MLB Player News

Bubic (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session Saturday, Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

It was the first time in nearly seven months that Bubic faced hitters, as he missed nearly all of the second half of 2025 after being diagnosed with a left rotator cuff strain. The southpaw said after the session that he "felt good" about his velocity and movement and experienced only "normal soreness." Bubic is slated for another live BP session Wednesday and will progress to game action after that. He is expected to be ready to roll on Opening Day.

Gelof (shoulder) will be held out of action for the beginning of the Athletics' Cactus League schedule, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Gelof is still building up his hitting progression after he had surgery last September to repair a dislocated left shoulder. Barring setbacks, it doesn't seem he is in danger of being unavailable for Opening Day, though the 26-year-old isn't a lock to make the roster. Gelof has been working out in the outfield this spring and could transition to a utility role.

Butler will be held out of Cactus League action until mid-spring as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Butler underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and was also given a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. He is in the final stages of his rehab and is fully expected to be ready to go on Opening Day, but the Athletics will ease him into game action this spring. Butler posted a disappointing .234/.306/.404 batting line in 2025 while playing through knee problems for a chunk of the season.

Church (lat) completed a bullpen session Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Church apparently responded well to the side session and is close to facing hitters in live batting practice, something that could happen within the next few days. The 24-year-old is working his way back from a right lat strain, but barring any setbacks in his throwing program, he could be ready to make his Cactus League debut at some point within the next couple of weeks. Though he lacks much big-league experience with just six appearances to his name, Church possesses some of the best stuff of any of the Rangers' relief arms and could enter the high-leverage mix at some point in 2026.

Teodo (back) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Tuesday marked the first time that Teodo had thrown off a mound all spring, as the Rangers have taken a deliberate approach with the 25-year-old righty while he works his way back from a back issue that kept him out for more than two months last season. Teodo is entering his second season as a member of the Rangers' 40-man roster but has yet to make his MLB debut. He posted a 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 23:17 K:BB over 18 innings with Triple-A Round Rock in 2025 and will likely be headed back to the affiliate to begin the 2026 campaign.

Nimmala has added 15 pounds from his playing weight at the end of last season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

While it's good to see the 20-year-old bulk up, that weight mostly just replaces the mass Nimmala lost over the course of the 2025 campaign. That weight loss may have contributed to a summer slump that saw his offensive numbers crater -- he held an .842 OPS with 11 homers through his first 61 games for High-A Vancouver, but Nimmala managed just a .522 OPS with two homers over his final 59 contests. "I need to keep prepared and keep doing things the right way," the shortstop prospect said Tuesday. "That's something I look forward to taking into this year. Forget about what's going on on the field, but it's more like putting yourself in a good situation to play well." Encouragingly, Nimmala did maintain an improved strikeout rate all season, and if his more frequent contact turns into more frequent hard contact, he could be headed for a breakout in 2026.

Mayer has taken infield practice exclusively at second base during the first few days of camp, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

One storyline during camp is how manager Alex Cora deploys Mayer and Caleb Durbin, who has been used exclusively at third base thus far. Both infielders have experience at second and third base, and it's likely each will get reps at the two positions. "Everybody will benefit from reps, but we'll make a decision, probably sooner rather than later," Cora said. "We're not going to be waiting." A better indicator of the manager's plans should emerge when the Red Sox begin spring games this weekend.

Manager Craig Albernaz said Tuesday that he isn't managing O'Neill's workload this spring, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

O'Neill didn't enter camp with an injury, but his status is worth noting since he's played at least 130 games just one time over the course of his eight-year major-league career. Neck, shoulder and wrist injuries limited the 30-year-old outfielder to just 54 contests during his most recent season, his first with Baltimore, and O'Neill now appears poised to begin the 2026 campaign in a battle for a part-time role in right field with Dylan Beavers and at designated hitter with Samuel Basallo.

Altavilla was sitting at 97-98 mph with his fastball during Tuesday's live batting-practice session, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. He averaged 96 mph on his fastball last season with the White Sox.

Altavilla is in camp on a non-roster invitee contract and will also be pitching for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. There are jobs to be won in the Twins bullpen, and this alone won't win him that spot, but it's a nice first step.

Abel was impressive in Tuesday's live batting practice, hitting 96-to-98 mph with his fastball, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. "Abel is one of those guys that, I mean, you guys saw it last year, what he did to the Phillies late in the year," manager Derek Shelton said. "He's got electric stuff."

Abel might be overlooked a little bit in the battle for the now-three open rotation spots for the Twins, but he'll be in the mix along with Simeon Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews and David Festa, who is a little behind the rest of the group while returning from a shoulder issue. Abel made two starts for the Twins after the trade from the Phillies, striking out nine in his final start of the season against his former club.