MLB Player News

The Rangers outrighted Blanco to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

He passed through waivers unclaimed after being removed from the 40-man roster last week. Blanco could decline the assignment since he's been outrighted previously, but it appears he plans to stick around in the organization as outfield depth.

Estevez (ankle) is likely to remain unavailable to pitch in Monday's game versus the Twins and will be evaluated for a possible stint on the injured list, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Estevez is still sporting a walking boot on his left foot as he recovers from an ankle contusion that he suffered when struck by a line drive Saturday. X-rays came back negative, but the Royals will consider an IL stint for Estevez if he hasn't made enough improvement following Tuesday's off day. Between the ankle injury and declining velocity that dates back to spring training, Estevez's standing as the Royals' closer is on shaky ground. Lucas Erceg notched a save for Kansas City in Sunday's win over Atlanta but could be unavailable Monday since he's pitched back-to-back days. Matt Strahm has also pitched each of the previous two days, so the Royals might have limited bullpen options Monday.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the A's.

The 28-year-old outfielder crushed a Luis Morales fastball to straightaway center field in the third inning, giving Sanchez his first long ball in a Toronto uniform. Sanchez has rotated starts with Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider through the first three games of the season, but the former Marlin could end up as the preferred option against right-handed pitching, especially if the Blue Jays coaching staff can unlock more power from his bat. Sanchez has hit between 13 and 18 homers in each of the last five seasons, but his elite bat speed has teased more upside in that department.

Springer went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the A's.

The veteran slugger took Luis Morales deep to lead off the game for the Jays. It was Springer's first long ball of the season, and while he's gone 2-for-14 with four strikeouts through three games, both hits have gone for extra bases as he works to shake off a sluggish spring.

Cease has more confidence in his changeup this season and seems committed to broadening his arsenal, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander has been essentially a two-pitch pitcher during his big-league career, throwing his two-seam fastball and slider over 40 percent of the time last season with the Padres, but in his first outing for the Blue Jays on Saturday, neither pitch reached that mark while his knuckle curve, two-seamer, changeup and sweeper all sat with usage rates between 7.8 percent and 10.0 percent. The changeup was especially impressive, as he's firmed it up a bit to give it more velocity and arm-side run but less vertical drop. The result was eight whiffs on eight changeups that averaged 83.7 mph, as batters sold out to try and meet his usual high-90s heat. "I'm going to keep fine-tuning it," Cease said. "Trying to find a little more consistency with command, but I like where it's at." With batters having more to think about than ever before when facing Cease, he struck out 12 batters in 5.1 innings -- setting a franchise record for Ks in a Blue Jays debut in the process.

Holliday (hand) has gone 0-for-6 with a walk and four strikeouts through his first two rehab appearances with Triple-A Norfolk.

Holliday didn't play in any Grapefruit League games after requiring surgery Feb. 12 to remove the fractured hook of the hamate bone in his right hand, so it's not especially surprising that he's looked rusty during the early stages of his rehab assignment. More importantly, Holliday has seemingly emerged from his first two minor-league games free of setbacks, so he should remain on track to rejoin the Orioles around mid-April once he stockpiles more at-bats and gets comfortable playing regularly again. Holliday played seven innings at second base Friday and eight Sunday, so he'll likely be cleared to play a full nine innings in the field during his next rehab game.

De Los Santos (knee) has tossed 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out one and allowing no hits or walks in two appearances for Triple-A Sugar Land since starting a rehab assignment Friday.

Through two appearances, the only blemish on De Los Santos' ledger has been a hit batsman, which came during his most recent outing Sunday. The right-hander opened the season on the shelf after he was out for most of spring training while recovering from a right knee strain, but he looks like he could soon be ready to rejoin the Houston bullpen. De Los Santos will be eligible for reinstatement from the injured list next week.

Brasier re-signed Friday with the Rangers on a minor-league contract.

Texas had previously released Brasier on March 21 after he failed to secure a spot in the club's Opening Day roster, but after assessing his options as a free agent, he ultimately chose to stick around in the organization on another minor-league pact. The 38-year-old righty reported to Triple-A Round Rock and debuted for the affiliate Sunday, striking out one batter over 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Rodgers (shoulder) re-signed Friday with the Red Sox on a two-year, minor-league contract, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.

Rodgers is slated to miss the entire 2026 season while recovering from right shoulder labral revision surgery, but the minor-league deal will allow him to conduct his rehab under the supervision of the Red Sox's medical staff. If healthy heading into next spring, Rodgers will likely be given the chance to compete for a spot on Boston's Opening Day roster, but he'll turn 30 in August and could struggle to earn another another opportunity in the majors. Even before his shoulder surgery, Rodgers endured a disappointing, injury plagued 2025 campaign with the Astros in which he slashed just .191/.266/.278 with a 35.9 percent strikeout rate over 128 plate appearances.

Keaschall went 1-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's loss at Baltimore and is hitting .182 (2-for-11) this season. He's hit third in the batting order in all three games this season.

Keaschall may be better suited to hit leadoff in Minnesota's lineup due to his high OBP (.382 last season), but new Twins manager Derek Shelton went with a platoon of Austin Martin and Kody Clemens in the leadoff role to begin the season. While Keaschall played some outfield in spring training, he's only played second base so far this season.