MLB Player News

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.

Steele (elbow) received full clearance for throwing Sunday following his final visit with his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

The left-hander has been throwing bullpen sessions with limited parameters since mid-January, but he's now been cleared to incorporate his full repertoire. Steele is aiming to return to the big-league rotation in May or June. He'll need a build up his throwing program significantly before embarking on a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated from the injured list.

Hancock logged four strikeouts over 2.2 perfect innings in Saturday's Cactus League matchup against the Padres.

It was an encouraging showing from Hancock after he was charged with three earned runs in just 1.2 innings in his first spring outing. The right-hander filled a swingman role for Seattle in 2025, posting a 4.90 ERA over 90 regular-season innings and making 16 starts in 22 appearances. With Bryce Miller (side) again dealing with health concerns, there could be a spot for Hancock in the Opening Day rotation.

Manoah tossed three scoreless innings in a Cactus League game against Arizona on Saturday, allowing four hits and issuing one walk while striking out one batter.

Manoah got into some trouble in the second inning by allowing three baserunners on a pair of singles and a walk, but he got through the frame with the help of a double play and a caught stealing. The right-hander averaged 92 mph on his fastball, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, which is slightly down from the 93.4 mph he averaged the last time he threw in the majors, in 2024 with Toronto. Nonetheless, Manoah's bid for a rotation spot has gone fairly well so far -- through two spring appearances, he's tossed five scoreless frames despite a 1:3 K:BB.

Perez (shoulder) allowed one earned run on one hit over two innings of relief in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Orioles in Grapefruit League play.

The veteran southpaw covered a pair of frames out of the bullpen behind Spencer Strider in his spring debut. Even with Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow) all set to miss extended time to begin the season, Perez is a long shot to win a spot in the Atlanta rotation. Perez signed a minor-league deal in January after submitting a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB across 56 innings in 11 appearances (10 starts) with the White Sox in 2025.

Strider allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out two over two innings during his spring debut Saturday against the Orioles. His fastball averaged 93.1 mph and touched 94.3 mph, and afterwards the right-hander said, "it's going to take time to get those things where I know everyone wants them to be," Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

A lower velocity early in spring training is fairly common for pitchers, but Strider deserves extra scrutiny given that his fastball velocity has steadily trended downward since averaging 98.2 mph during his first full MLB campaign in 2022. It averaged 95.5 mph last season in his first year back from internal brace surgery on his elbow, and he was inconsistent on the mound with a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and significantly lower 9.4 K/9. Strider is currently more focused on improving the shape of his fastball, which could help him regain some dominance even if his velocity doesn't return to that 2022 peak.

Bastardo (elbow) has struck out two batters while allowing one walk and no hits over two scoreless innings through his first two Grapefruit League appearances.

Bastardo appears to be back to full health after he was sidelined for all of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. After selecting the right-hander in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, Toronto kept him on the injured list all of last season. Now that he's healthy again, Bastardo will have to spend at least 90 days on the Blue Jays' active roster in 2026, or else Toronto will have to offer him back to the Red Sox.

Dallas (elbow) made his Grapefruit League debut in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Mets, striking out four batters over 1.2 perfect innings of relief.

Dallas spent the entire 2025 season on Triple-A Buffalo's 60-day injured list while recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September 2024. The right-hander seems to have entered camp without any restrictions and came through with a dominant relief outing in his spring debut. Despite the strong showing Monday, Dallas is likely to spend most of the 2026 campaign in the Buffalo bullpen.