MLB Player News

Scherzer and his representatives have kept in contact with the Blue Jays this offseason and into spring training, Mitch Bannon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

Toronto doesn't have a spot in the rotation for Scherzer after signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce over the winter, but with Shane Bieber (forearm) set to begin the season on the IL, the team's pitching depth is a little precarious. If another injury hits the staff this spring, it could be enough to prompt a reunion with Scherzer. The 41-year-old posted a 5.19 ERA over 85 innings with the Jays during the 2025 regular season, serving up 19 homers but still delivering a solid 82:23 K:BB, and he made three postseason starts for Toronto during their run to the World Series with a 3.77 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB in 14.1 innings. Scherzer is likely looking for a contract similar to the one Justin Verlander got from the Tigers: a one-year deal worth $13 million but with $11 million deferred.

Garabito will be out for four months after undergoing surgery to address a broken bone in his foot, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Garabito inked an NRI deal with Milwaukee in December that included an invite to spring training, but the 30-year-old's spring is over. The right-hander will be out for around four months, meaning he'll be sidelined until June. Garabito made three big-league appearances last season with the Rangers, logging a 9.00 ERA across eight innings.

McClanahan (triceps) threw live batting practice Saturday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Saturday marked McClanahan's first time facing live hitters since July, when he made two rehab starts at Triple-A Durham before undergoing season-ending surgery. His session lasted just 16 pitches at roughly 80 percent intensity, but it's still a step in the right direction for the 28-year-old southpaw. He'll look to build his workload during spring training and aim to be part of the Rays' rotation when the regular season begins.

Santos will be sidelined for four weeks after sustaining a fracture in his non-throwing hand, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Santos was hit by a comebacker earlier this week, and he'll be sidelined for roughly a month. The 23-year-old appeared in just six games last season, making five starts at Double-A Frisco and one start at Triple-A Round Rock. He allowed 13 earned runs across 17.1 innings.

Hodge allowed two runs on a hit and four walks while retiring just a single batter via strikeout in Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.

It was an alarming spring training debut for Hodge, who struggled last year after a promising 2024 rookie season. The righty saw his BB/9 jump from 4.0 two years ago to 4.9 last year, and he'll need to improve in that area if he wants to stick around as a high-leverage reliever for the Cubs. Hodge has maintained good velocity in both of his professional campaigns and has a career 10.9 K/9, so the talent is there if he can refine his control.

Taillon allowed four runs on four hits and a walk across 1.2 innings of work in Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox. He struck out one.

Making his spring debut, Taillon allowed a pair of home runs and only recorded five outs while tossing 34 pitches. Fantasy managers shouldn't worry too much about spring results for the veteran, as he should be able to round into form before the regular season begins and offer up fairly steady performance. Health is worth monitoring with Taillon, as he made a few trips to the injured list in 2025 and only logged 129.2 regular-season innings, his fewest in a season since 2019.

Gallen threw a live batting-practice session Friday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Gallen, who was signed last week, threw his first session since entering camp. He threw about 20 pitches, and manager Torey Lovullo was pleased with what he saw. "The fastball command looked good," the manager said. "It looked like he was throwing a nice cutter, his breaking ball I think was trending in a very positive direction." It appears that Gallen isn't too far behind the other starters despite missing the first handful of days in camp. The pitcher said he felt good and was given positive feedback from the batters he faced.

Mahle has been battling through an illness but is expected to face hitters next week, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mahle has fallen behind in spring training while under the weather, but the illness isn't considered a long-term concern that will keep the 31-year-old right-hander sidelined for long. Mahle signed a one-year deal with the Giants in late December after spending the last two seasons with the Rangers. He appeared in 16 games for Texas in 2025, finishing 6-4 with a 2.18 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 66:29 K:BB across 86.2 innings.

Rogers didn't factor into the decision during Friday's 2-0 Grapefruit League victory over the Yankees, allowing one hit in two scoreless innings. He struck out three.

Rogers picked up right where he left off a year ago, when he turned in a career-best 1.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 109.2 innings (18 starts). The 28-year-old left-hander looked particularly dominant at times in his spring debut, generating eight whiffs and pouring in 23 of his 32 pitches for strikes. Rogers appears to be the frontrunner to draw the Opening Day starting nod for Baltimore.

Lopez (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery next Wednesday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

It's a massive loss for a Twins team that was already thin on talent, as Minnesota will now be without its ace for the entirety of the 2026 campaign. Lopez suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow earlier this week and had hoped to avoid the dreaded Tommy John operation. With Lopez's season done before it even got started, the Twins will now head into Grapefruit League play with Joe Ryan atop the rotation, followed by Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley.