MLB Player News
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Payton Tolle SP | BOS
Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Makes spring debut
Tolle allowed one run on one hit and struck out one over two innings in Saturday's spring game against the Twins.
Tolle mixed in secondary offerings to kick off the Grapefruit League slate for Boston, which is the team's goal for the left-hander. He added sinkers, curves, changeups, cutters and one slider to the mix among his 20 pitches (13 strikes). The one run allowed came on a Royce Lewis home run off his four-seamer, after he couldn't put the Twins third baseman away with a changeup. Other than that, it was a fine outing for the 23-year-old, who is competing for the final spot in the rotation against Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early and two veterans that didn't throw a pitch in 2025, Kutter Crawford (wrist) and Patrick Sandoval (elbow).
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Taylor Walls 3B | TB
Rays' Taylor Walls: Scratched from lineup Sunday
Walls was removed from the lineup for Sunday's Grapefruit League game versus Pittsburgh due to oblique tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Walls had been set to make his first spring appearance, which would have also been his first game action since early September of last year after he ended the campaign on the 60-day IL due to sports hernia surgery. Walls' removal from the lineup Sunday was precautionary, but the Rays figure to take a cautious approach to his return. Raynel Delgado has taken Walls' place at shortstop and in the leadoff spot against the Pirates.
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Miles Mastrobuoni 3B | SEA
Mariners' Miles Mastrobuoni: Smacks grand slam in spring debut
Mastrobuoni went 2-for-2 with a double and a grand slam in Saturday's Cactus League matchup with the Giants.
It was a strong start to the spring for Mastrobuoni, who got the start in left field Saturday. He put the Mariners ahead early with his first-inning grand slam off Hayden Birdsong. Mastrobuoni, who hit just one home run while posting a .620 OPS in 175 plate appearances last season, has a shot to make Seattle's Opening Day roster as a bench option thanks to his positional versatility.
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Matt Brash RP | SEA
Mariners' Matt Brash: Issues following tooth removal
Brash said Sunday that he's been slowed down in spring training after having a tooth removed last week, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
After spending a few days at home recovering from the procedure, Brash checked back in with the training staff Saturday and "looked to be very uncomfortable," per Divish. The issue doesn't sound like anything that could affect Brash's Opening Day availability, but his spring debut will be on hold until he's feeling better.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Athletics' Jeff McNeil: Ready for spring debut
McNeil (shoulder) will start at second base and bat sixth in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
McNeil will don an Athletics uniform for the first time after coming over from the Mets in a December trade. He underwent thoracic outlet surgery shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, with his agent later saying that the issue caused McNeil discomfort when he swung the bat late in the campaign. Entering his age-34 season, he figures to benefit from a big park upgrade moving from Queens to Sacramento.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | CLE
Guardians' Rhys Hoskins: Lands minors deal with Cleveland
Hoskins agreed to a minor-league contract with the Guardians on Sunday that includes an invitation to spring training, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, the contract will pay Hoskins a base salary of $1.5 million should he make the major-league roster, which seems likely. Hoskins missed extended time last season with a Grade 2 thumb sprain, but he has been above league average by wRC+ every season of his career. He will compete for time at first base and designated hitter with Cleveland.
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Sam Haggerty LF | TEX
Rangers' Sam Haggerty: Offensive star Saturday
Haggerty started at second base and went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI in Saturday's spring game against the Cubs.
The 31-year-old is known more for his work in the outfield, but he can play multiple infield positions and will get a shot at backing up Josh Smith, who is the presumptive starter at second base. Haggerty is not a lock to make the Opening Day roster, but efforts like Saturday, plus his defensive versatility, will help. If he earns a roster spot, Haggerty could be a sneaky source of steals for fantasy lineups; he stole 12 bags in 64 games last season and has double-digit steals in three of the last four seasons.
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Kumar Rocker P | TEX
Rangers' Kumar Rocker: Makes spring debut
Rocker allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out two over two innings in Saturday's spring start against the Cubs.
Rocker began his quest for the final spot in the Rangers' rotation. There was traffic on the bases in each inning, and the right-hander allowed a stolen base in both frames, which was an issue that plagued him in 2025 (11 steals, 64.1 innings). Texas manager Skip Schumaker said prior to the start that one of the things he was looking for was first-pitch strikes, according to Matt Postins of SI.com. Rocker, who only threw two of them among the nine batters he faced, said after the game he was trying to be too fine. Another area of the manager's focus was his use of the changeup, and Schumaker was pleased with what he saw Saturday. Rocker and Jacob Latz are the primary competitors for one available rotation spot.
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Parker Messick P | CLE
Guardians' Parker Messick: Competing for rotation spot
Messick is one of four pitchers competing for three available spots in the Guardians' rotation, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Messick begins his mission for a rotation spot Sunday against the Athletics. The 25-year-old left-hander, who is working on adding a cutter per the Cleveland Plain Dealer, is competing with Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi for spots in the Opening Day rotation.
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Joey Cantillo SP | CLE
Guardians' Joey Cantillo: Hiccup in spring debut
Cantillo allowed two runs on three hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Brewers.
Cantillo started a split-squad game to begin his candidacy for one of three available spots in Cleveland's rotation. After giving up two hits and a run in the first inning, the left-hander was removed to ensure he could get a second up-and-down. Cantillo then allowed a home run to lead off the second frame but was able to build his pitch count up to 33 (22 strikes). He is competing with Logan Allen, who started the Guardians' other game Saturday, Slade Cecconi and Parker Messick for spots behind Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams.