Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that Holmes will open the season in the rotation, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Holmes was shelved for the final two months of last season with a partially torn UCL in his pitching elbow, but he's successfully rehabbed the injury to this point and entered spring training without limitations. The righty remains a major health risk, but he'll be part of Atlanta's rotation as long as he can stay off the injured list. Holmes posted a 3.99 ERA and 123:54 K:BB over 115 frames in 2025 before getting hurt.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that Lopez will open the season in the team's rotation, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Lopez is coming off a lost 2025 season, having made just one start before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder. He's in Atlanta's camp with a clean bill of health, although it will be interesting to see in spring training how his stuff looks post-surgery. Lopez was an All-Star for Atlanta in 2024, finishing with a 1.99 ERA and 148:42 K:BB over 135.2 innings.

The Astros acquired Loperfido from the Blue Jays on Friday in exchange for Jesus Sanchez.

It's a return to his original organization for Loperfido, who broke into the big leagues with the Astros before being dealt to Toronto as part of the Yusei Kikuchi trade in July 2024. Loperfido hasn't gained a foothold yet in the majors, but he did hit well over 104 plate appearances last season, slashing .333/.379/.500 with four home runs. The 26-year-old will be in the mix for reps as part of a largely unproven outfield in Houston, but he also has a minor-league option remaining and will be behind Cam Smith and Zach Cole in the battle for a corner OF spot.

The Blue Jays acquired Sanchez from the Astros on Friday in exchange for Joey Loperfido.

Sanchez slashed just .199/.269/.342 in 48 games for Houston down the stretch and the club wasn't anxious to give him another opportunity, so it swapped him for another outfielder. In Toronto, Sanchez figures to have a leg up on Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider for playing time in left field.

Bello is re-introducing a curveball to his arsenal this spring, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

With assistance from new teammate Ranger Suarez, Bello is expanding a repertoire that already includes a four-seamer, sinker, cutter, sweeper/slider and changeup. Bello, who came to the majors as a 23-year-old in 2022, threw a curve earlier in his career but couldn't find the right shape or proper arm slot for it. Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey believes that Bello, through his experience at the MLB level, has developed to a point where he understands the benefits of horizontal and vertical breaks against hitters from either side of the plate. Adding back the curveball gives him another weapon to serve that goal. Bello is projected to slot fourth in Boston's rotation.

Steer said Thursday that he cleaned up his sprinting mechanics to prevent re-injuring his quadriceps, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Steer got off to a slow start in 2025 because of a shoulder injury, but he admitted there was also a right quadriceps issue that bothered him for most of the season. "I think that had to do with my sprinting mechanics, and I cleaned that stuff up," he said. That was likely the reason he stole just seven bases after reaching double-digit swipes in each of the previous two seasons. Steer, who was a Gold Glove finalist at first base in 2025, will move around the diamond this season. His primary spot will be left field but depending on matchups, injuries and game situations, he could also see time in right field, and at first, second or third base.

Gurriel (knee) arrived at camp Thursday and was optimistic he'd be able to beat the timeline for his return, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Gurriel underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in September 2025 and is currently expected to miss the first two months of the season, but he told manager Torey Lovullo that he's shooting for Opening Day. Lovullo stressed that Gurriel's return "is not gonna be Opening Day," but the outfielder has already graduated to hitting and running. That suggests he could beat the June 1 estimated timeline. The Diamondbacks will explore internal options to replace Gurriel in left field, including 40-man roster options Jorge Barrosa, Jordan Lawlar and Tim Tawa, but prospect Ryan Waldschmidt might be the top candidate.

Carroll was back at camp Thursday one day after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Carroll's return to camp wasn't just for show. He sported a cast over his right hand, but the left-handed outfielder was seen doing plyometric throwing drills. He can also run and execute leg work in the weight room. Carroll and the Diamondbacks are hoping he can return around Opening Day.

Del Castillo is dealing with a left calf issue, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

He's been working off to the side since reporting to camp earlier this week. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Del Castillo will be brought along slowly this spring, but it's unclear how long that period might last. The 26-year-old's bat is seen as an asset and more developed than his defense, and while there are no plans to move Del Castillo out from behind the plate, he's third on the depth chart and likely to see more time at DH than catcher in 2026.

Taylor signed a contract with the Angels on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

No details of the deal are currently known, but presumably it's a short-term contract that gives Taylor a good chance of starting the campaign on the big-league roster. He ended the 2025 season with the Angels and hit .179 with two homers and 10 RBI across only 90 plate appearances with the club. Taylor will likely be in a reserve role, but he could get several starts per week due to his ability to play all three outfield spots as well as the infield.