MLB Player News

Blanco (head) will start in left field and bat ninth in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Rockies.

Blanco made two plate appearances off the bench in Friday's contest -- his first spring action since he was hit in the head by a pitch in Sunday's game. The 32-year-old outfielder will now return to the starting nine and continue his pursuit of a spot on Kansas City's Opening Day bench.

De Los Santos (knee) is expected to begin throwing bullpen sessions sometime next week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

De Los Santos has been shut down from throwing since he suffered a right knee strain at the start of camp. It remains unknown how far away he is from pitching in Grapefruit League games, though the Astros will likely also have the 30-year-old reliever face live hitters before using him in a competitive setting.

Meyers (back) is likely to resume playing in Grapefruit League games Monday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Meyers was a late scratch from Friday's spring contest due to back spasms. He's due to go through a full workout Saturday, which will help the team evaluate how the 29-year-old is feeling and whether he can return to the lineup after a few days of rest.

Allen allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings in Friday's spring start against the Cubs.

Allen made his second Cactus League start and final one before he joins Team Panama in the World Baseball Classic. The left-hander upped his pitch count to 51 (34 strikes). "It felt really good," Allen told Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. "Happy to get through three innings clean. Really feeling like I'm in a good spot. Everything's moving pretty good." The plan going forward is for Allen to stay on five-day routine while with Panama and build up his pitch count as a pitcher normally would in spring training.

Hoskins served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Friday's spring game against the Cubs.

Hoskins made his debut in a Guardians uniform Friday and helped spur a rally with his seventh-inning free pass. It looked like he'd struck out a third time on 3-2 pitch leading off the inning, but Hoskins challenged the ruling, and ABS reversed the call for a walk. Cleveland went on to score five times.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Romero has been dealing with a tight back, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The team is hoping for Romero to return Monday, so it doesn't sound like his injury is very serious. The 22-year-old infielder has gone 3-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored in five games so far this spring and figures to open the regular season at Triple-A Worcester.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Gamboa is dealing with an elbow injury and will be shut down for at least three days, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Gamboa has made just one appearance so far this spring, during which he gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk across 1.1 innings. His injury doesn't seem to be anything major, but the Red Sox will shut him down temporarily to be safe.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Rodgers' injured shoulder will cause him to miss some time, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The Red Sox sent Rodgers in for an MRI on his right shoulder Thursday after he made an early exit from Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest. Cora said the team is still waiting for the results of Rodgers' tests, but "it doesn't look great." It's unknown how long the 29-year-old will be sidelined, but the missed time will put a major dent in his chances at winning a spot on the Red Sox's bench.

Holliday (hand) said Saturday that he has been cleared to resume throwing a baseball, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Holliday was cleared for fielding and one-handed swings earlier this week after getting the stitches removed from his hand, and he's now added throwing to his regimen. Assuming he continues to progress without any issues, he'll begin taking regular swings Thursday as part of a plan to have him back in Baltimore's lineup around mid-April.

Flaherty allowed a run on a hit and a walk across two innings of work in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out four.

Flaherty has been eased in to action so far this spring, as he's logged just three innings across two Grapefruit League appearances so far, but he shouldn't need much work to get ready for the year. The veteran righty is coming off an up-and-down 2025 campaign in which he posted a 4.64 ERA across 161 regular-season innings but also struck out 188 batters. Flaherty had a much sharper 3.17 ERA in 2024, his first season with the Tigers before getting traded to the Dodgers at the deadline that year. He should slot into the middle of Detroit's rotation in 2026, potentially right behind Tarik Skubal and new addition Framber Valdez.