in which he posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 42.1 innings, Alvarado could see save opportunities as the A's plan to deploy a closer-by-committee approach, though he has yet to record his first big-league save.