MLB Player News

The Guardians optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday.

Rodriguez played in 31 games for Cleveland during the regular season last year and had a .626 OPS with two home runs and a 28.6 percent strikeout rate. He batted .273 across 25 plate appearances during spring training and failed to record any extra-base hits.

The Mariners reassigned Rucker to minor-league camp Sunday.

After sitting out the entire 2025 season, Rucker signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners in January and had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee. He's expected to open the upcoming campaign at Triple-A Tacoma and will serve as bullpen depth. The 31-year-old previously saw big-league action with the Cubs in 2021-23, logging a 4.96 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 123.1 innings across 96 regular-season relief appearances.

The Rangers announced Sunday that Eovaldi will start Opening Day against the Phillies on March 26.

The veteran right-hander is getting his third straight Opening Day nod for the Rangers, though he may more realistically be considered the club's No. 2 pitcher behind Jacob deGrom. Eovaldi was limited to 22 starts last season due to shoulder issues, but he was dominant when available with a 1.73 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 129:21 K:BB across 130 innings.

The Red Sox are monitoring Story's workload this spring and will continue to do so during the regular season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Story is being held out of the lineup Sunday for a third consecutive game, but the Red Sox are merely exercising caution with the 33-year-old. The club plans to give him a little more rest in 2026 after Story, who missed significant time in the first three years of the contract he signed with Boston in 2022, played 160 games last year, including playoffs.

Gomber allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Reds.

Gomber's been a forgotten arm during spring training since he signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers in January. The competition for a spot in Texas' rotation has been focused on Jacob Latz and Kumar Rocker, but Gomber's name should be added to the calculus. Saturday's outing was his second Cactus League start, and he upped his pitch count to 73 (47 strikes).

Mayer was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins due to left knee soreness, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox haven't provided further details regarding the severity of the issue, but Mayer will presumably need at least a couple days off to recover from the injury. He's enjoyed a strong spring with an .816 OPS and 5:6 BB:K in 27 plate appearances, which appears to have given him the inside track for the Red Sox's everyday second base job.

Neto said Sunday that X-rays on his injured left hand came back negative, and he expects to return to the Angels' Cactus League lineup within a few days, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Neto suffered the injury while sliding into home plate Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Mariners. Though a left hand strain had kept him out for the final two weeks of the 2025 season, the shortstop relayed that he's now dealing with a small sprain to the same hand, which is regarded as a more minor concern. Neto is expected to resume workouts in the coming days once the pain in his hand subsides, and if he's able to field his position and swing the bat without discomfort, he should soon get the green light to play in games.

Kwan (illness) is starting in left field and batting leadoff in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Athletics.

The 28-year-old was held out of the lineup Saturday due to an upper-respiratory infection but will make a quick return to the starting nine. Kwan has found his power stroke through 11 spring games with a double, a triple and two homers, resulting in a .947 OPS.

Crawford (shoulder) is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday for one of the Mariners' split-squad games, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The veteran shortstop missed time earlier in camp due to a shoulder issue that he aggravated last week, but the setback doesn't appear to be serious. Crawford is still expected to be in the lineup at shortstop Opening Day.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Reds due to lingering shoulder soreness, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Crawford had been slowed by the shoulder issue earlier in camp, which resulted in him going nearly two weeks between appearances. He's been able to make six starts thus far in March but hasn't played since Wednesday after the soreness apparently resurfaced. The Mariners aren't yet concerned about Crawford's availability for Opening Day, but that tune could change if the shortstop is still experiencing discomfort following Monday's off day.