MLB Player News

Loftin (illness) played three innings at third base and went 1-for-2 in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Brewers in Cactus League play.

Jonathan India drew the start at third base, but Loftin was available off the bench and made his return to action for the first time since Thursday, when he was forced out of a game against the Guardians after coming down with an illness. Now that he's healthy again, Loftin will look to close the spring on a high note with the hope of securing a reserve role on the Royals' season-opening 26-man active roster.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider played catch with Varsho (shoulder) from 90-to-100 feet Sunday and said it was "probably the best" the 28-year-old has felt, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Varsho will continue to extend the distances of his throwing as he works his way back from right shoulder surgery. The Blue Jays have not ruled Varsho out for Opening Day, although it's unclear whether he would be ready to play the outfield by then. He's looked good at the plate this spring as a designated hitter, going 4-for-13 with two home runs and a 1:3 K:BB.

The Blue Jays agreed to a one-year contract with Tate on Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Tate was claimed off waivers by Toronto last September before being non-tendered in November. However, he's now found his way back into the organization on a major-league deal. Tate holds a career 4.09 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 170:65 K:BB over 215.2 innings covering parts of four seasons at the big-league level.

Schmidt (back) is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday against the Orioles, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Though he's been slowed in the spring by what has previously been referred to as a minor back issue, Schmidt has been able to move through his throwing program without any setbacks over the past few weeks and is now ready to test himself in a game setting. After Tuesday's outing, the right-hander will likely build up his pitch count over two more Grapefruit League or exhibition starts, which should put him on track to make the Opening Day roster and take the hill for his first turn through the rotation April 3 versus the Diamondbacks. Schmidt's status heading into the season has taken on greater importance over the past week with the New York rotation having lost Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Luis Gil (lat) to long-term injuries.

Swanson (forearm/elbow) will meet with Dr. Keith Meister in Texas on Thursday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Swanson has been slowed by forearm and elbow issues this spring. Blue Jays manager John Schneider referred to Swanson's arm issues as "a little bit of a recurring theme," and the goal with Thursday's exam is to "nail down exactly what's going on." More clarity on Swanson's situation is anticipated after Thursday's meeting, but the reliever is expected to begin the season on the injured list regardless of what comes out of the exam.

Eovaldi allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four in Sunday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.

Eovaldi threw a spring-high 75 pitches in his third Cactus League outing. He told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News he was off mechanically and struggled to locate his fastball. Beyond that, the right-hander said he felt fine and was pleased with his curveball, which elicited seven swing-and-misses (14 thrown) and none were hit into play. Eovaldi believes he knows what went wrong for him Sunday and how to correct it. Nothing has been decreed yet, but Eovaldi is a good bet to start Opening Day.

Wesneski has allowed one earned run across 6.1 innings while maintaining an 11:3 K:BB in the Grapefruit League this spring.

Wesneski is a top candidate to begin the season in the Astros' rotation with both Luis Garcia (elbow) and Lance McCullers (forearm) set to begin the season on the injured list. According to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, Wesneski has prepped for the role by adding a curveball to his arsenal. The results this spring have been strong, highlighted by his outing Saturday when he struck out five and walked one across 2.1 frames.

Blanco is prioritizing an attack of the strike zone this season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Blanco had one of the biggest breakout performances in 2024, but he struggled to consistently find the strike zone, as his 10.1 percent walk rate in the regular season was the highest mark of any qualified starter. He escaped relatively unscathed thanks to a .187 BABIP with runners on base and .160 with runners in scoring position, both of which are unlikely to repeat in 2025. As a result, he plans to be less precise with his pitches in hopes of finding the strike zone more consistently.

Spence gave up two runs (one earned) over 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and two walks in Sunday's Cactus League loss to Arizona. He has a 1.13 ERA with a 6:2 K:BB in eight innings this spring.

Spence may be the leading candidate for the fifth starter role and has outperformed Joey Estes and Osvaldo Bido so far this spring. However, the final two spots in the Oakland rotation are uncertain at this point. While Spence had a subpar strikeout rate last season (19.4 percent), he did have an above-average groundball rate (48.4 percent) and swinging-strike rate (10.4 percent).

Estes gave up two runs over 3.2 innings with two strikeouts and one walk in Sunday's win over the Dodgers. He has a 5.87 ERA with a 5:1 K:BB in 7.2 innings this spring.

Estes is competing for a spot in the rotation but likely isn't making enough of an impression to win a job. Meanwhile, Mitch Spence has pitched well, and Osvaldo Bido may still be a lock despite struggling (12.91 ERA). If Estes loses out on a rotation spot, it's not clear if he'll move to the bullpen or to the rotation at Triple-A.