The Cardinals claimed Kent off waivers from the Rangers on Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals lost Kent to the Rangers via waivers last month, but he's now headed back in the other direction. Kent accrued 17.2 innings out of the Guardians' bullpen last season, finishing with a 4.58 ERA and 16:8 K:BB. He will compete for a spot in the St. Louis bullpen but has minor-league options remaining.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Wheeler (shoulder) extended his throwing distance off flat ground to 120 feet Monday, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Thomson acknowledged that he's uncertain when Wheeler will be ready to resume mound work, but the veteran right-hander is continuing to make steady progress in his throwing program after he underwent a procedure in mid-August to remove a blood clot near his shoulder and another surgery Sept. 23 to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome. At this point, the Phillies don't seem to be counting on Wheeler to be ready to go for Opening Day, but the 35-year-old appears on track to avoid an extended stay on the shelf to begin the 2025 campaign. Before being shut down last summer, Wheeler was firmly in the mix for the NL Cy Young Award after going 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 195 strikeouts in 149.2 innings over 24 starts.

The Dodgers signed Espinal to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

He will likely begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, but Espinal provides the Dodgers with some experienced infield depth while Tommy Edman (ankle) and Enrique Hernandez (elbow) are shelved. The 31-year-old slashed only .243/.292/.282 with zero home runs over 114 regular-season contests in 2025 with the Reds.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Edman (ankle) will begin the season on the injured list, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Edman has dealt with a nagging right ankle injury for a couple years and finally underwent surgery to correct the issue this offseason. Roberts said Monday that the team will take a "methodical" pace with Edman and "take the long view" with his return, suggesting it's likely to be longer than a minimum stay on the injured list for the switch hitter. While Edman is out, Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas and Alex Freeland will be in the mix for playing time at second base for the Dodgers.

Stowers (obliques) took live batting practice Monday in the Marlins' first full-squad workout of spring training, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Stowers didn't play for the Marlins after mid-August last season after suffering a Grade 1 left oblique strain before injuring his other oblique during a minor-league rehab assignment, but he appears to be back to full health entering his age-28 campaign. He's coming off a breakout 2025 season in which he earned his first All-Star nod while slashing .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs, five stolen bases, 73 RBI and 61 runs over 117 games. Stowers will be penciled into an everyday role in the heart of what could be an improved Miami lineup in 2026.

Scott (elbow) threw approximately 30 pitches in his first live batting practice session of spring training Monday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Per Albanese, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza noted that Scott hit 95 miles per hour with his fastball and flashed an impressive cutter during the throwing session. Though Scott looks to be fully healthy after missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from a September 2024 Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, Mendoza noted that the 26-year-old righty is uncertain to head north with the big club for Opening Day. Given the Mets' ample starting depth along with the fact that he's coming off a major injury and has minor-league options remaining, Scott could find himself on the outside looking in for a rotation spot. Before requiring the elbow procedure, Scott performed adequately over his nine starts with the Mets in 2024, logging a 4.56 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB in 47.1 innings.

Peguero will be limited over the next week due to left hamstring tightness, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The injury is likely to delay Peguero's first spring training appearance but won't affect his Opening Day availability as long as he avoids a setback. Peguero pitched well down the stretch for the Giants in 2025, posting a 2.42 ERA and 17:8 K:BB over 22.1 innings. Assuming good health, he could fill a setup role this season in San Francisco.

Smith (elbow) agreed Monday with the Nationals on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Michelle Margaux of SNY.tv reports.

According to Margaux, Smith's deal will be worth $1.75 million if he makes the Opening Day roster and includes up to $1.25 million in performance-related bonuses. The 32-year-old right-hander missed the entire 2025 season while on the mend from July 2024 Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, but he could be at or near full health at this point. If Smith proves during spring training that he's regained his pre-surgery velocity and command, he could quickly earn a high-leverage role in an unsettled Washington bullpen. Over parts of six big-league seasons, Smith owns a 3.48 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 15.2 K-BB% over 191 appearances, all of which came with the Mets.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday that Locklear (shoulder/elbow) is trending toward a return around mid-May to early June, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Locklear will be a spectator for spring training while he continues to recover from Oct. 16 surgeries to address a torn labrum in his left shoulder and a torn ligament in his left elbow. Before suffering the two arm injuries in a Sept. 7 collision at first base with Boston's Connor Wong, Locklear slashed .175/.267/.262 with a 37.1 percent strikeout rate over 116 plate appearances with Arizona after coming over from Seattle in a trade-deadline deal. Locklear has a minor-league option remaining, so he could end up sticking around with Arizona's Triple-A affiliate in Reno once he completes his rehab process and gets activated from the injured list.

Del Castillo said Monday that he expects to be sidelined for around one month due to his left calf injury, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

While Del Castillo is hopeful that he'll be able to play in at least one Cactus League game or exhibition before the beginning of the regular season, the extended time he'll miss this spring could end up costing him a spot on the Opening Day roster. Arizona is expected to head into the season with Gabriel Moreno and James McCann as its top two catchers, so Del Castillo would merely provide a third option at the position and would likely see most of his playing time at designated hitter. Because the 26-year-old still has a pair of minor-league options remaining, the Diamondbacks may prefer to option Del Castillo to Triple-A Reno, which would allow him to play on a more regular basis once he overcomes the calf issue.