MLB Player News

Rodgers (back) is fully healthy for the start of spring training and will compete for a utility role on the Red Sox's Opening Day roster, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

After signing a one-year deal with the Astros last February, Rodgers was limited to just 43 games at the big-league level in 2025. He initially missed time due to an oblique strain, then was involved in a nasty on-field collision during a minor-league rehab assignment in July in which he sustained a concussion as well as back, knee and hip injuries. He was able to resume his rehab assignment in late August before being shut down after one game, but after a full offseason to heal up from his injuries, Rodgers looks to be back to 100 percent. A Gold Glove Award winner at second base with the Rockies in 2022, Rodgers will need to prove he can capably handle other infield positions during the spring in order to boost his chances of making the roster as a utility player.

The Blue Jays claimed Cowles off waivers from the Cubs on Wednesday.

Cowles slashed just .235/.300/.371 with nine home runs and 18 steals over 462 plate appearances at hitter-friendly Triple-A Iowa in 2025. The 26-year-old has some defensive versatility with the ability to handle shortstop, second base and third base. He's likely ticketed for Triple-A Buffalo to kick off the 2026 season.

The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Francis will miss the entire 2026 season after the Blue Jays recently revealed that he would need reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, so his move to the 60-day IL was merely procedural. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Ben Cowles, whom the Blue Jays claimed off waivers from the Cubs.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that McMahon will be given some reps at shortstop during spring training in order to find out whether he can be a backup option at the position, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

McMahon played three innings at shortstop for the Rockies during the 2020 season, but that's the extent of his experience at the position. In all likelihood, the Yankees would use McMahon at shortstop only in an emergency situation. The 31-year-old is slated to be the team's primary third baseman against right-handed pitching.

Moore worked out at third base Wednesday for the second straight day during spring training, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Moore still looks like the frontrunner to open the season as the Angels' top second baseman, but manager Kurt Suzuki said that the 23-year-old is getting a look at the hot corner in camp "just to open up options for him." Yoan Moncada is penciled in as the Angels' primary third baseman, but Moore could fill in at the position when the veteran needs a day off. Moore hit seven home runs and stole three bases across 184 plate appearances in his first taste of the big leagues last season, but a bloated 33.7 percent strikeout rate played a big part in him batting just .198.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said Wednesday that Dana has yet to throw a bullpen session during spring training while he recovers from an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Dana seems to have overcome the illness and has since reported back to camp, but after missing about a week of workouts, he's currently behind the Angels' other rotation candidates during spring training. Suzuki said that Dana is in great shape and shouldn't need much time to build back up, so the bout with the illness likely won't be anything that dramatically affects his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Dana made seven appearances (five starts) for the Halos in 2025 and logged a 6.40 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB in 32.1 innings.

Schanuel said Wednesday that he spent considerable time in the offseason taking part in drills to improve his bat speed and barrel control, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The drills represented a continuation of the work he put in the previous offseason, which he credits for helping him increase his bat speed by 2.3 miles per hour during the 2025 campaign -- the sixth-biggest jump of all major-league hitters. While Schanuel continued to make contact at a steady clip (12.6 percent strikeout rate) and finished with a .264 average last season, he still offered subpar power production (.389 slugging percentage, .125 ISO) for a first baseman. Schanuel is hoping that another uptick in bat speed heading into 2026 will translate to more power, but manager Kurt Suzuki emphasized that he doesn't want the 24-year-old to dramatically alter his swing in pursuit of more pop. Fantasy managers should still be viewing Schanuel as a low-end option at first base who will hold greater value in leagues that count on-base percentage as a category.

Holliday will have the stitches removed from his surgically repaired right hand Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Coming back from hamate bone surgery, Holliday will be cleared to gradually begin activities after the stitches are out. The 22-year-old infielder will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, but it could be a minimum-length stint or close to it. Jordan Westburg (oblique) and Blaze Alexander are candidates to play second base in Holliday's stead.

Hader (biceps) played catch out to 90 feet Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Hader is still in the early stages of his throwing program after he was briefly shut down earlier this month when he experienced inflammation in his left biceps. Prior to that, Hader missed the final month and a half of the 2025 season while recovering from a left shoulder strain, but he appeared to have a normal offseason before the biceps issue cropped up following his fourth bullpen session of the winter, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Hader still has a chance of completing his throwing program in advance of Opening Day, but if he suffers a setback or otherwise requires a brief stint on the injured list to begin the season, Bryan Abreu would likely rank as the top option for saves out of the Houston bullpen.

Soriano (forearm) is scheduled to start the Angels' Cactus League opener Saturday versus the Dodgers, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Soriano missed the final two weeks of the 2025 season while recovering from a right forearm contusion, but he seemingly moved past the injury quickly during the offseason and reported to spring training with no limitations. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki has already confirmed that Soriano has locked down a rotation spot, and the right-hander could even challenge Yusei Kikuchi for the Opening Day nod. Soriano wrapped up the 2025 campaign with a 10-11 record, 4.26 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 152:78 K:BB across 169 innings over 31 starts.