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Chase Dollander SP | COL
Rockies' Chase Dollander: Shaky spring
Dollander has allowed six earned runs on 13 hits and four walks with six strikeouts across 10.1 innings across four Cactus League appearances.
Dollander prevented runs effectively through his first three spring outings, but he still had only a 5:3 K:BB across seven innings. He also allowed four earned runs across 3.1 frames in his most recent outing against the Mariners, potentially placing his spot in the rotation in jeopardy to begin the season. In Thomas Harding's most recent roster projection, Ryan Feltner was penciled into the fifth starter role, though he also noted that Colorado would prefer for Dollander to claim the job.
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Jordan Romano RP | COL
Angels' Jordan Romano: Still in mix for save chances
Romano is one of several Angels relievers who could factor into the closer mix during the early part of the regular season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Robert Stephenson (shoulder) had at one point been considered a favorite for save opportunities, but he recently had a setback and is likely to open the campaign on the injured list. Ben Joyce (shoulder) probably has the most closer-like stuff of anyone in the team's bullpen, but he's also expected to begin on the IL. That leaves a trio of veteran relievers -- Romano, Kirby Yates and Drew Pomeranz -- in the running for early save opportunities. Yates may be the slight favorite for the closer role, but manager Kurt Suzuki said Monday that the team hasn't yet made a decision in that regard and also indicated that the Angels may "just use the three high-leverage guys and mix and match." Romano has 133 career regular-season saves and has looked good this spring with four scoreless innings and a 3:0 K:BB over four outings, but he is coming off a disastrous 2025 campaign during which he posted an 8.23 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 42.2 innings spanning 49 regular-season appearances with Philadelphia. The right-hander's velocity has also been down about 1.5 mph this spring, and he's stated that he'd like to work his way back up to his usual velocity before the start of the campaign.
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Tommy Edman 2B | LAD
Dodgers' Tommy Edman: Ramping up running progression
Edman (ankle) has continued to ramp up his running progression and is also taking on-field batting practice, per MLB.com.
Edman seems to be making steady progress in his recovery from right ankle surgery. He's already been ruled out for Opening Day, though it's possible that he could be ready to join the Dodgers before the end of April. Edman is eventually slated to start at second base this season, and while he's out that position could be manned by Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, Alex Freeland or a combination of that trio.
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River Ryan SP | DET
Dodgers' River Ryan: Unlikely to break camp with LA
Ryan has had a strong spring but is expected to begin the season in the minors, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Ryan's most recent spring outing was a four-inning start against Texas on Sunday, during which he allowed just one run and struck out five batters. The right-hander has posted an impressive 1.86 ERA with a 12:4 K:BB over 9.2 frames spanning four appearances this spring, and with Blake Snell (shoulder) slated to open the season on the IL, there had been some thought that Ryan could be a candidate for the open rotation spot. However, Chen surmises that Ryan will almost certainly begin the campaign in the minors due to an early schedule that includes three days off over the first 15 days of the season (which should reduce the need for a sixth starter) and the presence of Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski, both of whom have more experience as swingmen. It's also worth noting that Ryan missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so while there's a good chance he'll get an opportunity with the big club at some point during the campaign, the Dodgers are likely to manage his workload carefully.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Tosses another live BP
Rodon (elbow) threw two simulated innings at the Yankees' spring-training complex on Saturday, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.
Rodon threw 30 pitches, upping his count after throwing 20 last Monday in his first session against live hitters since undergoing left elbow surgery last October. The veteran hurler said he felt good Saturday, suggesting that he "could have gone more" but acknowledging that he "can't do that yet" as he approaches his recovery with caution. Yankees manager Aaron Boone sounded optimistic about Rodon's rehab, indicating that the left-hander is "probably not that far behind" and saying that Rodon is "trending in a good way." While Rodon is expected to begin the season in the injured list, there remains the expectation that he will take the mound for game action before the end of spring training, and he could take his place in the Yankees' rotation before the end of April.
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Sung-Mun Song 2B | SD
Padres' Sung-Mun Song: Going through hitting progression
Padres manager Craig Stammen said Sunday that Song (oblique) has resumed swinging a bat, per 97.3 The Fan.
Stammen mentioned that Song "took some swings...off the tee" Friday and that he would subsequently continue a hitting progression. The manager also indicated that the team hopes to get Song into some games before the end of spring training, though even in that case it's not certain that the South Korean slugger will be ready for Opening Day. Song initially hurt his oblique in January and then aggravated the issue in early March, so San Diego is likely to be cautious in the pacing of his recovery schedule.
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Kyle Hart RP | SD
Padres' Kyle Hart: Role TBD despite strong spring
Hart has impressed this spring, but manager Craig Stammen said Sunday that the hurler's role is "TBD," per 97.3 The Fan.
Hart has thrown the third-most innings (11.2) this spring among San Diego pitchers, and he's yet to give up a run while allowing seven hits and posting a 13:3 K:BB. Stammen acknowledge Hart's excellent performance in exhibition play and called the southpaw a "lefty weapon" while describing his regular-season role as up in the air. All six of Hart's outings this spring have come in relief, however, and Stammen emphasized Hart's effectiveness "being able to come in after a starter and kind of shut the game down and then get it to the back end," so the current lean is probably toward Hart initially taking on a bullpen role while serving as starting depth for a rotation that has yet to be fully determined.
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Yoendrys Gomez RP | MIN
Rays' Yoendrys Gomez: Struggling in Grapefruit League
Gomez allowed three runs on two hits and one walk in one inning during Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He struck out one.
After representing Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Gomez has since reported back to Rays camp to continue battling for an Opening Day roster spot. However, the 26-year-old right-hander may be falling behind in the competition, posting a 5.14 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 6:5 K:BB over seven Grapefruit League frames so far. Tampa Bay is likely to carry multiple bulk relievers to begin the new year, with Shane McClanahan and Steven Matz under workload restrictions early on. Ian Seymour and Joe Boyle would be the more obvious choices to make the team if not for the fact Gomez is out of minor-league options.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Padres' Walker Buehler: Likely to make Opening Day rotation
Buehler is trending toward beginning the regular season as part of the Padres' starting rotation, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
Buehler signed with San Diego in February on a minor-league contract, so he'd need to be added to the 40-man roster in order to break camp with the club. That seems to be a probable scenario given the team's need to fill out the rotation, especially now that Joe Musgrove (elbow) has been deemed likely to begin the campaign on the IL. Buehler has been one of several hurlers competing for a rotation spot, and he may have clinched the role with a superb Cactus League start against San Francisco on Monday, as he tossed five scoreless frames with seven strikeouts. The right-hander was a valuable fantasy asset in his prime, but it remains to be seen how close he can get to his peak form given that he's lost several miles per hour off his fastball hasn't posted an ERA below 4.00 since 2021.
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Nick Castellanos RF | SD
Padres' Nick Castellanos: Adjusting to first base
Castellanos has made seven appearances (including six starts) at first base this spring and has made only one error in 41 chances, Perla Paredes of MLB.com reports.
Castellanos has never played first base during a regular-season MLB game, but San Diego is asking the veteran outfielder to learn the position in order to increase the team's positional flexibility. The 34-year-old has embraced the opportunity, saying, "Learning a new position is always fun," and adding, "I'm approaching it with a lot of enthusiasm and joy." Castellanos isn't expected to have an everyday spot in the Padres' lineup, but if his learning of first base goes well, he could see a decent amount of playing time, especially against left-handed pitchers. In terms of hitting, Castellanos has done fine in exhibition play, slashing .235/.350/.382 with one home run, two doubles, six runs, six RBI and a 5:5 BB:K.