MLB Player News

Williams is back with the Rays in big-league camp Thursday and could begin the season as the club's primary shortstop since Taylor Walls is out with an oblique injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Williams was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday but is back in Tampa Bay's Grapefruit League lineup Thursday following Walls' injury, which has an undisclosed recovery timeline. The 22-year-old Williams is now the favorite to begin the season as the Rays' starting shortstop, though he still needs to be added back to the big-league roster. The club could consider some outside options, but it's a tight window to do so with Opening Day just one week away.

Walls will open the season on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right oblique, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls had been set to begin the season as the Rays' starting shortstop, but his injury now opens the door for top prospect Carson Williams to run with the job after Williams had initially been dispatched to Triple-A Durham earlier this week. A career .195/.286/.298 hitter across 1,560 plate appearances, Walls was unlikely to hit enough to hold onto the job for long.

Yesavage will open the season on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Manager John Schneider said Thursday that Yesavage came to spring training with the injury, which explains his slow build-up throughout camp. The Blue Jays don't expect Yesavage will need to stop throwing, but he needs more time to get ready for the regular season. The plan is for Yesavage to throw off a mound again next week. With Yesavage, Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) set to miss the beginning of the season, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer figure to join Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman in the rotation.

Caglianone went 4-for-14 with a double, a home run, four RBI, a stolen base and five walks across five games for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

Caglianone got off to a hot start in Cactus League play and carried that momentum into the WBC, highlighted by a two-run blast against the United States on March 10 in pool play. He flashed his exciting power while also showing solid plate discipline, drawing five walks. After a disappointing rookie campaign in which the 23-year-old hit .157/.237/.295 with six doubles, seven homers and 18 RBI across 62 big-league appearances, the Royals wanted him to earn his spot in the lineup. With his strong spring showing, Caglianone figures to see consistent playing time in right field, though the 2024 first-round pick could sit in favor of Starling Marte against left-handed pitching.

Witt went 6-for-24 with two doubles, three stolen bases, three runs scored and six walks across six games for the United States in the World Baseball Classic.

Witt was a fixture atop the United States lineup, starting at shortstop and leading off in six of seven WBC contests. He didn't dominate at the plate or flash much power, but he still reached base at a .400 clip and showcased his speed with three stolen bases. After a monster 2024 in which he hit .332 with a .977 OPS, the 25-year-old followed up by slashing .295/.351/.501 with 47 doubles, 23 homers, 88 RBI, 99 runs scored and 38 stolen bases across 157 appearances in 2025. Witt has firmly established himself as a legitimate all-around superstar and enters 2026 with lofty expectations.

Estevez allowed no hits and three walks with no strikeouts across a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers.

Estevez made his return to Cactus League play after tossing an inning for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and didn't allow a run, though the outing was far from sharp. The right-hander entered in the sixth inning and promptly walked the first two batters he faced on nine pitches, eventually loading the bases via free passes before inducing a weak groundout from Jake Burger to escape the frame unscathed. As was the case in his earlier spring appearances, Estevez's velocity remained significantly down, with his fastball averaging 89.0 mph after sitting at 95.9 mph last season, while his offspeed offerings were also down several ticks. The veteran is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he recorded a career-high and league-best 42 saves with a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 54:22 K:BB across 67 outings and is in line to handle closing duties for the Royals again in 2026, though his diminished velocity is a key factor to monitor moving forward.

Yoshida remains with no obvious role entering the final week of spring training, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Yoshida made some noise for Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic, but he returned to Fort Myers in the same position as when he departed for the WBC. The Red Sox have five outfielders for four positions, including DH. Boston manager Alex Cora feels it's a luxury as opposed to a problem and will figure out how the pieces can fit. At this point, it's hard to see where Yoshida fits on a regular basis.

Coulombe's contract was restructured after the Red Sox discovered issues in the pitcher's physical examination, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The overall value of the deal remains the same, but the guaranteed portion was reduced to $1 million. Coulombe can achieve another $2 million in performance and active roster bonuses throughout the season. Both parties in the contract renegotiation -- Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Coulombe's agent -- declined comment when asked about the situation. There have been no signs of limitation thus far. Coulombe threw a live batting practice Monday and is scheduled for his Grapefruit League debut Thursday.

Bradford (elbow) began facing live hitters in batting practice and should be ready for a rehab assignment when the 2026 regular season begins, MLB.com reports.

Bradford had worked his way up to facing live batters, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. The lefty was throwing 50- and 55-pitch bullpen sessions before facing hitters. His projection still calls for a return at some point in May.

McCutchen started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's spring game against the Royals.

McCutchen, who was signed in the middle of spring training, has hit safely in all six games in which he's appeared. The 39-year-old is 8-for-15 with three doubles, a home run, seven RBI and five runs scored. He's making the most of a brief opportunity to earn a roster spot, likely as a DH.