MLB Player News

The Yankees reassigned Lombard to minor-league camp Thursday.

Lombard trailed off the last few Grapefruit League games at the plate after a hot start, finishing with a .740 OPS, one home run and two stolen bases. He impressed the Yankees both offensively and defensively but still needs some seasoning in the minors before being considered a real option for the big club.

Kerkering (hamstring) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The right-handed reliever has been slowed since the start of camp by a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, and this will be the second time he's faced hitters since the injury. If things go off without a hitch Saturday, Kerkering's Grapefruit League debut should be around the corner. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Kerkering will "possibly" have enough time to be ready for Opening Day.

Wheeler (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It will be the veteran right-hander's first time facing hitters since he had thoracic outlet surgery last September. The Phillies have declined to say whether Wheeler would pitch in any Grapefruit League games, but if he's facing hitters Saturday, there's a good chance he will get into games before camp breaks. Wheeler will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, but it could be a brief absence as long as his recovery continues to move along without interruption.

Manoah may not be a lock for the Angels' Opening Day rotation, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, after the veteran hurler allowed four runs on eights hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings in a Cactus League start against the White Sox on Wednesday.

Manoah signed with the Angels on a one-year, $1.95 million contract in early December, and he still has minor-league options remaining, so it's far from certain he'll break camp with the big club. Manager Kurt Suzuki said early in camp that Manoah would have to earn his spot in the rotation, and the hurler made a strong case early, beginning the spring slate with five scoreless frames despite an ominous 1:3 K:BB. Things haven't gone well for Manoah since, as he's yielded nine runs and posted a 7:7 K:BB across 6.1 frames over his past two outings. Suzuki said following Wednesday's game that Manoah is "still definitely in the mix" for the team's fifth rotation spot, but how he fares in his final starts this spring could go a long way to determining whether he makes the cut. Should Manoah begin the campaign in the minors or the bullpen, George Klassen and Jack Kochanowicz are candidates to step into the rotation.

Cole (elbow) said following a 35-pitch live batting practice session Thursday that he and the Yankees "will likely" have a conversation about his next throwing session coming in a Grapefruit League game, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Cole's next outing will come in six days, but it has yet to be decided whether it will be in an official spring training game or a different capacity. The right-hander's rehab from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace has gone well, but if the Yankees put Cole on the 60-day injured list -- which still seems likely -- he will not be eligible to make his season debut until late May.

Ober allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, the right-hander averaged 88.8 mph with his fastball.

Ober's fastball was sitting in the lower 90s early in camp, but it averaged 89.9 mph during his spring debut last week and ticked even lower Thursday. The 30-year-old's average velocity of 90.3 mph in 2025 was a career low as he struggled to a career-worst 5.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, and the trend so far in spring training is a concerning development.

Bremner walked two batters and struck out one over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League contest against the White Sox.

Bremner, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, has been with the big-league club throughout camp but hadn't appeared in a game until Wednesday, as he had instead been focusing on working on his pitch mix, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. While Bremner struggled with his control in throwing just 10 of 22 pitches for strikes against Chicago, the right-handed hurler impressed by reaching 98.8 mph on his fastball and also threw a changeup, cutter and slider, according to Jesus Cano of Baseball America. He isn't going to break camp with the Angels, but considering how quickly the organization tends to promote its top prospects, it wouldn't be shocking if Bremner makes his MLB regular-season debut before the end of the 2026 campaign.

Nootbaar (heels) has been increasing his agility drills and is soon slated to ramp up his running program, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Nootbaar's running will occur on an altered-gravity treadmill, so while his progression from offseason surgery on both heels is coming along, he does not appear close to being cleared for game action. The 28-year-old outfielder will begin the campaign on the injured list, and there remains no firm timetable for when he might be ready for his season debut.

Herrera's (knee) return to Grapefruit League play is considered imminent, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Herrera played in a "B" game Wednesday and has been returning to full workouts as he recovers from inflammation in his knee. The Cardinals could choose to ease him back into games at designated hitter before giving him more reps a catcher, but either way it seems Herrera will be back in the lineup in a day or two. Herrera is 2-for-7 at the plate in limited action so far this spring.

The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.

Little was unable to find his footing during spring training with four earned runs allowed over 4.2 frames, so he won't make Chicago's Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old made just two big-league appearances last season but had a 3.46 ERA across 26 innings with the Cubs in 2024.