MLB Player News
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Maikel Garcia 3B | KC
Royals' Maikel Garcia: Strains hamstring in winter ball
Garcia suffered a strained hamstring Sunday while playing for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente reports.
Garcia will wait to hear back from the Royals about either returning to winter ball at a later date or shutting things down. At the very least, he is expected to be sidelined for the next week or so. Garcia had a breakout 2025 campaign for Kansas City, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases over 160 games.
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Shane Bieber SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Shane Bieber: Workload could be eyed this spring
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that the team could monitor Bieber's workload during spring training, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Bieber isn't dealing with any known injury, but the Blue Jays will be careful with him in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old threw a total of 88 innings in 2025 after handling only 12 innings in 2024. Bieber exercised his $16 million player option for 2026 last month to remain with the Blue Jays rather than test the open market.
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Jackson Jobe P | DET
Tigers' Jackson Jobe: Aiming to be ready by September
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday that the team is hopeful Jobe (elbow) will be ready to pitch in games by September, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Jobe underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Prepping for game action late in the 2026 regular season is a reasonable goal, but it's likely Jobe will not be a significant contributor to the Tigers again until 2027.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Slated for designated hitter duty
Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that he would like Alvarez (ankle) to "spend most of his season" at designated hitter, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Alvarez started 32 games at DH and 15 in left field during his injury-shortened 2025 campaign, and Houston wants to limit his time in the field in hopes that it will help keep him healthy. While it makes sense for the Astros to do everything they can to keep Alvarez's bat in the lineup, it makes for a difficult lineup construction for Espada, especially when it comes to where Isaac Paredes (hamstring) slots in. Alvarez's 2025 season ended prematurely due to a severe left ankle sprain, but general manager Dana Brown said Monday that the slugger will be ready to go for the start of spring training.
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Trey Yesavage SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: No hard innings cap in 2026
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Yesavage will be in the team's rotation in 2026 and will not have a strict innings limit, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Between the minors, regular season and postseason, Yesavage threw a total of 139.2 innings in 2025 in his first professional season. While the Blue Jays will no doubt keep an eye on the right-hander's workload, particularly early on in the season, he will not be working with a strict innings cap. Yesavage posted a 3.21 ERA and 16:7 K:BB over 14 regular-season innings and a 3.58 ERA and 39:11 K:BB across 27.2 postseason frames for Toronto.
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Louie Varland SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Will remain in bullpen
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Varland will remain in a bullpen role in 2026, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Varland excelled in a full-time move to a relief role in 2025, posting a 2.97 ERA and 75:22 K:BB over 72.2 regular-season innings between the Blue Jays and Twins. The 28-year-old has a career 5.18 ERA over 23 starts at the major-league level, and it does not appear the Blue Jays have interest in giving Varland another chance to start anytime soon. He's likely to begin the 2026 campaign in a setup role.
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Jose Altuve 2B | HOU
Astros' Jose Altuve: Resumes workouts
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Monday that Altuve (foot) has resumed workouts, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Altuve underwent a minor procedure last month to remove fluid between the fourth and fifth toes on his right foot, an injury he played through down the stretch of the regular season. The 35-year-old is not expected to have any limitations at the start of spring training.
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Isaac Paredes 3B | HOU
Astros' Isaac Paredes: To be 'full-go' for spring training
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Monday that Paredes (hamstring) will be "full-go" at the start of spring training, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brown said during last month's general managers' meetings that Paredes wasn't fully recovered from his right hamstring tear and that the infielder likely wouldn't be 100 percent by spring training. Now, however, Brown seems confident that Paredes will not have any limitations when camp opens. Paredes should have an everyday role for Houston in 2026 -- assuming he's not traded -- though it's not yet clear what position he will play.
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Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Will be full-go for start of spring
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Monday that Alvarez (ankle) will be "full go" for the start of spring training, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Alvarez went down with a severe left ankle sprain late in the regular season. Brown said nearly a month ago that Alvarez had resumed jogging at roughly 70 percent intensity, and while it's unclear how much, if at all, the slugger has progressed with his running since then, Alvarez is not expected to be limited at the start of spring training. Additionally, manager Joe Espada added that his preference is for Alvarez to spend most of his time at designated hitter in 2026, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. The 28-year-old will remain an injury risk heading into the 2026 campaign, however, after being limited to only 48 contests in 2025, mostly due to a fracture in his right hand.
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Wyatt Langford OF | TEX
Rangers' Wyatt Langford: Option to play center field
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Monday that the team is open to the possibility of using Langford as its center fielder next season, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Langford made 97 starts in left field and 36 starts in center field for the Rangers during the 2025 season and was graded with a plus-5 in Outs Above Average at both spots, per Baseball Savant. As things stand right now, the Rangers would likely use Langford in left field and Evan Carter (wrist) in center field next season against right-handed pitching. However, it's possible Langford will shift to center if the club is able to acquire corner outfield help or if Carter is injured. The right-handed-hitting Langford is also an option to play center field versus lefties when the left-handed-hitting Carter sits.