MLB Player News

Abel threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks in his spring debut Monday against Detroit. He reached 97 mph with his fastball during the outing, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Abel is competing for one of three open spots in the Minnesota rotation with Pablo Lopez out for the season after Tommy John surgery. Abel has not lived up to his No. 15 overall draft pick selection in 2020, as before last season he had unimpressive ERAs and troubling walk rates (4.76 ERA the previous two seasons in Triple-A and Double-A with Philly). He did have a 2.20 ERA and 10.4 K/9 at Triple-A in 2025 but struggled with a 6.46 ERA in the majors. A high walk rate (6.5 BB/9 in the majors last season) has been a problem, so it was a good sign he didn't issue any free passes Monday.

Detmers allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 1.2 innings in a Cactus League start against Texas on Monday.

Detmers is being given the opportunity to return to the rotation this season, so his first appearance of the exhibition slate came as a starter. It didn't go well for the left-hander, however, as he fell behind 2-0 after two batters when Danny Jansen took him deep to left field. Detmers gave up another run later in the first inning and was pulled having recorded just two outs, but under spring-training rules, he returned for the top of the second and had a much better outcome, retiring all three batters he faced in that frame. Detmers was solid as a reliever last year and has shown flashes of brilliance as a starter in previous campaigns, so there's reason to hope he can stick in the Angels' rotation through the season despite Monday's rough spring showing.

Kay developed a sinker while pitching with the Yokohama Bay Stars, Kade Heather of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kay struggled to establish himself in the majors in partial seasons from 2019 through 2023, and he spent the last two seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. He developed the sinker because his high fastball was less effective overseas, given that Japanese players typically have a flatter swing. Kay is now readjusting his approach in his return to MLB, where he previously relied primarily on his fastball, slider and changeup. He is set to make his first Cactus League start Tuesday, though it's unclear how much of his pitch mix he will show.

Jansen went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk in Monday's Cactus League game against the Angels.

Jansen pieced together a few strong at-bats during Monday's exhibition. He struck for a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to get his squad on the board, and he later drew a six-pitch walk in the top of the fourth. Jansen hit second in the batting order Monday after being slotted in as the No. 3 hitter in his spring debut Saturday, though this is likely a strategy to get him as many at-bats as possible early in spring training games.

Povich allowed one hit and one walk in two scoreless innings during Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He struck out one.

The Orioles have a quartet of arms battling for a roster spot this spring either as a sixth starter or bulk reliever, and Povich did his part Monday to keep himself under consideration. Zach Eflin (back) is expected to be a full participant at camp, though it remains to be seen when he'll make his spring debut. For now, Povich has Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Brandon Young as his primary competition.

Rasmussen allowed one hit in two scoreless innings during Monday's Grapefruit League game against Boston. He struck out three.

Rasmussen was very sharp in his first appearance of the spring, tossing 16 of his 23 pitches for strikes. Tampa Bay has already announced that Rasmussen is tabbed to start Opening Day, and the hope this season is that the Rays won't scale back his workload the way they did during the second half of last year. The right-hander should also benefit from the team moving back to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field in 2026.

Smith appears to be the favorite to win the starting job at second base, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

While the team hasn't openly announced that Smith is ahead of the competition, Corey Seager provided a hint when talking with media earlier in camp. When asked about working with someone new at the keystone, he specifically mentioned Smith, stating "I've played some games with him already so you kind of know how he operates. I'm really excited for him just to get this opportunity." Nothing is set in stone this early in camp, but Smith has now drawn two starts at second base in spring training and continues to work drills exclusively at second base outside of exhibitions, per McFarland.

Hernaiz started at shortstop and went 2-for-3 with a double in Monday's Cactus League loss to the Giants.

Hernaiz turned in a solid showing at the plate, reaching on an infield single in the first inning before lacing a 101.4 mph double to right field in the third inning. The 24-year-old slashed a modest .231/.292/.306 with eight extra-base hits and 16 RBI across 51 games with the Athletics last season and is competing this spring for a spot on the MLB roster in 2026. His ability to handle multiple infield positions works in his favor, and performances like Monday's are encouraging as Hernaiz prepares to depart to represent Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Ginn allowed no hits or walks across two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League loss to the Giants.

Ginn came out sharp in his spring debut, striking out the side in the first inning and ultimately retiring all six batters he faced across two scoreless frames. He averaged 96.9 mph with his sinker and touched 98 mph after averaging 93.4 mph with the pitch in 2025. The right-hander struggled to a 5.08 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 23 appearances (16 starts) spanning 90.1 innings with the Athletics last season, but this uptick in velocity could portend a strong sophomore campaign. Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales likely have the inside track on the final two rotation spots, but strong spring showings like Monday's will bolster Ginn's case for a role, whether in the starting staff or out of the bullpen.

Garcia went 2-for-2 in Monday's Cactus League loss to the Cubs.

Garcia showed some pop Monday, collecting a pair of singles that both left the bat at over 100 mph in his two plate appearances before being lifted. Notably, the third baseman was slotted into the leadoff spot as manager Matt Quatraro evaluates options atop the lineup for the regular season. The 25-year-old broke out with an .800 OPS across 160 games last year while hitting most often in the cleanup spot, but a one-two combination of Garcia and Bobby Witt would give the Royals a dynamic duo to open the lineup.