Tolle is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season if frontrunner Johan Oviedo wins the final spot in Boston's rotation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Tolle is one of the organization's top prospects and made his MLB debut last year, but he's not likely to secure a place in the Opening Day rotation given how well the Red Sox improved their rotation during the offseason. The improved rotation depth serves an additional purpose for Boston, as it should allow the organization to secure an additional year of service time for Tolle, as long as he spends at least 46 days in the minors this season.

The Red Sox plan to option Early to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season if Johan Oviedo wins the final rotation spot, as expected, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Oviedo is the clear frontrunner to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and Boston has no plans to keep Early in the majors as a member of the bullpen. The left-hander received his first taste of the big leagues last year and pitched well across four regular-season starts with a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29:4 K:BB over 19.1 innings. Early is currently on the outside looking in for a rotation spot since the Red Sox significantly bolstered the unit this winter, but the organization can also get an extra year of service time if he spends 35 days in the minors this season. The top prospect is likely to begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Worcester but will almost certainly be up with Boston at some point in 2026.

Fried allowed one hit and three walks while striking out one across three scoreless innings during Tuesday's exhibition game against Team Panama.

The three free passes would have tied Fried's season high from 2025, but it's not a major surprise for him to be shaking off some rust in his first start of spring training. The left-hander was as advertised during his first year with the Yankees last year, finishing the regular season with a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 189:51 K:BB across 195.1 innings. Fried worked up to 56 pitches Tuesday and will continue building up his workload over the next few weeks.

Gaddis underwent an MRI due to mild forearm tightness, which came back negative, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Gaddis made his spring training debut this past Friday but came out of the appearance with an arm issue. He's been cleared of structural damage and will be reevaluated Thursday to determine his readiness to resume a throwing program. If healthy, Gaddis will be used in a setup role for the Guardians this season ahead of closer Cade Smith.

The Athletics are evaluating Medina for a potential Opening Day bullpen role, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

After missing the second half of 2024 and all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery, Medina made his Cactus League debut Tuesday versus the Padres. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in one inning, but Medina showed he still has a big fastball, topping out at 98.9 mph on the pitch. Medina is out of minor-league options and will have workload restrictions in 2026, which prompted his shift to relief this spring. The 26-year-old could eventually return to a starter role.

Scherzer said Tuesday that he is completely over last year's nagging thumb issues and will be ready to go at the start of the season, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Scherzer also confirmed that he will make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday against the Phillies and hopes to throw multiple innings. The 41-year-old agreed to terms with the Blue Jays just last week, but he's been throwing on his own and appears to be built up stamina-wise where he would normally be at this stage of spring training. Scherzer isn't guaranteed a spot in the Toronto rotation when the regular season begins, however, as Jose Berrios also appears to be over his 2025 injury issues.

Oviedo allowed two hits while striking out four over three scoreless innings in Monday's spring start against the Blue Jays.

As erratic as Oviedo was in his Grapefruit League debut last Wednesday, the right-hander was controlled Monday. He breezed through three frames on just 31 pitches (25 strikes). Oviedo has set himself up as the leading candidate for Boston's final rotation spot. His next outing is scheduled for March 7.

Cecconi allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out four over 2.2 innings in Monday's spring start against Texas.

Cecconi had two scoreless frames in his second Cactus League outing before Wyatt Langford took him deep in the third. The Rangers worked counts in all three innings, and the right-hander's day was done after 52 pitches (33 strikes). Cecconi is much more established than he was in 2025, when he was new to the Guardians. Coaches reworked his mechanics and pitch mix, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, adding a cutter and increasing his slider usage. The cutter was particularly effective Monday, generating six whiffs on 12 swings.

Verlander will make his first Grapefruit League start in Friday's game against the Red Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Verlander will be the last member of Detroit's projected season-opening rotation to take the hill this spring, and it will be his first game in a Detroit uniform since 2017 after rejoining the club on a one-year, $13 million contract last month. The 42-year-old isn't the same pitcher he was when he last played for the Tigers, but he should at least give the team a veteran option to reliably eat up some innings. Verlander turned in a respectable 3.85 ERA and 137 strikeouts across 152 innings for the Giants last year.

Valdez allowed two hits across three scoreless innings of work in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He struck out three.

Making his first spring start for the Tigers since inking a three-year, $115 million contract in early February, Valdez looked sharp across his 43 pitches. He threw 30 of those pitches for strikes and managed to scatter two harmless singles. The 32-year-old southpaw figures to slot in to the No. 2 spot in Detroit's rotation behind ace Tarik Skubal, giving the Tigers two of the top left-handed starters in the American League. Valdez has made at least 28 regular-season starts in each of the last four years, and he's compiled a sparkling 3.21 ERA during that time, making him an attractive fantasy option in his first season in Detroit.