O'Brien (calf) will throw another live batting practice session Thursday and hopes to make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

O'Brien got through a live batting practice session Monday healthy, though he had trouble with his footing due to a wet mound. He'll face hitters in a shorter live BP session Thursday before progressing to game action. O'Brien has been battling a minor calf strain but is expected to have enough time to prep for Opening Day, barring setbacks. He is in the mix to serve as closer for the Cardinals this season.

Stephenson (shoulder) will throw his first live batting practice session of spring training Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson continues to work his way back from a nerve issue and thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms. He's been throwing bullpens for the past couple weeks and continues to believe he'll be ready for Opening Day. Stephenson missed the entire 2024 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery and was limited to just 12 appearances in 2025, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB across 10 innings.

Miller (back) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and could return to action as soon as next week, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Miller has yet to make his Cactus League debut this spring due to lower-back tightness, though he's progressing toward a return. The southpaw will aim to start the season at full strength after his 2025 campaign was cut short due to a left elbow injury. Over 36 relief appearances last season, Miller posted a 1.50 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 22:20 K:BB in 30 innings.

De Los Santos (knee) will make his Grapefruit League debut next week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The right-handed reliever has been shelved by a right knee strain since the start of camp, but he will progress to mound work Saturday before being slotted into game action. Barring setbacks, De Los Santos is expected to have enough time to prep for Opening Day.

Hader (biceps) will throw a bullpen session early next week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Hader developed left biceps inflammation before reporting to Astros camp and has been limited to flat-ground work since then. He also missed the final seven-plus weeks of last season with a left shoulder strain, so he hasn't pitched in a game setting since early August of last year. Hader is unlikely to have time to ramp up for Opening Day, setting up Bryan Abreu to serve as the Astros' early-season closer.

The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.

Vernon, who's a non-roster invitee with Tampa Bay, hasn't pitching in spring training and is likely be sidelined for "some time," according to manager Kevin Cash. The 27-year-old right-hander was likely to open the new season in the minor leagues before getting injured. He posted a 3.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 19.1 innings for Triple-A Durham a year ago.

The Reds acquired Nicolas from the Pirates in exchange for Tyler Callihan on Wednesday.

Nicolas will compete for a spot in Cincinnati's bullpen after appearing in 82 games for the Pirates over the past two seasons. Nicolas has a career 4.68 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 96:53 K:BB across 98 innings of relief.

Farris allowed two runs on five hits with one strikeout and no walks over three innings during an exhibition game against Team Italy on Wednesday. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, the left-hander was sitting around 93 mph with his fastball.

Farris averaged 90.3 mph with his fastball as a rookie last season, as he made five starts and had a 6.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings. The 25-year-old showed more strikeout potential in the minors with an 11.0 K/9 at Double-A, and a little more velocity could help to improve his results in the majors.

Sanmartin suffered a minor quadriceps strain during a recent exhibition game appearance for Team Colombia, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Sanmartin tweaked his quad while fielding a comebacker. The lefty will be forced to pull out of representing his native country in the World Baseball Classic, and he will be reevaluated before it's determined how much time he might miss. Sanmartin was a waiver claim of the Giants back in November.

Hoffman plans to throw his four-seam fastball less often in 2026 while increasing his slider usage, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

Two years ago with the Phillies, Hoffman threw his slider 47.9 percent of the time and his four-seamer 27.4 percent, and the result was a 2.41 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 33.2 percent strikeout rate over 52.1 innings, as well as a barrel rate allowed in the 99th percentile and a hard-hit rate allowed in the 95th percentile. In 2025, while feeling the weight of a big free-agent contract from the Jays and his first season as a full-time closer, the right-hander tried to attack the zone more often and threw his fastball 37.4 percent of the time, while reducing his slider usage to 29.9 percent. His numbers took a big step backward as a result, highlighted by a first percentile barrel rate allowed and 58th percentile hard-hit rate allowed. A renewed emphasis on his slider, which generated a career-high 47.4 percent whiff rate last season, should help Hoffman regain some of the dominance that slipped away from him.