MLB Player News

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.

The Diamondbacks are preparing for Carroll (hand) to return by or soon after Opening Day, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The team isn't saying it out loud, but they believe Carroll's track record of healing quickly and work ethic makes Opening Day a real possibility. Another clue is how the Diamondbacks are preparing the outfield with both Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel (knee) sidelined. The original plan floated by manager Torey Lovullo was to have center fielder Alek Thomas cover right field until Carroll was back, but early in camp, Thomas has been lining up in left field, where he could play until Gurriel returns. Of the two injured outfielders, the sense is that Gurriel is likely to need more time than Carroll.

Gurriel (knee) took live batting practice Tuesday and ran the bases, indicating his return is ahead of schedule, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Gurriel's stated goal is to be ready for Opening Day -- it's the first thing he mentioned to manager Torey Lovullo upon his arrival in camp -- but the manager's comments suggest more caution. Lovullo stated he was blown away by how Gurriel has looked early on, but then added, "I will say, right now, we're going to take it as slowly as we possibly need to, and then plug in where we can." It appears the Diamondbacks are preparing for Gurriel to miss time early in the regular season. Alek Thomas has taken reps in left field -- Gurriel's normal position -- instead of right field. It was initially thought Thomas could fill in for injured right fielder Corbin Carroll (hand), but the club is optimistic Carroll can return in time for the opener.

The Mariners signed Garver to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Garver spent the last two seasons with the Mariners serving as the team's backup catcher to Cal Raleigh. Garver will get a chance to reprise that role for the 2026 campaign, and he'll face competition from Jhonny Pereda and Andrew Knizner in spring training. Garver appeared in 87 regular-season games for Seattle in 2025 and slashed .209/.297/.343 with three steals, nine home runs and 30 RBI across 290 plate appearances.

Weber signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Tuesday.

Weber played 97 games with the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in 2025, slashing .310/.368/.434 with 43 RBI and 60 runs scored across 404 plate appearances. The 28-year-old infielder has yet to make his MLB debut, but a lack of talent on Chicago's big-league roster could allow him to make the jump this season if he continues to play well in the minors.

Alexander signed a minor-league contract with the Astros on Tuesday.

Alexander spent nearly all of 2025 at Triple-A, slashing .254/.355/.450 across 462 total plate appearances with three organizations. He'll now begin the 2026 campaign in the Astros' farm system and is again likely to spend most of the year at Triple-A Sugar Land.