MLB Player News

DeGrom allowed one run on three hits and struck out three over two innings in Wednesday's spring exhibition against Team Brazil.

DeGrom took the mound for the first time this spring, part of a gradual buildup for the Rangers' ace. For comparison, deGrom's first of three spring starts in 2025 came on March 8. Texas manager Skip Schumaker plans to follow a similar path for the 37-year-old this year with an eye toward having him pitching in September. DeGrom's 172.2 innings in 2025 were the most he's thrown since 2019. On Wednesday, the right-hander threw 39 pitches (27 strikes) with the lone run coming on a home run by Lucas Ramirez.

Bazzana went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Australia's 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei in Wednesday's World Baseball Classic opener.

Bazzana gave the Aussies breathing room with his blast in the seventh inning. He left the Guardians spring training camp a week ago to join Team Australia in Japan. Prior to the WBC, Bazzana and appeared in three games for Cleveland, going 2-for-8 with a home run and three RBI. He's likely to open the regular season in the minors, but the 2024 first overall draft pick could elevate to the majors in 2026.

Soler went 1-for-1 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in an exhibition victory over Team Italy on Wednesday.

Soler took Alek Jacob -- who also pitches for the Padres -- deep in the sixth inning. Soler has been hitting well this spring, as he's posted a .333/.500/.556 slash line with two doubles over five games in Cactus League play. Soler "came into camp noticeably lighter," per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, and he could get some reps in the outfield this season, though he'll likely spend most of his time at DH.

Rice went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an RBI double in Wednesday's Grapefruit League win against the Red Sox.

Rice belted a run-scoring double in the third inning and capped the scoring in the game with a 412-foot solo shot in the fifth. The slugger is enjoying a nice spring, slashing .400/.471/.667 with four RBI through five games. Rice is slated to work as the Yankees' primary first baseman this season and should also see some time at catcher and DH.

Gil tossed three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League game against Boston on Wednesday, allowing two hits and issuing two walks while striking out six batters.

Gil needed a hefty 53 pitches to complete three frames, but he got eight whiffs and racked up six punchouts. The right-hander has looked great through three spring outings, allowing two runs on six hits over eight innings while registering an 11:3 K:BB. Gil appears to be locked into an Opening Day rotation spot while Gerrit Cole (elbow), Carlos Rodon (elbow) and Clarke Schmidt (elbow) begin the season on the shelf, but he'll probably need to pitch well in order to keep that role once those injured hurlers return to action.

Honeycutt went 1-for-1 with a solo home run during Wednesday's Grapefruit League against Houston.

The 22-year-old center fielder is taking the Grapefruit League by storm -- he's now gone yard in each of his four at-bats so far this spring. Honeycutt was a first-round pick during the 2024 MLB Draft, and he's looking to put a discouraging 2025 campaign in the rear-view mirror as he continues his development in the minor leagues in 2026. Last season with High-A Aberdeen, Honeycutt batted just .171 with just five homers, 12 doubles and 24 RBI over 374 at-bats.

The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.

Vernon, who's a non-roster invitee with Tampa Bay, hasn't pitching in spring training and is likely be sidelined for "some time," according to manager Kevin Cash. The 27-year-old right-hander was likely to open the new season in the minor leagues before getting injured. He posted a 3.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 19.1 innings for Triple-A Durham a year ago.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in an exhibition game versus Team Panama on Wednesday.

Carpenter went deep against Kenny Hernandez, a 27-year-old who has bounced around independent baseball the past few seasons. Of greater significance is the fact that Hernandez is left-handed. While Carpenter will face higher-quality pitching moving forward, his ability to produce against southpaws will go a long way toward determining his fantasy value in 2026. There's been talk in camp that Carpenter could receive more opportunities against lefties after logging only 60 at-bats against them during the regular season last year. The 28-year-old regularly rakes against righties, but his fantasy ceiling has been capped in the past due to being mostly a strong-side platoon player.

Flaherty tossed three scoreless innings in an exhibition game versus Team Panama on Wednesday. He allowed two hits and struck out three.

Flaherty looked sharp against a World Baseball Classic squad getting ready for that tournament, and he once again posted a solid strikeout total. The righty now has eight of them this spring in six innings across two Grapefruit League appearances in addition to Wednesday's exhibition tilt. Flaherty had a K/9 of at least 10.5 in each of the last two seasons, and it looks like he'll be a strong asset in that category once again in 2026.

Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters Wednesday that Pena took a groundball to his fingertip and will undergo X-rays Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Per Dylan Delgatto of SportingNews, Pena suffered a small fracture in his finger during Wednesday's World Baseball Classic exhibition game against the Tigers, and the injury puts him in jeopardy of missing at least the first round of the WBC. Pena will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury and whether he is in danger of missing more time, potentially for the start of the MLB regular season. If he were to be sidelined for an extended period of time, then the Astros could turn to Nick Allen to take over at shortstop or move Carlos Correa from third base and have Isaac Paredes serve at the hot corner.