MLB Player News
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Velocity drop continues
Ober allowed a run on two hits and two walks while striking out none during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, the right-hander averaged 88.2 mph with his fastball and generated just three swinging strikes.
Ober has surrendered just two runs across 8.2 frames in his three Grapefruit League appearances, but he has only three strikeouts and has seen his fastball velocity decrease in each spring outing, with him not cracking 90 mph even once Tuesday. The 30-year-old's average fastball in 2025 was a career-low 90.3 mph, and he had the worst season of his career with a 5.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 27 starts. Ober doesn't have much time to right the ship with Opening Day a little more than a week away.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Unlikely to pitch in spring game
Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Rodon (elbow) is not expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game this spring, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Rodon has been throwing side sessions and batting practice this spring and most recently threw 30 pitches across a pair of simulated innings over the weekend. However, there's just not enough time for Rodon to get into Grapefruit League contests. He's still building his arm up following offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. According to Phillips, Rodon is on track to make his regular-season debut sometime in April.
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Bryce Miller SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryce Miller: Set to throw bullpen Tuesday
Miller (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.
Miller has been battling inflammation in his left side for the past three weeks, and Tuesday will mark his first full-effort bullpen session since the injury. He was scheduled to throw one last Wednesday, but it was scrapped after his oblique didn't feel right. Miller feels like a long shot to be ready for Opening Day at this point. The 27-year-old right-hander is looking for a bounce-back season after his 2025 season was marred by elbow issues.
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Jeffrey Springs SP | ATH
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs: Scoreless spring start
Springs allowed three hits and three walks across 4.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League win over the Angels. He struck out four.
Springs turned in his longest outing of the spring, working through a bases-loaded jam in the first inning before ultimately pitching into the fifth frame without allowing a run. It's been an up-and-down showing in Cactus League play, as the southpaw has delivered two scoreless outings but combined to allow 10 runs in his other two starts. Walks have been an issue, with the 33-year-old issuing nine free passes across 11.1 innings after posting a respectable 2.8 BB/9 over 171 innings last year. Springs is expected to slot into the middle of the rotation in the regular season for his second campaign with the Athletics in 2026.
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Luinder Avila SP | KC
Royals' Luinder Avila: Key relief effort in WBC win
Avila allowed two hits and a hit-by-pitch across 2.1 scoreless innings Monday in Team Venezuela's 4-2 win over Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He struck out one.
Avila provided valuable length in what amounted to an all-hands-on-deck bullpen game, entering in the fourth inning and recording seven crucial outs without allowing a run to keep Italy at two runs and help fuel Venezuela's comeback victory to reach the World Baseball Classic championship game. Across two WBC appearances, the young right-hander has allowed an unearned run on three hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches while tallying three strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Coming off a 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 14 relief innings with the Royals last season, Avila is a candidate to make the Opening Day roster out of the bullpen, though he could also be stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Omaha.
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Gerrit Cole SP | NYY
Yankees' Gerrit Cole: Spring debut coming Wednesday
Cole (elbow) will start Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox and pitch one inning, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander will be making his first appearance in a game since undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last March. It's an encouraging development for Cole, who is likely to open the season on the 60-day injured list but could return when he's first eligible in in late May.
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Hagen Smith SP | CHW
White Sox's Hagen Smith: Set for Triple-A debut
Smith will begin the 2026 season with Triple-A Charlotte.
Smith had a strong showing this spring, striking out eight batters with one walk in 3.2 innings across three appearances. The quality of Smith's stuff is not in question, he just needs to throw enough strikes to start. Last year, the 6-foot-3 southpaw had a 3.57 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 17.6 percent walk rate in 20 starts at Double-A. If he can come anywhere close to the 5.9 percent walk rate he logged this spring, Smith could be in the big-league rotation this summer.
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MacKenzie Gore SP | TEX
Rangers' MacKenzie Gore: Pitches into fifth inning
Gore allowed two hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.1 scoreless innings Monday in a 3-2 win over the White Sox in Cactus League play. He also hit a batter.
Gore followed up his worst Cactus League start with his best one Monday. After allowing seven runs, six hits and three walks over 1.2 innings in his previous outing, the left-hander was sharper the fourth time out. The southpaw is ramping up for his first season for Texas since being acquired from the Nationals in January.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Works into fifth inning
Williams allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven over 4.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the Cubs.
Williams' fourth Cactus League start was a departure from his first three, but the seven strikeouts and 85 pitches thrown are positive takeaways. He settled down after a rocky two innings, retiring seven of eight batters before tiring in his final frame. While nothing has been made official, Williams' five-day schedule lines him up to start Opening Day on the road in Seattle.
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Hunter Gaddis SP | CLE
Guardians' Hunter Gaddis: Live BP session scheduled
Gaddis (forearm) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Gaddis has thrown two bullpen sessions and is now ready for the next step. The right-hander experienced tightness in his forearm earlier in camp and is working his way back to eventually serve as a high-leverage reliever and setup man for closer Cade Smith.