Kelly (back) said Friday that he expects to be on the injured list to open the regular season, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Kelly spoke about his chances of making the Opening Day roster following his Cactus League debut Friday. "I won't go into depth on what the tentative plan is right now, but yeah, as of right now, not very good," the pitcher said. That's the bad news; the good news is that Kelly's back held up over 1.2 innings (36 pitches), which was the priority of the day. Stints on the IL can be backdated three days, which means Kelly would miss at least the first 12 days of the regular season. He would be eligible for activation in time for April 7 against the Mets.

Rodriguez allowed two hits and walked four batters while striking out five over 4.2 scoreless innings in a Cactus League start against Cleveland on Friday.

Rodriguez was a bit wild in issuing four free passes, but he kept the Guardians out of the score column thanks in part to a pair of double plays. Promisingly, he worked up to 85 pitches, and though his fastball velocity was a bit below its established norm at 94.3 mph, it's worth noting that the right-hander is still working his way back into full form after not pitching in any games beyond spring training last season. Rodriguez hasn't dropped jaws this spring, but he's looked healthy and has posted a tolerable 4.97 ERA with 12 punchouts (albeit alongside 10 walks) over 12.2 frames, so he looks to be headed toward a spot in the Angels' Opening Day rotation.

King allowed six runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out five batters over four innings in a Cactus League start against the Athletics on Friday.

King notched a nice strikeout total, but he was also pounded for three homers, which came on back-to-back-to-back A's blasts in the fourth inning. The right-hander began the Cactus League slate with a fine 2.2-inning, one-run outing against the Angels, but since then he's yielded 13 earned runs on 15 hits (including five long balls) over 10 frames spanning three starts. Spring training stats rarely carry much importance, and King is locked into a rotation spot for the Padres, but a bounce-back outing before the end of the exhibition slate could be useful to reset the hurler heading into the regular season.

The Nationals optioned Parker to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

Parker lost his spot in the Nationals' rotation last season and didn't do enough this spring to get it back, collecting an uninspiring 3:5 K:BB over 3.2 innings during Grapefruit League action. The left-hander should open the season in the rotation at Rochester as he awaits another opportunity with the big club.

Woodruff (lat) said Friday that his status for Opening Day remains "up in the air," Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff threw two innings in his Cactus League debut last weekend and tossed four frames in a simulated game Friday. The right-hander has been brought along slowly in Brewers camp after ending last season with a right lat strain, and while he's considered healthy, the buildup could continue after Opening Day. Woodruff also said that "maybe the majority" of his starts this season will be on five days' rest or more, and his "main goal" remains being healthy at the end of the season.

Winn allowed one hit and struck out one across one scoreless inning in Thursday's 3-3 Cactus League tie against the White Sox.

Winn entered in the sixth inning, throwing 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes while allowing just one single. The right-hander struggled at Triple-A Sacramento last season and made only seven appearances for the Giants, recording a 4.50 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB across 10 innings in the majors. The competition for bullpen spots in San Francisco is wide open, and even if Winn doesn't make the Opening Day roster, he could emerge as a call-up candidate later in the campaign. Through five Cactus League outings this spring, he has allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out six in 6.1 innings.

Manager Joe Espada said Friday that Javier (personal) will return to the Astros on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Javier left the team Wednesday to tend to a personal matter. The right-hander will turn 29 years old on Opening Day, and this will be his first fully healthy season since he underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2024. Across eight starts last regular season, Javier logged a 4.62 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 34:15 K:BB over 37 innings. He's tentatively expected to follow Hunter Brown and Tatsuya Imai in the rotation.

Waldichuk gave up two hits and struck out six without walking anyone over 2.2 scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 28-year-old southpaw still got to face some quality big-league hitters after he entered the game to begin the bottom of the fifth inning -- he struck out Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker back-to-back in the sixth -- and Waldichuk built up to 41 pitches (28 strikes) before exiting. Waldichuk was once a promising Yankees prospect many years and injuries ago, and since being claimed off waivers by the Nationals in early February, he's posted a 1.35 ERA and 8:3 K:BB over 6.2 spring frames. Washington's Opening Day rotation seems set after the Zack Littell signing, but Waldichuk might be putting himself forward as a long-relief candidate in the big-league bullpen. More likely, he'll be optioned to Triple-A Rochester and stay stretched out to be on call in case injuries hit the starting staff.

Suarez might end up beginning the season on the 26-man roster as Atlanta navigates playing 13 games in 13 days to open its schedule, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

While the team is expected to use a six-man rotation during that 13-day slog, that sixth starter -- likely to be Martin Perez, but with prospects JR Ritchie and Didier Fuentes also in the mix -- could be called up early in the season rather than being on the Opening Day roster. In that scenario, Suarez could stick instead as a versatile arm capable of starting or relieving who is also out of minor-league options, with Atlanta then re-evaluating his place on the staff in early April. The 28-year-old southpaw made seven appearances (one start) for Atlanta in 2025, producing a 1.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB over 19.1 innings.

The Orioles have named Rogers their Opening Day starter.

Rogers will face the Twins and presumably Joe Ryan on March 26. After struggling following his midseason acquisition from the Marlins in the summer of 2024, Rogers was great in 18 starts last season, posting a 9-3 record, 1.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 103:29 K:BB across 109.2 innings. It will obviously be difficult for Rogers to replicate those numbers, but he's more than earned the nod for Opening Day.