The Yankees optioned Hampton (elbow) to Double-A Somerset on Thursday.

Hampton underwent Tommy John surgery in February of 2025 and missed all of last season, and he was in big-league camp while going through his rehab program. As the 2026 season nears, the right-hander is still progressing toward a possible return in May or June.

Springs allowed three hits and a walk over 2.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks. He struck out four.

Springs allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base but ultimately worked through traffic to deliver a scoreless outing. The performance marked an improvement from the 33-year-old's first Cactus League appearance against the Royals on Friday, when he allowed four earned runs, including a home run, over 1.2 innings. The southpaw appeared in 32 games (30 starts) in 2025 spanning 171 innings, posting a 4.11 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with a career-low 7.3 K/9. Springs is expected to slot into the middle of the rotation for his second season with the Athletics in 2026.

The Astros optioned Ullola to minor-league camp Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Ullola was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, but he was always destined for Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season. The right-hander should open 2026 in Sugar Land's rotation, but a career 15.6 percent walk rate in the minors could point to an eventual move to the bullpen if he can't harness his control.

DeGrom allowed one run on three hits and struck out three over two innings in Wednesday's spring exhibition against Team Brazil.

DeGrom took the mound for the first time this spring, part of a gradual buildup for the Rangers' ace. For comparison, deGrom's first of three spring starts in 2025 came on March 8. Texas manager Skip Schumaker plans to follow a similar path for the 37-year-old this year with an eye toward having him pitching in September. DeGrom's 172.2 innings in 2025 were the most he's thrown since 2019. On Wednesday, the right-hander threw 39 pitches (27 strikes) with the lone run coming on a home run by Lucas Ramirez.

Gil tossed three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Boston on Wednesday, allowing two hits and issuing two walks while striking out six batters.

Gil needed a hefty 53 pitches to complete three frames, but he got eight whiffs and racked up six punchouts. The right-hander has looked great through three spring outings, allowing two runs on six hits over eight innings while registering an 11:3 K:BB. Gil appears to be locked into an Opening Day rotation spot while Gerrit Cole (elbow), Carlos Rodon (elbow) and Clarke Schmidt (elbow) begin the season on the shelf, but he'll probably need to pitch well in order to keep that role once those injured hurlers return to action.

Flaherty tossed three scoreless innings in an exhibition game versus Team Panama on Wednesday. He allowed two hits and struck out three.

Flaherty looked sharp against a World Baseball Classic squad getting ready for that tournament, and he once again posted a solid strikeout total. The righty now has eight of them this spring in six innings across two Grapefruit League appearances in addition to Wednesday's exhibition tilt. Flaherty had a K/9 of at least 10.5 in each of the last two seasons, and it looks like he'll be a strong asset in that category once again in 2026.

The Tigers optioned Montero to minor-league camp Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Montero had seemed to have a good shot to break camp in a long man or swingman role, so it's a surprise he's an early March cut. He struggled in his first two Grapefruit League outings but tossed three scoreless frames in Wednesday's exhibition contest against Team Panama. Even though he won't be with them on Opening Day, Montero remains likely to spend a large chunk of the season with the Tigers.

Miller (side) is slated to play catch Wednesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After he was briefly shut down over the weekend upon receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to alleviate inflammation in his left side, Miller has since been cleared to resume a throwing program. Assuming he responds well to Wednesday's workout, Miller said he expects to get back on the mound and throw a light bullpen session by the weekend. Miller still looks to be at least a week or more away from pitching in a Cactus League game, but if he experiences no further setbacks with his side while building back up, he should be able to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Schlittler (back) will make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Rays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Schlittler has been slow-played by the Yankees this spring after he developed some early-camp back inflammation. He's progressed without issue since then and is expected to be ready to go for Opening Day, though he will likely be built up initially to throw just 65-80 pitches in his first start or two of the season.

Civale allowed a run on six hits and a walk across 2.2 innings in Tuesday's exhibition win over Team Brazil. He struck out one.

Civale allowed a fair amount of traffic on the basepaths but limited the damage in his first start of the spring. The right-hander's velocity was down a few ticks across the board, though his average fastball sat at just 92.1 mph last season, and it's not uncommon to see diminished velocity in a pitcher's first outing of the spring. If the dip persists over his next few appearances, it could become more notable. After splitting time between the Brewers, White Sox and Cubs with a combined 4.85 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 23 regular-season appearances (18 starts) and 102 innings in 2025, Civale signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Athletics on Feb. 10 and is expected to slot into the middle of their rotation.