MLB Player News

The Royals optioned Zobac to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday.

Zobac was awarded a spot on Kansas City's 40-man roster during the offseason, but he'll return to Double-A to begin the new year. The 25-year-old righty posted a 7.68 ERA and 1.91 WHIP over 36.1 innings at Northwest Arkansas last season but pitched 2.2 scoreless frames this spring.

The Royals optioned Kudrna to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Kudrna gave up 18 earned runs in just 11.1 innings during his first taste of Triple-A action last season. He continued to struggle this spring, allowing eight earned runs in 3.1 frames, and he'll now return to Omaha to right the ship.

Sandlin (elbow) threw a live batting practice session Saturday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

It's the first time Sandlin has faced live batters this spring, as he continues to work his way back from an arthroscopic elbow procedure he underwent in the fall. It's still unclear how far away he is from making his debut in the Cactus League, but he's likely to grab a spot in the Angels' bullpen once he's fully healthy.

Gonzalez will have his left shoulder injury evaluated Tuesday to determine whether he needs to undergo surgery, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Gonzalez has not participated in baseball activities in spring training due to left shoulder inflammation that he has dealt with for most of the offseason. He was already a long shot to be available for Opening Day, and it appears the 29-year-old utility man could be on the shelf well beyond the start of the 2026 regular season. An extended absence for Gonzalez increases Kristian Campbell, Nate Eaton and Andruw Monasterio's chances of cracking the Red Sox's Opening Day roster.

The Guardians optioned Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Nikhazy entered spring training as an unlikely candidate to make the Guardians' Opening Day roster, and the 27-year-old southpaw will indeed open the 2026 season in the minors. He spent most of the 2025 campaign in Triple-A, where he went 5-7 in 21 games (19 starts) while posting a 5.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 87:43 K:BB across 86 innings. Nikhazy appeared in two regular-season games for Cleveland in 2025 and could see some starts in the majors in 2026 when the Guardians need an extra arm in the rotation.

Benintendi (side) will serve as the White Sox's designated hitter during Saturday's Cactus League game against Seattle.

After sitting down for a few days with side soreness, Benintendi made his return to the Cactus League on Thursday. He has gone 3-for-9 over four games so far this spring, and he remains on track to open the season as Chicago's primary left fielder.

Carter started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's spring game against Seattle.

Carter was scratched from the lineup Wednesday due to illness but was playing on the back fields Thursday before joining the Rangers' main squad Friday. The homer, which came off a right-hander, was the first of the spring for Carter, who is 3-for-15 with two extra-base hits and three walks over seven Cactus League games. He's expected to be a lineup regular whenever Texas faces a right-hander, but Carter needs to be better against lefties to be an everyday starter. Thus far, he's 0-for-4 against southpaws this spring.

Leiter allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four over 3.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Mariners.

Leiter navigated the first two innings without much stress before the right-hander was touched for solo home runs in the third and fourth innings. He ran his pitch count to 61 (40 strikes) and didn't walk a batter for the first time this spring during his third Cactus League start. Leiter told Kane McCutchen of Yahoo! Sports that he was focused on working on specific pitches, as is the case for many pitchers during spring outings. On Friday, it was his changeup, which he threw 10 times (three swinging strikes) after using it just twice in his previous outing. Leiter has a 5.14 ERA with three walks, six strikeouts and three homers allowed over seven spring innings.

Through three Grapefruit League appearances covering 8.1 innings, Anderson has yet to allow a run while striking out 10 batters.

Anderson logged 3.1 scoreless innings in Friday's contest against the Red Sox while striking out four. The 31-year-old righty most recently pitched in the Korea Baseball Organization, and he was able to parlay some success across two seasons as a starter into an MLB contract with the Tigers heading into 2026. Anderson figures to slot into Detroit's bullpen, potentially as a long reliever if Friday's extended usage is any indication of his role.

Correa (neck) will resume playing in the Grapefruit League on Monday against the Cardinals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

It's worth noting that Correa will be starting at shortstop during his return to play -- something that may become more common while Jeremy Pena sits with a fractured finger. If Pena's absence extends into the regular season, Correa would slide back over to shortstop while Isaac Paredes starts at the hot corner.