MLB Player News

Sandlin (elbow) threw a live batting practice session Saturday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

It's the first time Sandlin has faced live batters this spring, as he continues to work his way back from an arthroscopic elbow procedure he underwent in the fall. It's still unclear how far away he is from making his debut in the Cactus League, but he's likely to grab a spot in the Angels' bullpen once he's fully healthy.

Gonzalez will have his left shoulder injury evaluated Tuesday to determine whether he needs to undergo surgery, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Gonzalez has not participated in baseball activities in spring training due to left shoulder inflammation that he has dealt with for most of the offseason. He was already a long shot to be available for Opening Day, and it appears the 29-year-old utility man could be on the shelf well beyond the start of the 2026 regular season. An extended absence for Gonzalez increases Kristian Campbell, Nate Eaton and Andruw Monasterio's chances of cracking the Red Sox's Opening Day roster.

Woodruff (lat) will start for the Brewers in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Woodruff ended the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list due to a right lat strain. He was limited to mound work and live batting practices to open spring training, and the 33-year-old right-hander is ready to take the next step by pitching in a competitive setting Saturday. It's a positive sign that Woodruff will be on the Brewers' Opening Day roster.

The Guardians optioned Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Nikhazy entered spring training as an unlikely candidate to make the Guardians' Opening Day roster, and the 27-year-old southpaw will indeed open the 2026 season in the minors. He spent most of the 2025 campaign in Triple-A, where he went 5-7 in 21 games (19 starts) while posting a 5.02 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 87:43 K:BB across 86 innings. Nikhazy appeared in two regular-season games for Cleveland in 2025 and could see some starts in the majors in 2026 when the Guardians need an extra arm in the rotation.

Benintendi (side) will serve as the White Sox's designated hitter during Saturday's Cactus League game against Seattle.

After sitting down for a few days with side soreness, Benintendi made his return to the Cactus League on Thursday. He has gone 3-for-9 over four games so far this spring, and he remains on track to open the season as Chicago's primary left fielder.

Carter started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's spring game against Seattle.

Carter was scratched from the lineup Wednesday due to illness but was playing on the back fields Thursday before joining the Rangers' main squad Friday. The homer, which came off a right-hander, was the first of the spring for Carter, who is 3-for-15 with two extra-base hits and three walks over seven Cactus League games. He's expected to be a lineup regular whenever Texas faces a right-hander, but Carter needs to be better against lefties to be an everyday starter. Thus far, he's 0-for-4 against southpaws this spring.

Fuentes (shoulder) is scheduled to pitch in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Fuentes ended the 2025 season on the 7-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. He appeared in 13 games across three levels in the minors last year and finished with a 1-7 record with a 3.73 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 71:16 K:BB across 57 innings. Assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks, Fuentes will likely open the 2026 season in Triple-A, but he should get some turns in Atlanta's rotation after starting four games for the parent club in 2025.

Leiter allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four over 3.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Mariners.

Leiter navigated the first two innings without much stress before the right-hander was touched for solo home runs in the third and fourth innings. He ran his pitch count to 61 (40 strikes) and didn't walk a batter for the first time this spring during his third Cactus League start. Leiter told Kane McCutchen of Yahoo! Sports that he was focused on working on specific pitches, as is the case for many pitchers during spring outings. On Friday, it was his changeup, which he threw 10 times (three swinging strikes) after using it just twice in his previous outing. Leiter has a 5.14 ERA with three walks, six strikeouts and three homers allowed over seven spring innings.

The Phillies optioned Chace (elbow) to Double-A Reading on Saturday.

Chace will miss the first portion of the regular season while finishing up his recovery from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in May. He'll report back to Reading once he's healthy and look to reach Triple-A before the end of the year.

The Phillies optioned Curet to Double-A Reading on Saturday.

Curet reached Triple-A for the first time last season while in the Rays organization, though he posted an unsightly 6.03 ERA and 1.93 WHIP over 31.1 innings. He was traded to Philadelphia during the offseason and will now head back to Double-A to begin his tenure with his new club.