MLB Player News

The Blue Jays optioned Clase to Triple-A Buffalo on Monday.

Clase was a longshot candidate to make the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. The 23-year-old will start the season in the minors but would be a top candidate for a major-league call-up if Toronto requires additional depth in the outfield. Clase appeared in 34 regular-season games for the Blue Jays in 2025, with most of those appearances taking place between early May and late June. He posted a .588 OPS with three steals, two home runs and nine RBI in 112 major-league plate appearances last year.

The White Sox placed Alberto on waivers Monday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Alberto was a Rule 5 selection over the winter, so any team that puts a claim in for the 24-year-old right-hander would have to carry him on its major-league roster throughout the season. In the likelier event that Alberto clears waivers, the White Sox would have to offer him back to the Rays, the team he originally signed with back in 2019. Alberto has yet to pitch above the High-A level and didn't look big-league ready during spring training, as he yielded 10 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits and four walks while striking out seven over 6.2 innings across his seven Cactus League appearances.

Martin was removed after three innings of Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates after sustaining a concussion, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Per Matthew Leach of MLB.com, Martin appeared to suffer the head injury when he landed awkwardly while trying to make a play on ball hit to right field. Though the Twins' season opener isn't until March 26 in Baltimore, the volatile recovery timeline for concussions could put Martin at risk of being shelved to begin the campaign. Before suffering the concussion, Martin had appeared on solid ground to make the Opening Day roster as a platoon option in the outfield.

Church (lat) struck out a batter and was charged with two runs (one earned) on two hits over an inning of relief Sunday in the Rangers' 5-3 loss to the Dodgers in Cactus League play.

After being brought along slowly in spring training while he recovered from a right lat strain, Church finally completed his throwing progression and received clearance to make his Cactus League debut Sunday. The right-hander pumped in 13 of his 19 pitches for strikes, but he ended up taking the loss after surrendering a tie-breaking RBI single to Andy Pages. Though Church is one of the more talented relief arms on Texas' 40-man roster, the time he missed in camp along with the fact that he has a minor-league option remaining could hurt his chances of winning a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen.

Higashioka (back) will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Higashioka hadn't appeared in a game since March 5 due to a back issue, but now that he's back behind the plate Monday, he should have plenty of time to prepare himself for the Rangers' March 26 opener in Philadelphia. The veteran backstop is expected to split catching duties with Danny Jansen this season.

Jung (adductor) will start at third base and bat sixth in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

Jung hadn't played at any point in March while recovering from an adductor strain, but he's made enough progress in recent days to make his return to the Rangers' spring lineup. With 10 more days to go before Opening Day, expect Jung to get plenty of at-bats over the upcoming week.

Pomeranz allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning in a Cactus League contest against the Rockies on Sunday.

Pomeranz had trouble with his control, as only 12 of his 29 pitches were strikes. The veteran reliever had issued just one walk this spring coming into Sunday, though he's given up two homers and five earned runs across his four outings spanning 3.1 frames. Despite his Cactus League struggles, Pomeranz is expected to take on a high-leverage role out of the Angels' bullpen this season.

Casas (knee) was able to take simulated at-bats in a minor-league game Tuesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Casas admitted last week that he doesn't anticipate playing in Grapefruit League contest, but the Red Sox are comfortable having him serve as a designated hitter in controlled games on the back fields of camp. Though the 26-year-old is facing no restrictions at the plate, he's not yet cleared to run the bases or slide while he works to regain strength in his surgically repaired left knee. Casas is without a definitive timeline to make his season debut, though the expectation is that he'll be out for at least the first month of the 2026 campaign.

Butler (knees) is expected to start at designated hitter in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox and could resume playing the outfield in a game as soon as Thursday versus the Mariners, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Butler is on the cusp of making his spring debut, after the Athletics have eased him along slowly in camp following his October surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. Around the same time, he also received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat tendinitis in his left knee, but Butler appears to have avoided any setbacks with either knee so far during camp. He hasn't faced any restrictions with his hitting during the spring, and he looked to be moving at full speed when he ran the bases in a pregame workout Sunday. Butler has presumably been increasing his participation in defensive drills over the last few days as well, so assuming his knees check out fine after he makes his start at DH, he could be ready to play center or right field a couple days later.

Yarbrough allowed two hits and struck out two batters over three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Detroit on Sunday.

Yarbrough made his second appearance of the spring for the Yankees, and this was his first outing with New York since returning from a stint with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. The lefty made just one appearance during the tournament, allowing two runs over 2.1 innings against Team Italy. Yarbrough figures to open the regular season in long relief for the Yankees, and he's an option to make spot starts if any of the team's starters are sidelined, especially early in the campaign while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon work on rehabbing their elbow injuries.