MLB Player News

Vazquez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Astros on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Vazquez is currently playing for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, but afterward he will report to Astros camp and attempt to win the backup job behind Yainer Diaz. Cesar Salazar, the only other catcher currently on Houston's 40-man roster, is 2-for-13 so far this spring. Vazquez, now 35, spent the last three seasons in Minnesota, slashing a combined .215/.267/.311.

Caminero went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run for the Dominican Republic in Friday's 12-3 win over Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

Caminero looks to have taken his hot bat from spring training into the WBC, considering he's gone 5-for-12 (.417) with five RBI and one walk covering his first five Grapefruit League contests. The 22-year-old slugger was a first-time All-Star in 2025, though it's worth noting that the Rays are returning to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field in 2026. During last year's regular season, Caminero posted a .953 OPS across 294 at-bats at hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field as opposed to a .743 OPS over 308 at-bats on the road.

Aranda went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run for Mexico in Friday's 8-2 win over Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.

Aranda's hot start to spring training appears to have carried into the WBC -- the first baseman has gone 5-for-13 (.385) with a double and two walks over six Grapefruit League outings. Even with the Rays heading back to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field in 2026, the 27-year-old should occupy a premium spot in Tampa Bay's lineup to begin the new year. Aranda was a strong four-category fantasy contributor when healthy in 2025, as he hit .316 with 14 homers, 59 RBI and 56 runs scored across 370 regular-season at-bats (106 games).

Horwitz enters the 2026 season with an uncertain defensive home, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Horwitz was the Pirates' primary first baseman when healthy in 2025, and he delivered a solid 119 wRC+ across 411 plate appearances. However, the team brought in Ryan O'Hearn this winter, and he will almost certainly get some playing time at first base. The team's other additions of Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna lower the potential playing time available at second base and designated hitter, respectively, leaving Horwitz without an obvious path to a regular defensive home. O'Hearn is slated to also play in right field, so Horwitz should still get a fair bit of run at first base while also occasionally filling in at second base and DH as needed.

Montero continues to have visa issues and hasn't yet arrived at Yankees camp, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Montero has been unable to join New York to this point while he works to resolve the visa issues. The veteran reliever had been slated to use the exhibition season to try to win a spot in the Yankees' bullpen, but given how much time he's already missed, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that Montero will break camp with the big-league club.

Schlittler pitched 2.1 scoreless innings against Tampa Bay in a Grapefruit League game Friday, allowing two hits and issuing one walk while striking out four batters.

Schlittler dealt with a back injury during the early part of spring training but appeared fully recovered Friday. He tossed 39 pitches and showed good velocity, topping out at 99.6 mph on his fastball. With his spring debut now in the books, Schlittler seems like he'll be ready for Opening Day, though he may be on a pitch count for his first few starts as he works to get fully ramped up.

Burke allowed four earned runs on five hits while striking out three across 3.0 innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

This was Burke's third outing of the spring, and he's allowed a combined six earned runs across his last six innings. Despite the poor line Thursday, he did manage to settle in after allowing all four of his runs to the first six batters he faced. While Burke is expected to land a spot in the rotation to begin the season, manager Will Venable has been purposely non-committal about the roles of his pitchers to this point in the exhibition season, per Barry Bloom of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Buxton was removed from Friday's World Baseball Classic game against Brazil after getting hit on the elbow by a pitch, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Buxton ran the bases for himself after taking a 92-mph fastball off his right elbow in the fifth inning, but he was replaced on defense to begin the next half-inning. The severity of his injury remains unclear, but more information on his status should come in the near future.

Ritter is impressing the Rockies with his ability to play multiple positions and could earn a roster spot as a utility player, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Ritter appeared in 60 games in 2025 and split his time evenly between second base and shortstop. The Rockies' offseason additions of Willi Castro and Edouard Julien weaken Ritter's chances of sticking at second base regularly, but he's appeared at second base, third base, shortstop and left field this spring. In addition to that versatility, he's hitting .478 with four doubles and a home run across 23 at-bats.

Abbott allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Giants. He also hit a batter and allowed two stolen bases.

Abbott allowed runs in all three innings, including his third home run in 7.1 Cactus League innings. The best news coming out of the left-hander's third spring start are the five punchouts, and he upped his pitch count to 63 (39 strikes). Abbott explained to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard that he was more focused on working his pitches than the results of Friday's outing.