MLB Player News

Coulombe was sent home from Red Sox camp Saturday due to an illness, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The nature of Coulombe's illness isn't known, but assuming he's able to recover quickly, he should still be in good shape to make the Opening Day roster. The veteran reliever signed with the Red Sox a little over a week ago and made his Grapefruit League debut Thursday.

Scherzer allowed two hits and two walks over five scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins. He struck out three.

The 41-year-old right-hander tossed 75 pitches (53 strikes) in what's likely to be his final Grapefruit League appearance of the spring, although Mitch Bannon of The Athletic indicated after Friday's outing that Scherzer would make one more spring start in a minor-league game next week. Scherzer has an unblemished 0.00 ERA with a 9:5 K:BB in 13.2 innings since re-signing with Toronto in late February, and he's locked into a rotation spot to begin the season with Shane Bieber (forearm), Trey Yesavage (shoulder) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all headed for the IL.

Messick will begin the regular season in the Guardians' rotation, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The race for the final spot came down to Messick and Logan Allen, and after the latter gave up a dozen runs in just 2.1 frames Friday, the Guardians decided to go with Messick. The 25-year-old southpaw performed well over seven starts during the late stages of the 2025 regular season, recording a 2.72 ERA and 1.31 WHIP alongside a 38:6 K:BB across 39.2 innings. His success has carried over into Cactus League play (3.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), though he gave up three solo home runs during his most recent spring outing.

Suarez allowed one run on two hits and two walks over 5.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates. He struck out six.

The 28-year-old southpaw has had a solid spring, posting a 3.38 ERA and 14:8 K:BB over 16 innings, and he built up to 75 pitches (44 strikes) during Friday's start. With Martin Perez having fallen short of a bid for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Suarez and prospect Didier Fuentes are set to begin the season in the bullpen as long-relief options, although one or both of them could be called upon for spot starts as Atlanta begins its schedule with 13 games in 13 days.

The Guardians optioned Allen to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Allen surrendered 12 runs on 14 hits and two walks over just 2.1 innings during his Cactus League appearance Friday, which seemingly put the final nail in the coffin for his hopes of making the Opening Day rotation. Parker Messick will instead claim the final spot; meanwhile, Allen will aim to rebound in the minors and earn an in-season promotion.

Pena (finger) began swinging a bat Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros still haven't ruled Pena out for Opening Day, and his ability to hold/swing a bat without aggravating his fractured finger will likely be a key factor in determining his availability. If the team decides it's best to hold him out, Carlos Correa would presumably slide over to shortstop while Isaac Paredes mans the hot corner.

Perez will remain with the Atlanta organization after coming up short in his bid for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The veteran lefty pitched well this spring, posting a 2.84 ERA and 10:3 K:BB over 12.2 innings, but the dominance of top prospect Didier Fuentes seems to have squeezed out Perez. Perez is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett and could be one of the first players called up if further injuries hit the big-league rotation.

The Tigers granted Slater his release Saturday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

As a non-roster invitee, Slater had the right to request his release if he wasn't added to the roster by Saturday. His chances of being included on the Opening Day squad seemed slim despite him posting an .856 OPS in 36 Grapefruit League plate appearances, so he will now explore his options on the open market.

The Nationals unconditionally released Smith on Saturday.

Smith missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. He inked a minor-league deal with the Nationals in mid-February with an invitation to spring training and appeared in six Grapefruit League games, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven across 5.1 scoreless innings. Smith's unconditional release means he'll be free to sign with another team looking to bolster its bullpen depth.

Torres was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to lower-back tightness.

The severity of Torres' injury is still unknown, but the Tigers should report more details after they take a closer look at him. Spencer Torkelson will replace him as Detroit's designated hitter Saturday, and Zach McKinstry may take over as the Tigers' second baseman if Torres' back forces him to miss Opening Day.