MLB Player News

The Rangers designated Diaz for assignment Friday.

Diaz entered spring training with a chance at winning Texas' closer job, but he was shelled and allowed eight earned runs on three hits and four walks across 1.2 innings and three relief appearances. He faced 13 batters and retired just five, striking out one. With Diaz out of the picture, Robert Garcia and Chris Martin are the favorites for saves for the Rangers.

The Orioles have named Rogers their Opening Day starter.

Rogers will face the Twins and presumably Joe Ryan on March 26. After struggling following his midseason acquisition from the Marlins in the summer of 2024, Rogers was great in 18 starts last season, posting a 9-3 record, 1.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 103:29 K:BB across 109.2 innings. It will obviously be difficult for Rogers to replicate those numbers, but he's more than earned the nod for Opening Day.

Bieber (forearm) will continue throwing from flat ground over the next several days and will be reevaluated late next week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bieber has yet to progress to mound work this spring, and he'll need to wait before being cleared to ramp up his throwing program. The Blue Jays have been cautious with Bieber's return to the mound after he dealt with forearm fatigue last season in his return from April 2024 Tommy John surgery. Bieber has already been ruled out for Opening Day, and he'll likely need at least six weeks to build up once he's ready to start building up.

Berrios will have an in-person visit with a doctor Tuesday to evaluate his elbow inflammation, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Dr. Keith Meister has viewed Berrios' MRI, but the veteran right-hander will meet with the specialist in person to determine the best course of action. Berrios dealt with elbow inflammation and a biceps issue down the stretch last season. The 31-year-old has started three games this spring, registering a 3.38 ERA and 7:4 K:BB across 10.2 innings.

Bubic allowed two hits and a walk over three scoreless innings in Thursday's Cactus League win over the Padres. He struck out four.

Bubic delivered another solid spring effort, keeping the opposition off the scoreboard for a second straight appearance. Through three outings and eight innings in Cactus League play, the southpaw has allowed one run on nine hits and three walks. After posting a 2.55 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 20 starts and 116.1 innings last season before a left rotator cuff strain ended his campaign prematurely, Bubic will look to maintain his health and deliver strong results out of the Royals' rotation in 2026.

Cabrera (ankle) is starting in right field and batting sixth in Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

Cabrera made his spring debut last week, which was his first game action since undergoing surgery to repair a fracture and ligament damage to his left ankle last May. He's gone 0-for-4 with a walk in his three Grapefruit League games thus far. Cabrera is competing for a bench role on the Yankees' Opening Day roster.

Palacios (back) will start at third base and bat eighth in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Palacios is ready to roll after missing a week-plus of action with back tightness. The 28-year-old is 2-for-15 at the dish so far this spring and is projected for a utility role this season in Tampa Bay.

Diaz (hand) will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff in Friday's Grapefruit League tilt versus the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz missed more than a week of action while nursing a sore left hand, but he upped his workouts in recent days to clear the way for his return to action. The 34-year-old is slated to serve as the Rays' primary DH this season and will also see some playing time at first base.

Mountcastle said Friday that his right hand is "all good" and that he should return to the Grapefruit League lineup Saturday against the Pirates, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The veteran first baseman departed Wednesday's contest after being hit by a pitch on the hand, but X-rays came back negative and seems set to rejoin the lineup after a couple days off. Mountcastle was limited to 89 games last season due to a hamstring strain and struggled to a .653 OPS when available. He's looking like the odd man out of Baltimore's lineup in 2026 after the club signed Pete Alonso to take over at first base.

Gaddis (forearm) threw off a mound Thursday, MLB.com reports.

The session was a low-intensity mound workout that emphasized mechanics over velocity. It's typically an intermediary step between flat-ground throwing and a full bullpen, helping a pitcher transition back toward facing live hitters. As yet, Gaddis' availability for Opening Day remains uncertain.