MLB Player News

The Rangers claimed Blanco off waivers from the Royals on Sunday.

Kansas City cut him loose after signing free-agent outfielder Starling Marte, but Blanco could be in decent position to secure a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster. A right-handed hitter with exceptional speed, Blanco could profile as an ideal short-side platoon mate for Evan Carter, a career .083 hitter versus left-handed pitching.

The Cubs sent Wiggins to minor-league camp Sunday.

Wiggins got a taste of MLB action during spring training, but he's not on the 40-man roster and has only three career games at the Triple-A level, so a return to the minors always seemed likely. The 24-year-old is Chicago's top pitching prospect, and a strong season for him at Triple-A Iowa could force the Cubs to open up a 40-man spot at some point later in the year. Wiggins could be a fantasy force as soon as he arrives in the majors, though he may experience the typical growing pains that many young pitchers endure.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Mayer is "doing a good job" but wouldn't guarantee the young infielder will make the Opening Day roster, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

The 23-year-old is batting just .200 through four spring training games, though one of his two hits was a home run. Mayer struggled to a .228/.272/.402 slash line in 44 regular-season games as he received his first taste of the majors in 2025, and the offseason acquisitions of Caleb Durbin and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have resulted in a more crowded infield. If Mayer doesn't win a starting job, the Red Sox could prioritize getting him everyday opportunities in the minor leagues rather than keeping him in the majors as a bench option.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Wicks has been diagnosed with radial nerve irritation in his left forearm and will begin the season on the injured list, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Expect Chicago to officially place the 26-year-old southpaw on the IL shortly before Opening Day, when the club sets its 26-man roster. Wicks had yet to make any appearances during the Cactus League before the nerve issue was detected. Once he's cleared to resume activity, he'll need to complete a full throwing progression before beginning what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment.

The Cubs announced Sunday that Hodge has been diagnosed with a right flexor tendon strain and will be shut down from throwing for two weeks before being re-evaluated, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

The timing of the injury will remove Hodge from contention for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, as he'll instead be ticketed for the injured list. Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 36 appearances with the Cubs in 2025 and didn't help his chances of breaking camp with the big club by yielding seven earned runs and issuing seven walks over two innings in the Cactus League before being diagnosed with the injury.

Skubal, who made his World Baseball Classic debut in the United States' victory over Great Britain on Saturday, may end up pitching for the team again after previously planning to make only one appearance, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Skubal allowed a leadoff home run to Nate Eaton but righted the ship and didn't allow any other runs across three innings while striking out five. The lefty logged 41 pitches, and following the 9-1 United States win, he acknowledged the emotions of the tournament may keep him around a bit longer. "I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp," Skubal said. "Things have changed, obviously, that's why I'm going to have some conversations to try and figure out a plan for me." If Skubal does pitch again in the WBC, it could come in a quarterfinal matchup on either March 13 or 14, though nothing official has been announced. The Detroit ace would likely have a similar workload in a potential second WBC outing as he gears up for the start of the regular season.

Miller (side) threw a 25-pitch touch-and-feel bullpen session Sunday at about 80 percent intensity, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

The right-hander was able to mix in all his pitches and is now scheduled for a normal 25-to-30-pitch bullpen session in a couple days. Miller was briefly shut down from throwing after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat inflammation in his left side, which has delayed his buildup during spring training. If the 27-year-old can continue to ramp up with no further issues, it's possible he can avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season.

Robles will serve as the Mariners' designated hitter and leadoff batter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

Robles will start for the first time since last Sunday, after the Mariners held him out of action for the past six days due to a sore shoulder, per Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com. Assuming Robles' shoulder checks out fine following Sunday's contest, he could resume playing the outfield at some point during the upcoming week.

The Mariners optioned Loutos to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.

Scooped up off waivers from the Nationals earlier in the offseason, Loutos will begin his time in the Mariners organization at the Triple-A level after he was unable to secure a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. The right-hander took himself out of consideration after yielding seven runs (six earned) on seven hits over three innings in four appearances during Cactus League play.

The White Sox announced Sunday that Smith will start their March 26 season opener in Milwaukee.

Coming off a rookie season in which he earned an All-Star nod while pitching to a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 29 starts, Smith was the obvious choice to take the hill for the Opening Day game. The 25-year-old righty will be facing off against the organization that drafted him in 2021 before he joined the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft following the 2024 season.