MLB Player News

Festa (shoulder impingement) threw Thursday at 60 feet and Friday at 75 feet, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Festa was shut down in late February due to a shoulder impingement and received an injection to address the injury. He's expected to be placed on the injured list to begin the season. He's coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome after being diagnosed in September, so the Twins may be cautious with his return.

The Astros optioned Whitcomb to minor-league camp Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Whitcomb has slashed .280/.369/.520 over the past two seasons at Triple-A Sugar Land but owns just a .491 OPS in 78 career plate appearances in the majors. He'll officially return to the minors to begin 2026 after posting a .649 OPS in the Grapefruit League, but his defensive versatility will keep the door open for a return to the big leagues sometime this year.

Tellez signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Tellez spent time with the Mariners and Rangers last season, slashing .228/.276/.443 across 312 total plate appearances. He's spent the entire offseason on the open market but still saw a little bit of action while playing for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, during which he went 1-for-9 with two walks and two strikeouts across four games. The 31-year-old will almost certainly begin 2026 as an organizational depth piece at Triple-A Gwinnett, but he'd be likely to join the big club if Matt Olson were to miss any amount of time.

The Royals optioned Cruz to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Cruz has performed well in the Cactus League, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven batters in 5.2 frames, but he will come up short in the race for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. The 26-year-old owns a 3.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 64 career innings with the Royals, so it is likely a matter of time before he returns to Kansas City.

The Royals optioned Avila to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Avila entered spring training as a candidate to make the Royals' Opening Day bullpen after giving up just two earned runs in 14 innings toward the end of last season. He continued to find success on the mound in the Cactus League, allowing one run in four frames, but he will officially head back to Triple-A to open the new campaign. The Royals may wait until the 24-year-old righty is stretched out as a starter before giving him another trial in the majors.

Ruiz was removed from Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals due to left side tightness, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Ruiz suffered the injury after taking a swing in the third inning and needed assistance making it into the dugout. The speedy outfielder owns just a .446 OPS this spring through 41 plate appearances and already had slim odds of breaking camp with the big club before getting hurt.

Stowers was removed from Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros due to right hamstring tightness, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

Stowers strained his right hamstring earlier this spring and had to sit out for two weeks because of it. It's unclear how serious his latest setback is, but there is now a chance that he opens the regular season on the injured list. If that happens, Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernandez would be next in line to pick up starts in the outfield.

Manager Craig Stammen said Friday that Matsui (groin) will begin the season on the injured list, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Matsui hasn't appeared in a game this spring after suffering a groin injury during a live BP session in February. He resumed throwing off a mound in early March, and Stammen added that the 30-year-old southpaw is slated to resume facing live hitters within the next several days. Assuming his rehab continues to progress smoothly, he may not need to spend more than the 15-day minimum on the IL.

The Diamondbacks optioned Strowd to Triple-A Reno on Friday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

Strowd showed a lot of promise during his first season in the majors last year, posting a 1.71 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 26.1 frames with the Orioles. He joined the Diamondbacks via trade in February and entered spring training with a chance to make the big club's Opening Day roster, but he will instead head back to Triple-A after allowing 10 earned runs in just 7.2 Cactus League innings. Arizona is running a bit thin on reliable relievers, as the team is set to begin the regular season without A.J. Puk (elbow) and Justin Martinez (elbow), so Strowd could be invited back into the big-league bullpen if he returns to form in the minors.

Pallette has been informed that he made the Opening Day roster, SI.com reports.

A Rule 5 pick, Pallette turned heads during spring training, throwing six scoreless innings while posting an 11:3 K:BB. The 24-year-old was a second-round pick in 2022 by the White Sox and posted a 4.36 ERA across 43.1 innings at Triple-A in 2025.