Reimer worked hard on improving his defense at third base in the offseason, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 21-year-old is coming off a breakout campaign with his bat, as he slashed .282/.381/.490 over 123 games between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton with 17 homers and 15 steals, but scouts have long believed Reimer will need to move across the diamond to first base at some point. He's not shifting down the defensive spectrum without a fight, however. "I understand it, obviously," Reimer said of that speculation. "It's fair. But I want to show that I can definitely go out there and be an elite-level defensive player." He'll get his first look at Triple-A at some point this season, but even if he performs well, it could take some injuries ahead of him on the depth chart to get Reimer a 2026 big-league debut.

Junk has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 mild right ankle sprain, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Junk suffered the injury during a drill Tuesday. It's unclear when the righty might be ready to pitch in games, but he said Thursday that he's "not concerned that this is gonna be a multi-week thing." While the injury is minor, it will not help Junk's bid for a spot in the Marlins' rotation.

Clifford is looking to build on the progress he made last season with his outfield defense, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Specifically, the 22-year-old worked on improving his reads, jumps and first step. "We put a lot of thought into the prep step stuff, and the numbers backed up that I got better out there," Clifford said in camp this week. "I'm hoping to build on it this year as well... Just continue to try to become more explosive. I don't have the highest top speed, obviously, so the first couple steps are really important to me." Twenty of his 34 starts with Triple-A Syracuse last season came in an outfield corner, and with the Mets not yet settled on the identity of their starting right fielder, a strong showing by Clifford in spring training on both sides of the ball could give him another route to a big-league debut in 2026. His most likely future position for New York remains first base, however, and his bat could play in either spot after slashing .237/.356/.470 with 29 homers in 139 games last year between Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton.

Schlittler (back) recovered well from Tuesday's bullpen session and will throw one more before likely moving on to facing hitters, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Schlittler has been slowed a bit early on in camp by a mid-back issue, but he's on the mend. If the young right-hander is indeed cleared to face hitters soon, pitching in a Grapefruit League contest should follow shortly after. Schlittler is locked into a spot in the Yankees' rotation after holding a 2.96 ERA and 84:31 K:BB over 73 regular-season innings in 2025.

Snelling will start for the Marlins in their Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the Mets, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw is set to work only one inning, but Snelling is in camp looking to make as many good impressions as possible. Miami doesn't have a spot for him in the Opening Day rotation after signing Chris Paddack, but after being named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2025, Snelling could be the next man up in case of an injury. The 22-year-old delivered a dazzling 1.27 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 81:17 K:BB over 11 starts and 63.2 innings for Triple-A Jacksonville last season after a mid-July promotion from Double-A.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Thursday that Westburg (oblique) is "physically unable to participate right now" and is being evaluated by the Orioles' medical team, as well people not associated with the club, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Westburg entered camp with a right oblique strain, though Albernaz did not confirm Thursday that it's the oblique continuing to hold Westburg back or a different injury. When asked whether Westburg's injury is worse than initially feared, Albernaz said, "I just want to make sure that we're doing our due diligence and make sure Jordan is in the best chance to play this year." The Orioles could have more on Westburg's status soon after the infielder is evaluated.

Manager Will Venable officially named Dominguez as the closer for the White Sox to begin the 2026 season, James Fegan of Sox Machine reports.

Dominguez joined the White Sox on a two-year, $20 million deal in late January, which presumably lined him up to be the team's closer. Venable left no doubt during comments to the media early in spring training, clearly tabbing Dominguez for the ninth-inning role. Interestingly, Brian Bannister, the White Sox's director of pitching, credited Dominguez's introduction of a splitter for his reduced home-run rate in 2025 and believes it can carry over into 2026 due to its ability to neutralize lefty power.

The Cubs announced Wednesday that Machado has been named the manager of their rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Machado's move into the coaching ranks signals the end to a 17-year professional playing career. The 33-year-old infielder played exclusively at Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs organization last season, but he spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues from 2015 through 2022. Between stops with the Tigers and Giants, Machado slashed .226/.285/.292 with two home runs and three steals over 177 career games.

Williams credits a midseason mechanical adjustment to explain his improvement in the second half of 2025, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Williams made a subtle adjustment during on off day in June, raising the position of his hands from resting at the belt to the chest. The goal was to create a longer arm path to better locate his pitches, and he described it as "night and day" from that point on. Following a period of adjustment, Williams was one of the better pitchers in the game after the All-Star break. He went 7-1 with a 2.18 ERA while pitching at least six innings in eight of 12 starts following the break. Additionally, the walks (5.3 BB/9) that were a pesky issue and raised his pitch counts over the first half of the season dropped to 3.3 per nine innings in the second half. The right-hander, who made 31 starts in 2025, is now an anchor in the Guardians rotation entering 2026.

The Rays have named Rasmussen their Opening Day starter, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rasmussen was excellent in 2025 in his first full season back from elbow surgery, collecting a 2.76 ERA and 127:37 K:BB over 150 innings covering 31 starts. He had his workload carefully monitored last season but should have the reins loosened in 2026. That said, given that Rasmussen has undergone three major elbow surgeries, he's unlikely to ever be a workhorse. His Opening Day assignment will come March 26 in St. Louis.