MLB Player News

Carter (illness) returned to action in a backfields game Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Carter had to be scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's exhibition versus Team Brazil after falling ill, but he felt well enough to play in a "B" game a day later. The outfielder is 2-for-12 with a stolen base and a 3:5 BB:K in his first six Cactus League contests.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a 20-pitch, all-fastball bullpen session Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

It was the first time Thorpe has thrown off the mound since he came down with tendinitis in his surgically repaired right elbow nearly a month ago. The right-hander is slated for another bullpen session as he continues to rebuild stamina. Thorpe has not pitched in a game since 2024, having missed all of the 2025 campaign following Tommy John surgery. He'll be assigned to the Triple-A Charlotte rotation once he's stretched out but is a candidate to rejoin the big-league rotation at some point in 2026 if things go well.

The Rays optioned Areinamo (hamstring) to minor-league camp Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Areinamo played in just one Grapefruit League game this spring, during which he singled in his lone at-bat and scored before exiting with a sore right hamstring. It remains unclear how far away he is from returning to action, but he will report to Double-A Montgomery or Triple-A Durham when healthy.

Jung (hamstring) began fielding groundballs Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Thursday marked the first time Jung had done any work in the field since being diagnosed with a Grade 1 adductor strain Saturday. The Rangers don't have a timeline in place for the 28-year-old third baseman, but there's a decent chance he returns in time for Opening Day.

Cabrera (ankle) will make his Grapefruit League debut Friday versus the Rays, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

It will be Cabrera's first game action since he required surgery last May to repair a fracture and ligament damage in his left ankle. The utility player has a chance to be ready in time for Opening Day, though the Yankees could opt to allow him to knock some rust off on a rehab assignment first.

Pena was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena suffered the injury while playing in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game for Team Dominican Republic on Wednesday. He will now miss the WBC, but his status for Opening Day will depend on how he checks out during his re-evaluation in two weeks. If the 28-year-old ends up missing the first portion of the regular season, Nick Allen could step in to start at shortstop for the Astros, or perhaps Carlos Correa could shift back to short.

Briceno underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Briceno injured his wrist during Grapefruit League play this past weekend and an operation was deemed necessary. The Tigers have not revealed a timetable for Briceno's return to game action, but the 21-year-old is surely to be sidelined several weeks. One of Detroit's top prospects, Briceno slashed .266/.383/.500 with 20 home runs over 100 games between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie in 2025.

Stephenson (shoulder) will throw his first live batting practice session of spring training Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson continues to work his way back from a nerve issue and thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms. He's been throwing bullpens for the past couple weeks and continues to believe he'll be ready for Opening Day. Stephenson missed the entire 2024 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery and was limited to just 12 appearances in 2025, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB across 10 innings.

Keaschall is starting Thursday's Grapefruit League contest in left field, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

It's notable because it marks the first time Keaschall will play the outfield since undergoing elbow surgery in 2024. The 23-year-old made his major-league debut last season and only played second base if he wasn't slotted in as the designated hitter. While Keaschall is expected to man the keystone for Minnesota, position versatility will allow Minnesota to keep Keaschall's bat in the lineup after he slashed .302/.382/.445 with four home runs, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and a 19:29 BB:K across 207 plate appearances last season.

Springs allowed three hits and a walk over 2.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks. He struck out four.

Springs allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base but ultimately worked through traffic to deliver a scoreless outing. The performance marked an improvement from the 33-year-old's first Cactus League appearance against the Royals on Friday, when he allowed four earned runs, including a home run, over 1.2 innings. The southpaw appeared in 32 games (30 starts) in 2025 spanning 171 innings, posting a 4.11 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with a career-low 7.3 K/9. Springs is expected to slot into the middle of the rotation for his second season with the Athletics in 2026.