MLB Player News

Hoskins served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's spring game against the Cubs.

Hoskins made his debut in a Guardians uniform Friday and helped spur a rally with his seventh-inning free pass. It looked like he'd struck out a third time on 3-2 pitch leading off the inning, but Hoskins challenged the ruling, and ABS reversed the call for a walk. Cleveland went on to score five times.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Romero has been dealing with a tight back, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The team is hoping for Romero to return Monday, so it doesn't sound like his injury is very serious. The 22-year-old infielder has gone 3-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored in five games so far this spring and figures to open the regular season at Triple-A Worcester.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Gamboa is dealing with an elbow injury and will be shut down for at least three days, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Gamboa has made just one appearance so far this spring, during which he gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk across 1.1 innings. His injury doesn't seem to be anything major, but the Red Sox will shut him down temporarily to be safe.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Rodgers' injured shoulder will cause him to miss some time, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The Red Sox sent Rodgers in for an MRI on his right shoulder Thursday after he made an early exit from Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest. Cora said the team is still waiting for the results of Rodgers' tests, but "it doesn't look great." It's unknown how long the 29-year-old will be sidelined, but the missed time will put a major dent in his chances at winning a spot on the Red Sox's bench.

Holliday (hand) said Saturday that he has been cleared to resume throwing a baseball, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Holliday was cleared for fielding and one-handed swings earlier this week after getting the stitches removed from his hand, and he's now added throwing to his regimen. Assuming he continues to progress without any issues, he'll begin taking regular swings Thursday as part of a plan to have him back in Baltimore's lineup around mid-April.

Flaherty allowed a run on a hit and a walk across two innings of work in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out four.

Flaherty has been eased in to action so far this spring, as he's logged just three innings across two Grapefruit League appearances so far, but he shouldn't need much work to get ready for the year. The veteran righty is coming off an up-and-down 2025 campaign in which he posted a 4.64 ERA across 161 regular-season innings but also struck out 188 batters. Flaherty had a much sharper 3.17 ERA in 2024, his first season with the Tigers before getting traded to the Dodgers at the deadline that year. He should slot into the middle of Detroit's rotation in 2026, potentially right behind Tarik Skubal and new addition Framber Valdez.

Baez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Baez has now gone 4-for-7 through three spring games, and his home run Friday was his first of the exhibition slate. Earlier this month, the veteran was suspended from the World Baseball Classic for testing positive for marijuana in March 2023. The WBC's governing body classifies marijuana as a banned substance, but Major League Baseball does not, so his status with the Tigers is unaffected. Baez looks like Detroit's primary shortstop to begin the year, though he could also move into a utility role and play some in center, particularly if top prospect Kevin McGonigle makes a push for the role at short. The 33-year-old had something of a bounce-back campaign in 2025, but his fantasy value overall has been trending down across his four seasons with the Tigers.

Walls (oblique) will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls was slated to make his spring debut last weekend before being scratched due to oblique tightness. The issue didn't set him back much, however, and Walls still has plenty of time to ramp up for Opening Day assuming no further delays. Walls' 2025 season was cut short when he underwent sports hernia surgery in September.

Rafaela is in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Rafaela was involved in a scary collision with teammate Roman Anthony on Friday as the two players tracked a flyball to left-center field, which left both players down for a brief period of time. Anthony got the wind knocked out of him, but both players stayed in the game and will start Saturday's contest. Impressively, Rafaela later homered against Atlanta ace Chris Sale in the third inning, Rafaela's second home run of the spring.

Anthony said he just got the wind knocked out of him in a collision with teammate Ceddanne Rafaela during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

It was a rather ugly incident that left both players down and drew the training staff onto the field, but both Anthony and Rafaela stayed in the game and are right back in there for Saturday's exhibition, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Through five spring games, Anthony has gone 3-for-16 with a double and four strikeouts. He is primed to serve as Boston's leadoff hitter to begin 2026.