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

Almonte missed the first half of the 2025 season after having surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder but returned to make 15 appearances in the minors in the Cubs organization. The 31-year-old reliever has collected a 4.44 ERA, 22.5 percent strikeout rate and 9.9 percent walk rate over parts of seven major-league seasons, which includes a stint with the Dodgers from 2022-2023.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said recently that Vasquez has an "inside track" to one of the spots in the rotation, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove are locked into the rotation, and Vasquez is likely to join them after making 28 appearances (26 starts) in 2025. While Vasquez finished with a 3.84 ERA over 133.2 regular-season innings, his 78:52 K:BB wasn't pretty. Some ERA regression is likely coming, but he did enough last season that he's expected to open in San Diego's rotation.

Reimer worked hard on improving his defense at third base in the offseason, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 21-year-old is coming off a breakout campaign with his bat, as he slashed .282/.381/.490 over 123 games between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton with 17 homers and 15 steals, but scouts have long believed Reimer will need to move across the diamond to first base at some point. He's not shifting down the defensive spectrum without a fight, however. "I understand it, obviously," Reimer said of that speculation. "It's fair. But I want to show that I can definitely go out there and be an elite-level defensive player." He'll get his first look at Triple-A at some point this season, but even if he performs well, it could take some injuries ahead of him on the depth chart to get Reimer a 2026 big-league debut.

Junk has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 mild right ankle sprain, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Junk suffered the injury during a drill Tuesday. It's unclear when the righty might be ready to pitch in games, but he said Thursday that he's "not concerned that this is gonna be a multi-week thing." While the injury is minor, it will not help Junk's bid for a spot in the Marlins' rotation.

Clifford is looking to build on the progress he made last season with his outfield defense, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Specifically, the 22-year-old worked on improving his reads, jumps and first step. "We put a lot of thought into the prep step stuff, and the numbers backed up that I got better out there," Clifford said in camp this week. "I'm hoping to build on it this year as well... Just continue to try to become more explosive. I don't have the highest top speed, obviously, so the first couple steps are really important to me." Twenty of his 34 starts with Triple-A Syracuse last season came in an outfield corner, and with the Mets not yet settled on the identity of their starting right fielder, a strong showing by Clifford in spring training on both sides of the ball could give him another route to a big-league debut in 2026. His most likely future position for New York remains first base, however, and his bat could play in either spot after slashing .237/.356/.470 with 29 homers in 139 games last year between Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton.

Snelling will start for the Marlins in their Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the Mets, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw is set to work only one inning, but Snelling is in camp looking to make as many good impressions as possible. Miami doesn't have a spot for him in the Opening Day rotation after signing Chris Paddack, but after being named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2025, Snelling could be the next man up in case of an injury. The 22-year-old delivered a dazzling 1.27 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB over 11 starts and 63.2 innings for Triple-A Jacksonville last season after a mid-July promotion from Double-A.

The Diamondbacks are preparing for Carroll (hand) to return by or soon after Opening Day, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The team isn't saying it out loud, but they believe Carroll's track record of healing quickly and work ethic makes Opening Day a real possibility. Another clue is how the Diamondbacks are preparing the outfield with both Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel (knee) sidelined. The original plan floated by manager Torey Lovullo was to have center fielder Alek Thomas cover right field until Carroll was back, but early in camp, Thomas has been lining up in left field, where he could play until Gurriel returns. Of the two injured outfielders, the sense is that Gurriel is likely to need more time than Carroll.

Gurriel (knee) took live batting practice Tuesday and ran the bases, indicating his return is ahead of schedule, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel's stated goal is to be ready for Opening Day -- it's the first thing he mentioned to manager Torey Lovullo upon his arrival in camp -- but the manager's comments suggest more caution. Lovullo stated he was blown away by how Gurriel has looked early on, but then added, "I will say, right now, we're going to take it as slowly as we possibly need to, and then plug in where we can." It appears the Diamondbacks are preparing for Gurriel to miss time early in the regular season. Alek Thomas has taken reps in left field -- Gurriel's normal position -- instead of right field. It was initially thought Thomas could fill in for injured right fielder Corbin Carroll (hand), but the club is optimistic Carroll can return in time for the opener.

Varland (undisclosed) faced live hitters during Wednesday's full-squad workout.

Varland didn't pitch after July 28 last season while tending to an undisclosed injury, but he's seemingly back to full health for spring training. The Nationals added Varland to their 40-man roster via a waiver claim in January and will give him the chance to compete for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. Over parts of two big-league seasons across stops with the White Sox, Brewers and Dodgers, Varland owns a 4.82 ERA and 47:24 K:BB over 46.2 innings.

Montes de Oca (elbow) faced live hitters during Wednesday's full-squad workout.

Montes de Oca looks to be free of restrictions this spring after he missed the entire 2025 season while he was on the mend from his second career Tommy John surgery, which he underwent late in 2024. The 29-year-old right-hander signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals in January and is likely to open the season in the Triple-A Rochester bullpen.