MLB Player News

Soto (elbow) is expected to be sidelined until late April or early May, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Soto underwent surgery to remove a partially detached bone spur in August, so it's not surprising he'll be eased into action this spring. The No. 34 overall pick of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft has thrown three bullpen sessions in spring training, so he's making significant progress in his rehab program.

The Diamondbacks named Gallen as their starter for Opening Day against the Dodgers on March 26.

Merrill Kelly had previously been tapped to start Opening Day for Arizona, but he will not be ready at that point as he recovers from a back injury. As a result, Gallen -- who re-signed with the Diamondbacks at the start of spring training -- will be making his fourth consecutive Opening Day start. Gallen had a disappointing 2025 campaign, finishing with a 4.83 ERA and 175:66 K:BB over 192 innings.

Miller did not throw a bullpen session as scheduled Wednesday because his left oblique didn't feel right, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports.

Miller had been slated to throw his first full-effort bullpen sessions since he felt inflammation in his left oblique in late February. Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Wednesday that the right-hander does not need to be completely shut down from throwing. However, Miller will have to revert back to flat-ground work, and he is increasingly unlikely to be available for the start of the regular season.

Strider struck out five and gave up two hits and one walk over four innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Rays.

Making his third start of the spring, Strider built up to 61 pitches (43 strikes) and delivered his best performance to date. He induced nine swinging strikes -- including five with his slider -- and retired eight of 12 batters via either strikeout or groundout, with another out coming on a pickoff. Perhaps more importantly, the velocity gains Strider noticed in his previous start last Thursday carried over into Wednesday's outing. He peaked at 96.5 miles per hour with his four-seam fastball and averaged 94.8 mph overall, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Priester is scheduled to meet with a specialist in Dallas on Thursday to receive further consultation on his lingering right wrist injury, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Though Priester hasn't been shut down from throwing during spring training, he's yet to make his Cactus League debut while he's struggled to get over the hump in his recovery from wrist soreness, an injury that previously hampered him late in the 2025 season. Priester is hopeful that the upcoming meeting with the specialist will provide more insight on how best to treat the injury, but with the start of the regular season just two weeks away, the right-hander seems to be trending toward at least an abbreviated stint on the injured list to begin the campaign.

The Mariners optioned Castano to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.

Castano has yielded five runs with a 3:3 K:BB over five innings in five Cactus League outings. The 27-year-old will likely begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Tacoma, but if he gets another shot with the big club, it could be as a reliever.

The Athletics optioned Estes to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

After overcoming a herniated disc in his lower back, Estes threw 2.2 scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox in his spring training debut. He now finds himself cut from big-league camp a day later. Estes is ticketed for the Triple-A Las Vegas rotation at the start of the season.

The Cardinals reassigned Zimmermann to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Zimmermann signed with the Cardinals on a minor-league deal in January after spending the 2025 season in the Brewers organization. The southpaw gave up six runs (five earned) in six innings in a late-season spot start with Milwaukee but otherwise spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Nashville, where he produced a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 109:30 K:BB in 138 innings. After falling short in his bid for a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, Zimmermann is expected to serve as a swingman at Triple-A Memphis to begin the season.

Miller (oblique) will throw a normal bullpen session Wednesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Miller has previously thrown off the mound at less than full effort, but he'll throw his first standard bullpen session since he came down with inflammation in his left oblique in late February. The Mariners haven't revealed a target date for Miller's return to game action, but it will be close as to whether he can ramp back up in time for Opening Day.

Dobbins (knee) will pitch in another minor-league game later this week, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Returning from last July's right ACL surgery, Dobbins threw four innings and around 65 pitches in a previous appearance on the back fields. He was pleased with how that outing went, saying "a lot of the movement profiles have increased" after "some of the tweaks we've been making." Dobbins will be permitted to field his position in the game later this week, but he will not be allowed to cover first base, as the Cardinals are still being protective of his surgically repaired knee. The 26-year-old is set to open the 2026 season either on the injured list or at Triple-A Memphis, but he's a candidate to see starts for St. Louis later this summer.