MLB Player News
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Kris Bubic SP | KC
Royals' Kris Bubic: Throws live batting practice
Bubic (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session Saturday, Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
It was the first time in nearly seven months that Bubic faced hitters, as he missed nearly all of the second half of 2025 after being diagnosed with a left rotator cuff strain. The southpaw said after the session that he "felt good" about his velocity and movement and experienced only "normal soreness." Bubic is slated for another live BP session Wednesday and will progress to game action after that. He is expected to be ready to roll on Opening Day.
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Zack Gelof 2B | ATH
Athletics' Zack Gelof: Slightly behind schedule
Gelof (shoulder) will be held out of action for the beginning of the Athletics' Cactus League schedule, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Gelof is still building up his hitting progression after he had surgery last September to repair a dislocated left shoulder. Barring setbacks, it doesn't seem he is in danger of being unavailable for Opening Day, though the 26-year-old isn't a lock to make the roster. Gelof has been working out in the outfield this spring and could transition to a utility role.
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Lawrence Butler CF | ATH
Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Spring debut will be delayed
Butler will be held out of Cactus League action until mid-spring as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Butler underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee last October and was also given a platelet-rich plasma injection to address tendinitis in his left knee. He is in the final stages of his rehab and is fully expected to be ready to go on Opening Day, but the Athletics will ease him into game action this spring. Butler posted a disappointing .234/.306/.404 batting line in 2025 while playing through knee problems for a chunk of the season.
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Marc Church P | TEX
Rangers' Marc Church: Tosses side session
Church (lat) completed a bullpen session Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
Church apparently responded well to the side session and is close to facing hitters in live batting practice, something that could happen within the next few days. The 24-year-old is working his way back from a right lat strain, but barring any setbacks in his throwing program, he could be ready to make his Cactus League debut at some point within the next couple of weeks. Though he lacks much big-league experience with just six appearances to his name, Church possesses some of the best stuff of any of the Rangers' relief arms and could enter the high-leverage mix at some point in 2026.
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Emiliano Teodo SP | TEX
Rangers' Emiliano Teodo: Completes first side session
Teodo (back) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
Tuesday marked the first time that Teodo had thrown off a mound all spring, as the Rangers have taken a deliberate approach with the 25-year-old righty while he works his way back from a back issue that kept him out for more than two months last season. Teodo is entering his second season as a member of the Rangers' 40-man roster but has yet to make his MLB debut. He posted a 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 23:17 K:BB over 18 innings with Triple-A Round Rock in 2025 and will likely be headed back to the affiliate to begin the 2026 campaign.
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Drew Smith RP | WAS
Nationals' Drew Smith: Fully healed from TJ surgery
Smith (elbow) completed a bullpen session Wednesday and said that he's under no restrictions during spring training, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Smith didn't pitch at any point in 2025 after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in July 2024, but he said that he made a complete recovery by the end of last season. After the Mets declined his team option for 2026 back in November, Smith sat on the open market for more than three months before landing a minor-league deal with Washington earlier this week. Though Smith isn't currently on the 40-man roster, a solid spring should put him in good position to break camp with the Nationals, given their lack of experienced relief arms. The 32-year-old owns a 3.06 ERA over 192 career big-league appearances, all of which came with the Mets.
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Dansby Swanson SS | CHC
Cubs' Dansby Swanson: Aims to swap power for more contact
Swanson is willing to swap some power for more contact in 2026, Bruce Levine of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Swanson has clubbed at least 22 home runs in four of the past five seasons, but he also has a strikeout rate over 25 percent during that span and would like to cut that down. The 32-year-old's chase rate has been consistently above league average, but his in-zone contact rate has been well below average, as he ranked 129th out of 144 qualifiers in that metric in 2025. Swanson went 20-20 last season but still finished outside the top-12 in fantasy at a loaded shortstop position.
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Teoscar Hernandez RF | LAD
Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez: Played through nagging groin issue
Hernandez admitted Tuesday that he played through a left groin injury for much of the 2025 season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Hernandez missed just two weeks of action after straining his groin in early May, but he acknowledged he "wasn't moving the way I know I can move" for the remainder of the season. The veteran outfielder was slashing .306/.329/.582 with a 149 wRC+ when he was hurt and then hit only .225/.271/.408 with an 86 wRC+ the rest of the way, so it's fair to suggest the injury affected his performance. The 33-year-old Hernandez is fully healthy now in Dodgers camp and looking for a bounce-back 2026 campaign.
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Jorge Polanco 1B | NYM
Mets' Jorge Polanco: Won't see game action right away
Polanco isn't expected to play in any spring games until the second week of the Grapefruit League schedule, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.
The Mets are bringing a number of key position players along slowly this spring, including Luis Robert, Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty (hamstring). Unlike those three, Polanco doesn't have any serious injury concerns -- he played 138 games in 2025 for the Mariners, his highest total since 2021 -- but the 32-year-old is getting a crash course on defense at first base, so an extra week of drills at the position before he works his way into game situations can only help.
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Francisco Alvarez C | NYM
Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Will get eased into spring action
Alvarez isn't expected to see game action this spring until the second week of the Grapefruit League schedule, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.
The Mets are bringing a number of key position players along slowly this spring, including Luis Robert, Jorge Polanco and Brett Baty (hamstring). Alvarez underwent thumb surgery right after the end of last season, which explains the team's caution with its starting catcher, but the 24-year-old appeared to be fully healthy when he reported to camp. The Mets are hoping that good health extends into the regular season -- Alvarez played only 76 games in 2025, his lowest total in three years since becoming a big-league regular.