MLB Player News
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Griffin Canning SP | SD
Padres' Griffin Canning: Will begin season on injured list
Canning (Achilles) will begin the season on the injured list but "might not be there for very long," AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Recovering from a torn left Achilles, Canning said Tuesday that he feels 100 percent when throwing off the mound, but he still has some work to do in regard to the running and agility portion of his rehab. Cassavell suggests that Canning could be ready for his season debut around late April or early May, though a there's no clear timetable just yet. The right-hander held a 3.77 ERA and 70:35 K:BB across 76.1 innings for the Mets in 2025 before getting hurt. Once healthy, Canning should slot into the Padres' rotation.
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Benjamin Cowles SS | TOR
Blue Jays' Ben Cowles: Scooped up by Blue Jays
The Blue Jays claimed Cowles off waivers from the Cubs on Wednesday.
Cowles slashed just .235/.300/.371 with nine home runs and 18 steals over 462 plate appearances at hitter-friendly Triple-A Iowa in 2025. The 26-year-old has some defensive versatility with the ability to handle shortstop, second base and third base. He's likely ticketed for Triple-A Buffalo to kick off the 2026 season.
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Bowden Francis RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Bowden Francis: Sent to 60-day IL
The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Francis will miss the entire 2026 season after the Blue Jays recently revealed that he would need reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, so his move to the 60-day IL was merely procedural. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Ben Cowles, whom the Blue Jays claimed off waivers from the Cubs.
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Ryan McMahon 3B | NYY
Yankees' Ryan McMahon: Will get shortstop reps this spring
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that McMahon will be given some reps at shortstop during spring training in order to find out whether he can be a backup option at the position, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
McMahon played three innings at shortstop for the Rockies during the 2020 season, but that's the extent of his experience at the position. In all likelihood, the Yankees would use McMahon at shortstop only in an emergency situation. The 31-year-old is slated to be the team's primary third baseman against right-handed pitching.
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Joe Musgrove SP | SD
Padres' Joe Musgrove: Full go in Padres camp
Musgrove (elbow) is considered a full participant in Padres camp but will have his workload watched early in the season after missing the entirety of the 2025 campaign, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove is coming back from Tommy John surgery but will not have a strict innings limit in 2026 in his age-33 season. The Padres will be sensible about how hard they push him early on, however, and an initial six-man rotation is one avenue they're considering. Musgrove boasts a 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 25.5 percent strikeout rate and 6.1 percent walk rate in his four seasons with the Padres.
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Christian Moore 2B | LAA
Angels' Christian Moore: Getting exposure to hot corner
Moore worked out at third base Wednesday for the second straight day during spring training, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Moore still looks like the frontrunner to open the season as the Angels' top second baseman, but manager Kurt Suzuki said that the 23-year-old is getting a look at the hot corner in camp "just to open up options for him." Yoan Moncada is penciled in as the Angels' primary third baseman, but Moore could fill in at the position when the veteran needs a day off. Moore hit seven home runs and stole three bases across 184 plate appearances in his first taste of the big leagues last season, but a bloated 33.7 percent strikeout rate played a big part in him batting just .198.
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Caden Dana SP | LAA
Angels' Caden Dana: Delayed by illness
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said Wednesday that Dana has yet to throw a bullpen session during spring training while he recovers from an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Dana seems to have overcome the illness and has since reported back to camp, but after missing about a week of workouts, he's currently behind the Angels' other rotation candidates during spring training. Suzuki said that Dana is in great shape and shouldn't need much time to build back up, so the bout with the illness likely won't be anything that dramatically affects his chances of making the Opening Day roster. Dana made seven appearances (five starts) for the Halos in 2025 and logged a 6.40 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB in 32.1 innings.
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Nolan Schanuel 1B | LAA
Angels' Nolan Schanuel: Looking to add more bat speed
Schanuel said Wednesday that he spent considerable time in the offseason taking part in drills to improve his bat speed and barrel control, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
The drills represented a continuation of the work he put in the previous offseason, which he credits for helping him increase his bat speed by 2.3 miles per hour during the 2025 campaign -- the sixth-biggest jump of all major-league hitters. While Schanuel continued to make contact at a steady clip (12.6 percent strikeout rate) and finished with a .264 average last season, he still offered subpar power production (.389 slugging percentage, .125 ISO) for a first baseman. Schanuel is hoping that another uptick in bat speed heading into 2026 will translate to more power, but manager Kurt Suzuki emphasized that he doesn't want the 24-year-old to dramatically alter his swing in pursuit of more pop. Fantasy managers should still be viewing Schanuel as a low-end option at first base who will hold greater value in leagues that count on-base percentage as a category.
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Lars Nootbaar CF | STL
Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Beginning stages of running program
Nootbaar (heels) has been able to hit and throw without issue but is just now getting into the stage of being able to run unaided, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Recovering from surgery in early October to address deformities on both of his heels, Nootbaar's arrival in Cardinals camp was delayed until Wednesday as the team awaited the delivery of an altered gravity treadmill. The outfielder said Wednesday that he does not have a timeline for a return, but the consensus is that he will begin the season on the injured list. Once healthy, Nootbaar will be the club's everyday left fielder.
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Jackson Holliday SS | BAL
Orioles' Jackson Holliday: Getting stitches removed Monday
Holliday will have the stitches removed from his surgically repaired right hand Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Coming back from hamate bone surgery, Holliday will be cleared to gradually begin activities after the stitches are out. The 22-year-old infielder will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, but it could be a minimum-length stint or close to it. Jordan Westburg (oblique) and Blaze Alexander are candidates to play second base in Holliday's stead.