MLB Player News

Buehler said Thursday that his right elbow stopped hurting about a month ago after trying various treatments, vitamins and supplements, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Buehler has had two Tommy John surgeries with the second coming in August of 2022. The right-hander's claim of being pain free comes as new teammate Joe Musgrove is returning from Tommy John surgery and is sharing some of the experiences Buehler had in the past. The 31-year-old Buehler had a 2.90 ERA across his first five seasons in MLB but has a 4.83 ERA across the past three years, and he's especially struggled the last two seasons since the surgery.

Carter (illness) returned to action in a backfields game Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Carter had to be scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's exhibition versus Team Brazil after falling ill, but he felt well enough to play in a "B" game a day later. The outfielder is 2-for-12 with a stolen base and a 3:5 BB:K in his first six Cactus League contests.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a 20-pitch, all-fastball bullpen session Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

It was the first time Thorpe has thrown off the mound since he came down with tendinitis in his surgically repaired right elbow nearly a month ago. The right-hander is slated for another bullpen session as he continues to rebuild stamina. Thorpe has not pitched in a game since 2024, having missed all of the 2025 campaign following Tommy John surgery. He'll be assigned to the Triple-A Charlotte rotation once he's stretched out but is a candidate to rejoin the big-league rotation at some point in 2026 if things go well.

The Rays optioned Areinamo (hamstring) to minor-league camp Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Areinamo played in just one Grapefruit League game this spring, during which he singled in his lone at-bat and scored before exiting with a sore right hamstring. It remains unclear how far away he is from returning to action, but he will report to Double-A Montgomery or Triple-A Durham when healthy.

Jung (hamstring) began fielding groundballs Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Thursday marked the first time Jung had done any work in the field since being diagnosed with a Grade 1 adductor strain Saturday. The Rangers don't have a timeline in place for the 28-year-old third baseman, but there's a decent chance he returns in time for Opening Day.

Cabrera (ankle) will make his Grapefruit League debut Friday versus the Rays, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

It will be Cabrera's first game action since he required surgery last May to repair a fracture and ligament damage in his left ankle. The utility player has a chance to be ready in time for Opening Day, though the Yankees could opt to allow him to knock some rust off on a rehab assignment first.

Mathews allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out seven over 2.2 frames in Thursday's Grapefruit League appearance against the Pirates.

Mathews served up a home run in his final inning of work after Nolan Gorman had committed an error. The lefty's outing was very encouraging on the whole, though. Mathews averaged 95.2 mph with his four-seamer, induced 12 whiffs on 50 pitches and didn't issue a walk to go along with his seven punchouts. The lefty had been shaky in his first two appearances of the spring, so this was a nice step in the right direction. Mathews is slated to open 2026 in the Triple-A Memphis rotation.

Pena was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena suffered the injury while playing in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game for Team Dominican Republic on Wednesday. He will now miss the WBC, but his status for Opening Day will depend on how he checks out during his re-evaluation in two weeks. If the 28-year-old ends up missing the first portion of the regular season, Nick Allen could step in to start at shortstop for the Astros, or perhaps Carlos Correa could shift back to short.

Briceno underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Briceno injured his wrist during Grapefruit League play this past weekend and an operation was deemed necessary. The Tigers have not revealed a timetable for Briceno's return to game action, but the 21-year-old is surely to be sidelined several weeks. One of Detroit's top prospects, Briceno slashed .266/.383/.500 with 20 home runs over 100 games between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie in 2025.

Edwards was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros with left calf tightness, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The severity of Edwards' injury is still unclear, but the Marlins will likely provide more information following Thursday's contest. The 26-year-old infielder has gone 3-for-11 so far this spring with two RBI, a run scored and three steals over five games.