MLB Player News

Adam (quadriceps) said Friday that he "absolutely" thinks he could be ready in time for Opening Day, 97.3 The Fan reports.

Coming back from left quadriceps tendon repair surgery, Adam has been throwing bullpen sessions but still needs to show he can field his position and run without issue. The reliever said that the "ultimate priority" is to be healthy for the bulk of the season, but he believes he has a chance to be available for Opening Day. Previous estimates have had Adam in line for his season debut around mid-April, and that's probably still the most likely scenario.

Ritchie has drawn "some excitement" with how he's looked early on in spring training, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Ritchie is a long shot to break camp as part of Atlanta's rotation, but he could push to make his major-league debut sooner rather than later. The 22-year-old began the 2025 season at High-A Rome and finished it at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 2.64 ERA and 140:54 K:BB over 140 innings across three levels. It was his first full pro season, as he missed much of the previous two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery after being the 35th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that he's optimistic4r Kim (finger) will be ready to make his season debut in early May, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Kim had surgery in January to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger. The initial timeline provided had him returning in the second half of May as a best-case scenario, but is sounds like the veteran infielder could beat that projection. Mauricio Dubon is expected to be Atlanta's primary shortstop while Kim recovers.

Veen revealed this week that he got sober over the offseason and now weighs 245 pounds after finishing last season at 202 pounds, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Veen said that he had "a pretty big substance abuse problem for a few years," but he's been able to "cut that out of my lifestyle and replace [it] with protein" to remake his body. According to his high school coach, Johnny Goodrich, Veen's speed and exit velocities have improved with the added muscle. Veen went just 4-for-34 at the plate during his brief time with the Rockies last season and is likely ticketed for Triple-A Albuquerque to begin the 2026 campaign, but the 24-year-old could eventually earn another promotion.

Pozo has lost 33 pounds since the end of last season, he shared on his X account.

The slimmed-down Pozo was non-tendered by the Cardinals in November before quickly re-signing on a split contract. He's part of a crowded mix at catcher for St. Louis, with Ivan Herrera (elbow), Pedro Pages and perhaps Jimmy Crooks ahead of him on the depth chart. Pozo -- who slashed .231/.262/.375 with five home runs in 67 games in 2025 -- is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Memphis.

Alcantara is incorporating a sweeper into his pitch mix, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 30-year-old righty began working on the pitch this offseason, and Alcantara is already comfortable enough with it that he threw nine of them during a pitch-design session Thursday, getting a swing and miss from Javier Sanoja on one sweeper. "Me and [pitching coach Daniel Moskos] had a conversation last year about that," Alcantara said. "We need a pitch that breaks more and is more slow. Finally, we have it." Alcantara has a strong finish to 2025 even without the new offering, going 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB in 53.2 innings over his last eight starts -- numbers comparable to his 2022 campaign, when he won the NL Cy Young Award.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that Holmes will open the season in the rotation, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Holmes was shelved for the final two months of last season with a partially torn UCL in his pitching elbow, but he's successfully rehabbed the injury to this point and entered spring training without limitations. The righty remains a major health risk, but he'll be part of Atlanta's rotation as long as he can stay off the injured list. Holmes posted a 3.99 ERA and 123:54 K:BB over 115 frames in 2025 before getting hurt.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that Lopez will open the season in the team's rotation, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Lopez is coming off a lost 2025 season, having made just one start before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder. He's in Atlanta's camp with a clean bill of health, although it will be interesting to see in spring training how his stuff looks post-surgery. Lopez was an All-Star for Atlanta in 2024, finishing with a 1.99 ERA and 148:42 K:BB over 135.2 innings.

Steer said Thursday that he cleaned up his sprinting mechanics to prevent re-injuring his quadriceps, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Steer got off to a slow start in 2025 because of a shoulder injury, but he admitted there was also a right quadriceps issue that bothered him for most of the season. "I think that had to do with my sprinting mechanics, and I cleaned that stuff up," he said. That was likely the reason he stole just seven bases after reaching double-digit swipes in each of the previous two seasons. Steer, who was a Gold Glove finalist at first base in 2025, will move around the diamond this season. His primary spot will be left field but depending on matchups, injuries and game situations, he could also see time in right field, and at first, second or third base.

Gurriel (knee) arrived at camp Thursday and was optimistic he'd be able to beat the timeline for his return, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Gurriel underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in September 2025 and is currently expected to miss the first two months of the season, but he told manager Torey Lovullo that he's shooting for Opening Day. Lovullo stressed that Gurriel's return "is not gonna be Opening Day," but the outfielder has already graduated to hitting and running. That suggests he could beat the June 1 estimated timeline. The Diamondbacks will explore internal options to replace Gurriel in left field, including 40-man roster options Jorge Barrosa, Jordan Lawlar and Tim Tawa, but prospect Ryan Waldschmidt might be the top candidate.