MLB Player News
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Leandro Lopez SP | TEX
Rangers' Leandro Lopez: Bound for Double-A
The Rangers optioned Lopez to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.
Texas awarded Lopez a spot on its 40-man roster over the winter after he compiled a 2.40 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 116:41 K:BB between Frisco and High-A Hub City in 2025. The 23-year-old righty will head back to Frisco to begin the upcoming campaign, but a strong start to the season could put him on track for an early promotion to Triple-A Round Rock.
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David Davalillo SP | TEX
Rangers' David Davalillo: Opening season in Frisco
The Rangers optioned Davalillo to Double-A Frisco on Sunday.
Texas added Davalillo to its 40-man roster over the winter, but the 23-year-old righty is still in need of further seasoning in the minors. He'll return to Frisco to open the upcoming campaign after logging a 2.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 58:17 K:BB across 56 frames in the Texas League in 2025.
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Daniel Espino SP | CLE
Guardians' Daniel Espino: Headed to Triple-A
The Guardians optioned Espino to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Espino fired two scoreless innings during spring training but unsurprisingly won't make Cleveland's Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old made an appearance for Triple-A Columbus late last season, which was his first game action since 2022 after requiring multiple shoulder surgeries.
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Set for another bullpen
Kelly (back) threw a successful live batting practice session Sunday and will throw another one this week before potentially pitching in a Cactus League game, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
The veteran right-hander is working his way back from a bout of mid-back tightness, which prevented him from building up normally early in camp. Kelly is now ramping up his throwing sessions and could soon be cleared for game action. He won't be ready for the opening series of the season, but manager Torey Lovullo previously indicated that could still avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the campaign.
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Joey Wentz SP | ATL
Braves' Joey Wentz: Injures knee Sunday
Wentz was removed from his Grapefruit League appearance Sunday against the Rays in the fifth inning due to an apparent right knee injury, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Wentz recorded two outs and was charged with one earned run on two hits before departing from the game following a collision near first base with a Rays player. According to Bishop, Wentz was carted off the field, though on a more promising note, the southpaw was able to walk into the clubhouse without assistance. Wentz can be considered day-to-day before Atlanta provides an update on his diagnosis, but a potential absence of any length of time would represent yet another blow to a rotation that has already lost Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) and Hurston Waldrep (elbow) to long-term injuries this spring.
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Jordan Montgomery SP | TEX
Rangers' Jordan Montgomery: Moved to 60-day IL
The Rangers placed Montgomery (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Dairon Blanco, whom the Rangers claimed off waivers from the Royals. The move to the 60-day IL won't affect Montgomery's return timeline, as the veteran southpaw was already expected to miss multiple months as he continues his recovery from hybrid UCL reconstruction surgery, which he underwent last April.
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Jordan Wicks SP | CHC
Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Headed for IL
The Cubs announced Sunday that Wicks has been diagnosed with radial nerve irritation in his left forearm and will begin the season on the injured list, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
Expect Chicago to officially place the 26-year-old southpaw on the IL shortly before Opening Day, when the club sets its 26-man roster. Wicks had yet to make any appearances during the Cactus League before the nerve issue was detected. Once he's cleared to resume activity, he'll need to complete a full throwing progression before beginning what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment.
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Porter Hodge SP | CHC
Cubs' Porter Hodge: IL bound with flexor strain
The Cubs announced Sunday that Hodge has been diagnosed with a right flexor tendon strain and will be shut down from throwing for two weeks before being re-evaluated, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
The timing of the injury will remove Hodge from contention for a spot in the Cubs' Opening Day bullpen, as he'll instead be ticketed for the injured list. Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over his 36 appearances with the Cubs in 2025 and didn't help his chances of breaking camp with the big club by yielding seven earned runs and issuing seven walks over two innings in the Cactus League before being diagnosed with the injury.
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Tarik Skubal SP | DET
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: May extend WBC run
Skubal, who made his World Baseball Classic debut in the United States' victory over Great Britain on Saturday, may end up pitching for the team again after previously planning to make only one appearance, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Skubal allowed a leadoff home run to Nate Eaton but righted the ship and didn't allow any other runs across three innings while striking out five. The lefty logged 41 pitches, and following the 9-1 United States win, he acknowledged the emotions of the tournament may keep him around a bit longer. "I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp," Skubal said. "Things have changed, obviously, that's why I'm going to have some conversations to try and figure out a plan for me." If Skubal does pitch again in the WBC, it could come in a quarterfinal matchup on either March 13 or 14, though nothing official has been announced. The Detroit ace would likely have a similar workload in a potential second WBC outing as he gears up for the start of the regular season.
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Bryce Miller SP | SEA
Mariners' Bryce Miller: Returns to mound work
Miller (side) threw a 25-pitch touch-and-feel bullpen session Sunday at about 80 percent intensity, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.
The right-hander was able to mix in all his pitches and is now scheduled for a normal 25-to-30-pitch bullpen session in a couple days. Miller was briefly shut down from throwing after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat inflammation in his left side, which has delayed his buildup during spring training. If the 27-year-old can continue to ramp up with no further issues, it's possible he can avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season.