MLB Player News
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Brody Hopkins SP | TB
Rays' Brody Hopkins: Nets spring training invite
The Rays have extended Hopkins an invitation to big-league camp in spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Hopkins was excellent at Double-A Montgomery this past season, collecting a 2.72 ERA and 141:60 K:BB over 116 innings. He has some of the best stuff of any pitching prospect in baseball and could become a legitimate ace if he's able to throw enough strikes. Hopkins isn't going to break camp with the big club, but there's a good chance he will debut at some point in 2026.
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Martin Perez SP | ATL
Braves' Martin Perez: Goes to Atlanta on minors deal
Atlanta signed Perez (shoulder) to a minor-league contract Friday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.
Elbow and shoulder woes limited Perez to just 56 innings in 2025 with the White Sox, but he pitched well when on the bump, collecting a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB. It's unclear whether the shoulder strain that ended his season will affect his readiness for the start of spring training. There isn't room for Perez in Atlanta's rotation when everyone is healthy, but Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Grant Holmes (elbow) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) all ended the 2025 campaign on IL.
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Cody Bradford RP | TEX
Rangers' Cody Bradford: Rehab assignment by Opening Day
Bradford (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment around Opening Day, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young indicated that May is the target for the left-hander's return.
Bradford, who recently threw a bullpen session, missed all of 2025 after sustaining an elbow injury during spring training that required an internal brace procedure in June. He showed promise in 2024, posting a 3.54 ERA over 76.1 innings, but missed months due to back and rib injuries. Texas bolstered its rotation during the offseason with the acquisition of MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals and may not have a spot in the rotation for Bradford upon his return. Beyond the top three of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi (groin) and Gore, other candidates for the back end of the rotation include Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, Jacob Latz, Austin Gomber and Cal Quantrill .
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Cal Quantrill SP | TEX
Rangers' Cal Quantrill: Returns to Texas
Quantrill signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Thursday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Quantrill closed the 2025 season in the Rangers' organization, making two starts at Triple-A Round Rock. He looks unlikely to break camp in the rotation after posting a 6.04 ERA over 26 appearances between Atlanta and Miami last year, but he could make an impact at some point in the new campaign.
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Jancel Villarroel C | HOU
Giants' Jancel Villarroel: Heads to Giants
Villarroel was traded from the Astros to the Giants in exchange for Kai-Wei Teng on Thursday, Chandler Rome and Andrew Baaggarly of The Athletic report.
The Giants needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Harrison Bader, which was the motivation for this deal. Villarroel reached High-A in 2025 and batted 276/.306/.362 in 15 games, and it's unclear if he'll hit enough to be a productive big leaguer given his lack of defensive value.
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Blake Snell SP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Snell: Ramping up slowly
Snell has ramped up slowly this winter in an effort to recover from his postseason workload, Jack Harris of the New York Post reports.
Snell acknowledged that he was exhausted following the Dodgers' postseason run, during which he made five starts and a relief appearance after tossing 61.1 innings during the regular season. He hopes to be ready for Opening Day, but both he and the team have acknowledged the importance of exercising patience as he builds back up. Los Angeles is expected to handle its pitching staff cautiously overall, and it has enough rotation depth to do so -- particularly early in the campaign.
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Kai-Wei Teng SP | HOU
Astros' Kai-Wei Teng: Headed to Houston
Teng was traded from the Giants to the Astros in exchange for a minor-league player on Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Teng has experience as both a reliever and starter in the majors, and he worked primarily out of the Giants' rotation toward the end of the 2025 season. He still has two minor-league options remaining, so there's a strong chance Teng begins the season with Triple-A Sugar Land. However, he should contribute to the big-league club at some point in 2026.
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J.P. France SP | HOU
Astros' J.P. France: Designated for assignment
France was designated for assignment by the Astros on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
France missed most of the 2025 season while recovering from a torn right shoulder capsule. He returned to throw four innings out of the bullpen late in the year, but he'll now have to battle for a roster spot during spring training.
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Elijah Morgan RP | KC
Royals' Eli Morgan: Gets look from KC
Morgan signed a minor-league contract, which includes an invitation to spring training, with the Royals on Thursday.
Morgan had a few strong seasons in Cleveland, but struggled with both injuries and his performance as a member of the Cubs in 2025. If he regains his past form, he could have a path to a spot in the Royals' bullpen to begin the new campaign.
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Ryder Ryan RP | LAD
Dodgers' Ryder Ryan: Latches on with Dodgers
Ryan signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Ryan spent the entirety of 2025 with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, turning in a 4.79 ERA and 1.35 WHIP to go with a 61:38 K:BB through 71.1 innings. He's likely destined to spend most of 2026 in the minors, as well.