MLB Player News

Pfaadt allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over 2.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League start against the Athletics.

Pfaadt threw an efficient 25 pitches (15 strikes) to get those seven outs in his Cactus League debut, as Athletics hitters were aggressive. The right-hander was behind other starters in camp, because of a side issue that cropped up during offseason workouts. Pfaadt threw all six of his pitches. Despite the late start, he should have enough time to be ready by Opening Day.

Musgrove completed two innings in an exhibition game against Team Great Britain on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Musgrove's outing was his first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2024. The veteran hurler had a rough beginning, giving up a run on three singles and a walk while retiring just one batter before being pulled, but a couple of the hits came on rough defensive plays and -- more importantly -- Musgrove sat at 94-95 mph on his fastball, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Under exhibition rules, the right-hander returned for the second frame and retired three of the four batters he faced and then set down two of three hitters in the third inning before exiting for good. Altogether, Musgrove threw a hearty 60 pitches (36 strikes), which is certainly promising for a pitcher coming off such a long absence. He's slated to be a key part of San Diego's rotation in 2026 and isn't expected to have strict workload limitations.

Soler went 1-for-1 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in an exhibition victory over Team Italy on Wednesday.

Soler took Alek Jacob -- who also pitches for the Padres -- deep in the sixth inning. Soler has been hitting well this spring, as he's posted a .333/.500/.556 slash line with two doubles over five games in Cactus League play. Soler "came into camp noticeably lighter," per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and he could get some reps in the outfield this season, though he'll likely spend most of his time at DH.

Rice went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an RBI double in Wednesday's Grapefruit League win against the Red Sox.

Rice belted a run-scoring double in the third inning and capped the scoring in the game with a 412-foot solo shot in the fifth. The slugger is enjoying a nice spring, slashing .400/.471/.667 with four RBI through five games. Rice is slated to work as the Yankees' primary first baseman this season and should also see some time at catcher and DH.

Gil tossed three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Boston on Wednesday, allowing two hits and issuing two walks while striking out six batters.

Gil needed a hefty 53 pitches to complete three frames, but he got eight whiffs and racked up six punchouts. The right-hander has looked great through three spring outings, allowing two runs on six hits over eight innings while registering an 11:3 K:BB. Gil appears to be locked into an Opening Day rotation spot while Gerrit Cole (elbow), Carlos Rodon (elbow) and Clarke Schmidt (elbow) begin the season on the shelf, but he'll probably need to pitch well in order to keep that role once those injured hurlers return to action.

Honeycutt went 1-for-1 with a solo home run during Wednesday's Grapefruit League against Houston.

The 22-year-old center fielder is taking the Grapefruit League by storm -- he's now gone yard in each of his four at-bats so far this spring. Honeycutt was a first-round pick during the 2024 MLB Draft, and he's looking to put a discouraging 2025 campaign in the rear-view mirror as he continues his development in the minor leagues in 2026. Last season with High-A Aberdeen, Honeycutt batted just .171 with just five homers, 12 doubles and 24 RBI over 374 at-bats.

Wheeler (shoulder) threw another bullpen session Wednesday, per MLB.com.

Wednesday marked the All-Star right-hander's third bullpen as he continues his rehab from venous thoracic outlet surgery. Wheeler looks to be progressing well, and his throwing program will remain something to keep tabs on throughout the spring. With Wheeler still likely to begin the new year on the injured list, Andrew Painter could open 2026 as part of Philadelphia's starting rotation.

The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.

Vernon, who's a non-roster invitee with Tampa Bay, hasn't pitching in spring training and is likely be sidelined for "some time," according to manager Kevin Cash. The 27-year-old right-hander was likely to open the new season in the minor leagues before getting injured. He posted a 3.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 19.1 innings for Triple-A Durham a year ago.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in an exhibition game versus Team Panama on Wednesday.

Carpenter went deep against Kenny Hernandez, a 27-year-old who has bounced around independent baseball the past few seasons. Of greater significance is the fact that Hernandez is left-handed. While Carpenter will face higher-quality pitching moving forward, his ability to produce against southpaws will go a long way toward determining his fantasy value in 2026. There's been talk in camp that Carpenter could receive more opportunities against lefties after logging only 60 at-bats against them during the regular season last year. The 28-year-old regularly rakes against righties, but his fantasy ceiling has been capped in the past due to being mostly a strong-side platoon player.

Flaherty tossed three scoreless innings in an exhibition game versus Team Panama on Wednesday. He allowed two hits and struck out three.

Flaherty looked sharp against a World Baseball Classic squad getting ready for that tournament, and he once again posted a solid strikeout total. The righty now has eight of them this spring in six innings across two Grapefruit League appearances in addition to Wednesday's exhibition tilt. Flaherty had a K/9 of at least 10.5 in each of the last two seasons, and it looks like he'll be a strong asset in that category once again in 2026.