MLB Player News

Oviedo allowed two hits and struck out four over 3.1 scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rays.

After a wild, rocky start to the Grapefruit League, Oviedo has impressed in two subsequent outings and is the frontrunner for Boston's final rotation spot. That first spring appearance, when the right-hander walked three and hit a batter, has been followed by 6.1 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and zero walks.

Burger 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Saturday's spring game against San Francisco.

Burger homered for the third consecutive game, including an exhibition contest against Team Brazil. He's officially 7-for-20 with three home runs and seven RBI through nine Cactus League contests. Burger's looking for a bounce-back season after falling to 16 home runs in 2025, a huge dropoff after he launched 63 over the prior two years combined.

Latz allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Giants.

Latz's third Cactus League start was a grind. After an efficient 1-2-3 first inning, the left-hander needed 18 pitches for the second frame. The walks also drove up his pitch count, and by the time he started the fourth inning, Latz's velocity diminished. Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have been concerned about Latz's ability to maintain velocity throughout a game and work as a viable starter. He's currently competing with Kumar Rocker for the final spot in the rotation, with Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber also options if neither favorite is deemed able to handle the assignment.

Hoskins started at first base and went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's spring game against San Diego.

Hoskins, who served as the designated hitter in his first four Cactus League appearances, made his first start in the field. His first at-bat was an epic 13-pitch battle with Padres starter Michael King that ended in a strikeout. Two innings later, he took King deep on a first-pitch fastball for his first spring homer, a two-run shot. An inning later, the first baseman singled in another two runs. Until Saturday, Hoskins was having a difficult spring, going 1-for-12 while striking out seven times.

Romero (back) will start at second base and bat sixth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

After having been held out of action since Feb. 26 due to a back issue, Romero returned to the lineup as a designated hitter Saturday, going 0-for-2 in a 2-0 win over the Rays. Romero apparently experienced no setbacks coming out of that contest, prompting the Red Sox to clear him for defensive duties a day later. The 22-year-old is likely to be assigned to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season.

Cecconi allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Saturday's spring start against the Padres.

Cecconi made his third Cactus League appearance and dealt with traffic in all four innings. He induced two double-play groundouts to squelch a couple of potential rallies. The right-hander upped his pitch count to 53 (36 strikes) and has been much sharper in 2026 than he was a year ago in his first spring training with the Guardians. Cecconi finished last spring with an ERA of 16.88 over 5.1 innings compared to his 3.12 ERA over 8.2 frames this year.

India went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Cactus League win over the Reds.

India opened the scoring, driving a Nick Lodolo sinker over the left-field fence to lead off the bottom of the first inning. The second baseman has put together a strong showing at the dish so far in Cactus League play, going 4-for-13 with two extra-base hits, three RBI and five walks through seven appearances. India is looking to bounce back from a lackluster first season with the Royals in 2025, when he slashed .233/.323/.346 with 29 doubles, nine homers and 45 RBI across 136 games.

The Orioles optioned Trimble to minor-league camp Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Baltimore added Trimble to its 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The 25-year-old could make his big-league debut at some point in 2026, but he may need multiple outfielders to go down with injuries before he gets a look. Trimble is expected to open the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Norfolk after slashing .259/.319/.435 with five home runs and eight steals in 30 games at the level last season.

Scherzer walked one and struck out one over four scoreless, no-hit innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Making his first appearance of the spring, the 41-year-old Scherzer ended up in something of a pitcher's duel with 22-year-old Andrew Painter in what ended up being a 1-0 win for the Blue Jays. Scherzer faced the tougher lineup of the two, as the Phillies sent out most of their Opening Day starters who weren't participating in the WBC, including Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto. Scherzer tossed 29 of 40 pitches for strikes, and while it's not yet clear how Toronto will arrange its rotation to begin the season with Jose Berrios healthy and Trey Yesavage likely to handle a limited workload, the future Hall of Famer Scherzer looks like he'll be ready for a significant role right out of the gate.

The Astros optioned Alexander to minor-league camp Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander had a 4.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 65:26 K:BB across 77.1 innings between Atlanta and Houston last season but was never a likely bet to crack the Astros' Opening Day roster. Alexander is likely to work out of the rotation at Triple-A Sugar Land to begin 2026 and could get another look in the majors as a swingman at some point this year.