Bryant said Tuesday that the ongoing pain in his back continues to prevent him from participating in baseball activities, though he's still consulting with doctors and trainers for potential rehab options, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The 34-year-old is dealing with a lumbar degenerative disc disease and has played a combined 170 games across four seasons since inking a seven-year, $182 million contract with Colorado. Bryant was placed on the 60-day injured list last week, and though he's not planning to retire while he remains engaged in the rehab process, it's not clear if or when he'll be able to return to the field.

Acuna has tweaked his swing in order to stay loaded in his back leg to create more consistent power, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

The swing tweak bore fruit in the Venezuelan Winter League, where Acuna slashed .282/.397/.542 with eight home runs in 39 games for Cardenales de Lara. The power display Acuna showed in winter ball came after he didn't hit a single homer in 193 plate appearances for the Mets in 2025, though he did steal 16 bases in 17 attempts. After being acquired by the White Sox last month in the Luis Robert trade, Acuna is the odds-on favorite to emerge as Chicago's everyday center fielder in 2026.

Vierling (oblique) has been working out at full strength and should be fully ready to go for the start of the regular season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Recurring shoulder problems and a late-season oblique strain limited Vierling to just 31 regular-season games and 100 plate appearances in 2025, and he missed Detroit's postseason run entirely. However, the versatile 29-year-old has had ample time to recover in the offseason, and he seems to be fully healthy for the start of the 2026 campaign. Vierling projects as the Tigers' top backup in the corner-outfield spots, and he can play in center and at third base as well. He's likely a more valuable asset in real baseball than he is in fantasy, but he could have some utility if he's able to log regular at-bats and get back near his production from 2024, when he recorded 16 home runs, 57 RBI and a .735 OPS across 144 regular-season contests.

Waldrep would be sidelined for approximately three months if Dr. Keith Meister recommends surgery to remove loose bodies in the pitcher's right elbow, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

If Meister determines surgery isn't required, Waldrep could require just three weeks of rest. A decision has not yet been made but is expected this week. Even if Waldrep does not undergo surgery, it's likely he will need a stint on the injured list to begin the season. The elbow injury also effectively removes him from the competition for the final spot in Atlanta's rotation, at least in the near term.

Herrera (elbow) did outfield drills in Cardinals camp Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The catchers were working on pop time drills and throws to second base, something Herrera is not yet cleared for as he returns from surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. The plan is for Herrera to return to catcher in 2026 after the elbow issue limited him to designated hitter for the final few months of last season. He did play four games in left field in 2025, and if catching doesn't work out, Herrera could give the outfield a try again or possibly first base.

O'Brien is managing calf soreness that is being evaluated Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It's unclear exactly how O'Brien sustained the injury, but it puts his availability in question for Team South Korea for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. After recording six saves and six holds with a 2.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 45:22 K:BB over 48 innings last year, the 31-year-old righty is expected to be in the mix for saves to begin the year for St. Louis.

Rojas, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland were mentioned by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as candidates to begin the campaign as the starter at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) likely to be placed on the injured list, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Rojas re-signed with Los Angeles in December ahead of what he has stated will be his final season in the majors. The veteran infielder provided steady but unspectacular offense last season, slashing .262/.318/.397 with seven home runs, 27 RBI and five stolen bases over 317 regular-season plate appearances. Beyond that, though, he provided excellent defense and staked his place in Dodgers lore with his game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning during Game 7 of the World Series. Among the trio mentioned by Roberts, Rojas has the lowest offensive upside, but he could still win the starting second-base job until Edman returns if the team favors his defense and veteran presence (especially if Kim and Freeland fail to impress during the spring slate).

Bradish said Sunday that he expects to have some form of innings limit or workload restrictions in 2026, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Bradish noted that he trained this offseason with the goal of pitching a full season, but he anticipates the Orioles will have some kind of workload limits in place in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. What exactly that will look like isn't clear, but it's unlikely Bradish will be completely shut down at any point. The righty was excellent down the stretch last season for the Orioles after completing his rehab, posting a 2.53 ERA and 47:10 K:BB over 32 innings covering six starts.

Freeland, Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas were mentioned by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as options to begin the regular season as the starter at second base with Tommy Edman (ankle) expected to be placed on the injured list, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Freeland struggled during his first experience in the majors last season, posting a .602 OPS with a 36.1 percent strikeout rate over 97 plate appearances. However, he recorded an .835 OPS with 16 homers, 18 stolen bases and 82 RBI across 106 games at Triple-A, so he doesn't have much left to prove at that level. Freeland, Kim and Rojas appear to be in a truly open competition to be the Opening Day starter at the keystone, and Freeland probably has the most to gain since he may begin the campaign in the minors if he doesn't win the positional battle.

Atlanta signed Smith to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Smith played well in 63 games with the Giants last season, slashing .284/.333/.417 with five home runs. The 30-year-old has not started a game at a position other than first base since 2021, when he was the Mets' regular left fielder. Matt Olson has played all 162 games in each of his four seasons in Atlanta, which means Smith is almost certainly ticketed for Triple-A Gwinnett.