MLB Player News

Hoskins started at first base and went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's spring game against San Diego.

Hoskins, who served as the designated hitter in his first four Cactus League appearances, made his first start in the field. His first at-bat was an epic 13-pitch battle with Padres starter Michael King that ended in a strikeout. Two innings later, he took King deep on a first-pitch fastball for his first spring homer, a two-run shot. An inning later, the first baseman singled in another two runs. Until Saturday, Hoskins was having a difficult spring, going 1-for-12 while striking out seven times.

Romero (back) will start at second base and bat sixth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

After having been held out of action since Feb. 26 due to a back issue, Romero returned to the lineup as a designated hitter Saturday, going 0-for-2 in a 2-0 win over the Rays. Romero apparently experienced no setbacks coming out of that contest, prompting the Red Sox to clear him for defensive duties a day later. The 22-year-old is likely to be assigned to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season.

Cecconi allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Saturday's spring start against the Padres.

Cecconi made his third Cactus League appearance and dealt with traffic in all four innings. He induced two double-play groundouts to squelch a couple of potential rallies. The right-hander upped his pitch count to 53 (36 strikes) and has been much sharper in 2026 than he was a year ago in his first spring training with the Guardians. Cecconi finished last spring with an ERA of 16.88 over 5.1 innings compared to his 3.12 ERA over 8.2 frames this year.

India went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Cactus League win over the Reds.

India opened the scoring, driving a Nick Lodolo sinker over the left-field fence to lead off the bottom of the first inning. The second baseman has put together a strong showing at the dish so far in Cactus League play, going 4-for-13 with two extra-base hits, three RBI and five walks through seven appearances. India is looking to bounce back from a lackluster first season with the Royals in 2025, when he slashed .233/.323/.346 with 29 doubles, nine homers and 45 RBI across 136 games.

The Orioles optioned Trimble to minor-league camp Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Baltimore added Trimble to its 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The 25-year-old could make his big-league debut at some point in 2026, but he may need multiple outfielders to go down with injuries before he gets a look. Trimble is expected to open the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Norfolk after slashing .259/.319/.435 with five home runs and eight steals in 30 games at the level last season.

Scherzer walked one and struck out one over four scoreless, no-hit innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Making his first appearance of the spring, the 41-year-old Scherzer ended up in something of a pitcher's duel with 22-year-old Andrew Painter in what ended up being a 1-0 win for the Blue Jays. Scherzer faced the tougher lineup of the two, as the Phillies sent out most of their Opening Day starters who weren't participating in the WBC, including Trea Turner, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto. Scherzer tossed 29 of 40 pitches for strikes, and while it's not yet clear how Toronto will arrange its rotation to begin the season with Jose Berrios healthy and Trey Yesavage likely to handle a limited workload, the future Hall of Famer Scherzer looks like he'll be ready for a significant role right out of the gate.

The Astros optioned Alexander to minor-league camp Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander had a 4.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 65:26 K:BB across 77.1 innings between Atlanta and Houston last season but was never a likely bet to crack the Astros' Opening Day roster. Alexander is likely to work out of the rotation at Triple-A Sugar Land to begin 2026 and could get another look in the majors as a swingman at some point this year.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Mullins is "doing better" in his recovery from back tightness and will take part in an on-field workout Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mullins last played Tuesday before succumbing to the back injury, but the veteran outfielder looks to be making good progress and is being viewed as day-to-day. Assuming he's able to move past the back issue and play in at least a few more games before the end of the Grapefruit League slate, Mullins should be in good position to begin the season in the strong side of a platoon in center field.

Manager Kevin Cash said that Diaz has been out of the Rays' Grapefruit League lineup since Tuesday due to a sore left hand, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cash downplayed any concern about the injury, noting that Diaz is expected to rest for a couple more days before he begins swinging a bat again Tuesday. If all goes well, Diaz could check back into the lineup later in the week.

Martin allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four across three innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.

Martin has had mixed results this spring, but he settled into a groove during Saturday's appearance. He threw 32 strikes on 50 pitches, while generating punchouts of Brendan Donovan, Luke Raley and Mitch Garver. The White Sox have made little known about their rotation plans to this point in the spring, though Martin's ramp-up suggests he has a good chance of securing a spot to begin the 2026 campaign.