MLB Player News

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.

Baez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Baez has now gone 4-for-7 through three spring games, and his home run Friday was his first of the exhibition slate. Earlier this month, the veteran was suspended from the World Baseball Classic for testing positive for marijuana in March 2023. The WBC's governing body classifies marijuana as a banned substance, but Major League Baseball does not, so his status with the Tigers is unaffected. Baez looks like Detroit's primary shortstop to begin the year, though he could also move into a utility role and play some in center, particularly if top prospect Kevin McGonigle makes a push for the role at short. The 33-year-old had something of a bounce-back campaign in 2025, but his fantasy value overall has been trending down across his four seasons with the Tigers.

Walls (oblique) will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls was slated to make his spring debut last weekend before being scratched due to oblique tightness. The issue didn't set him back much, however, and Walls still has plenty of time to ramp up for Opening Day assuming no further delays. Walls' 2025 season was cut short when he underwent sports hernia surgery in September.

Rafaela is in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Rafaela was involved in a scary collision with teammate Roman Anthony on Friday as the two players tracked a flyball to left-center field, which left both players down for a brief period of time. Anthony got the wind knocked out of him, but both players stayed in the game and will start Saturday's contest. Impressively, Rafaela later homered against Atlanta ace Chris Sale in the third inning, Rafaela's second home run of the spring.

Anthony said he just got the wind knocked out of him in a collision with teammate Ceddanne Rafaela during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

It was a rather ugly incident that left both players down and drew the training staff onto the field, but both Anthony and Rafaela stayed in the game and are right back in there for Saturday's exhibition, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Through five spring games, Anthony has gone 3-for-16 with a double and four strikeouts. He is primed to serve as Boston's leadoff hitter to begin 2026.

Pepiot allowed one unearned run on one hit and two walks in two innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto. He struck out two.

Pepiot showed some signs of rust in his first spring outing, throwing just 19 of his 32 pitches for strikes. The right-hander's fastball velocity topped out at just 94.6 mph as well after averaging 95.2 mph in 2025, so he'll be looking to round into form in the coming weeks. Though he did manage a strong 3.41 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 16 home starts at hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field last regular season, Pepiot is still likely looking forward to the Rays moving back to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field in 2026.

Schmidt (elbow) is tentatively slated to being throwing bullpens in March and could face hitters in April or May, per MLB.com.

Schmidt is rehabbing from the internal brace surgery he underwent last July. To this point, he's thrown only on flat ground and up to 90 feet, so he still has multiple hurdles to clear on his way back to game action. Should Schmidt continue to progress without setbacks, he could return to a big-league mound shortly after the All-Star break.

McMahon is using a "narrower stance" while batting this spring, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

McMahon reportedly worked with the Yankees' coaching staff to adjust his approach at the plate. The veteran third baseman expressed optimism about the reworked stance, saying, "A lot of good things happen from being a little bit closer together." McMahon added, "My hands don't drop as much, which is a super helpful thing. They travel a little bit higher, and that's something that I do when I'm swinging it well." Per Hoch, McMahon had the fourth-widest stance in MLB last season, and that didn't translate into good results -- over 54 regular-season games with the Yankees, he slashed just .208/.308/.333 with four homers, 18 RBI and 62 strikeouts across 185 plate appearances.

Mullins went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto.

It was the first homer of spring training for Mullins, who is trying to bounce back with the Rays in 2026 after he fell to a .690 OPS covering 498 regular-season plate appearances last season. With Josh Lowe having been dealt to the Angels over the winter, Mullins should open the season as Tampa Bay's primary center fielder.