MLB Player News

Painter threw two clean innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out one.

Painter's spring debut went swimmingly -- he fired 14 of his 20 pitches for strikes and his four-seam fastball reached 97 mph on six occasions. With Zack Wheeler (shoulder) expected to start the new campaign on the injured list, the Phillies have an eye toward including Painter in the Opening Day rotation, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. While he turned in a lackluster 5.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 106.2 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley a year ago, the 22-year-old right-hander remains one of Philadelphia's top prospects and has an opportunity to overtake Taijuan Walker as the club's No. 5 starter even when Wheeler rejoins the rotation.

Wheeler (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Sunday, per Jim Salisburg of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Sunday marked Wheeler's second session of the spring amid his recovery from venous thoracic outlet surgery. It remains unknown at this point if the All-Star right-hander will have enough time to get in any Grapefruit League action, and Wheeler's throwing progression will remain something for fantasy managers to monitor throughout spring training. Although Wheeler isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, the Phillies are hopeful the hurler won't need a lengthy stay on the injured list to begin the season.

Aldegheri was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Aldegheri appeared in two games with the Angels during spring training, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out four batters over 4.1 innings. The 24-year-old struggled to a 7.90 ERA and 2.20 WHIP over 13.2 innings in four appearances, including two starts, with the Angels in 2025. He will now head to Salt Lake ahead of the regular season, and he'll look to impress at the Triple-A level in an attempt to get another shot with the major-league club in the near future.

Baez was optioned to Double-A Midland on Sunday.

Baez will head to Double-A after tossing a scoreless inning, striking out two batters and hitting another, in his only appearance with the Athletics during spring training. The 23-year-old combined to produce a 2.36 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 110.2 innings in 24 starts with Double-A San Antonio and Double-A Midland last season.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that deGrom threw a 30-pitch side session and will make a Cactus League start "really soon," Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom reported to spring training at full health, but the Rangers are deliberately easing the 37-year-old righty into their Cactus League pitching schedule. Schumaker noted that deGrom has been building up through bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions on the back fields of camp, which has allowed the two-time Cy Young Award winner to stay on pace with the Rangers' other rotation candidates during his spring throwing progression. The skipper expects deGrom to make 3-to-4 appearances in games before the end of camp, which should put deGrom in line to make a start during the Rangers' first series of the season in Philadelphia at the end of the month.

Ober's fastball velocity sat around 90-91 mph during his live batting practice session Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander saw his average velocity tick down to a career-low 90.3 mph while managing hip problems last season, so it's encouraging that he's already at or above that level early in spring training. Ober struggled to a 5.10 ERA in 27 starts last year, but his 3.66 ERA across the three prior campaigns makes him a decent candidate to bounce back in 2026, assuming he can stay healthy.

Oviedo (illness) is scheduled to start Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The right-hander was sent home from camp Thursday due to an illness, but he's ready to make his second start of spring training Monday. Oviedo allowed a run on three walks and a hit over 1.2 frames during his spring debut last week.

Kelly (back) said Sunday that he's optimistic he'll avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the regular season, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Kelly is no longer in line to start Opening Day versus the Dodgers, but he could be ready to pitch in Arizona's second series of the season at home versus Detroit, which runs March 30 through April 1. The right-hander was shut down one week ago after experiencing mid-back tightness but has seemingly responded well since receiving a cortisone shot. He was able to play catch Sunday without issue and could gradually increase the distance and intensity of his throwing sessions during the upcoming week.

Berrios gave up zero hits or runs over four innings Saturday in the Blue Jays' split-squad game against the Yankees. He struck out two and walked two.

The 31-year-old right-hander is looking to bounce back from a tough 2025 season, and Berrios was impressive Saturday against a New York lineup that featured Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm and other Opening Day starters. Berrios picked up velocity as the outing progressed, and his fastest pitch of the day registered at 94.5 mph on a four-seamer to top prospect Spencer Jones in the third inning -- a very good sign after he averaged just 93.0 mph with the pitch last season over 166.0 regular-season innings, the lowest mark of his career. With Shane Bieber (forearm) set to miss Opening Day and begin the year on the IL, there's a spot in the rotation for Berrios, but he'll need to show last year's injuries and struggles are behind him to claim it.

Cease allowed one run on one hit and one walk over 1.2 innings during the Blue Jays' split-squad game against the Phillies on Saturday. He struck out three.

Making his Grapefruit League debut for Toronto, Cease threw his first pitch of the day at 98.3 mph, and he topped out at 98.9 mph with his four-seamer. The right-hander did serve up a second-inning solo shot to Bryan De La Cruz, but otherwise it was a strong first outing in a Jays uniform as he tossed 19 of 33 pitches for strikes. Cease will slot in at the top of the rotation after the 30-year-old right-hander signed a seven-year, $210 million deal over the winter. He's topped 200 strikeouts in five straight seasons, posting a 3.72 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 11.3 K/9 during that stretch while averaging about 32 starts and 177 innings a year.