Zac Veen Overcomes Substance Abuse, Adds Muscle

Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Zac Veen finished his first MLB season at an unhealthy 202 pounds, but he's now at 245 pounds after adding muscle in the offseason, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. "Definitely one of the bigger, main things was sobering up," said Veen, 24. "I had a pretty big substance abuse problem for […]

Yohel Pozo Drops Significant Weight Heading into 2026 Season

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo announced on his X account that he has dropped 33 pounds since last season. The 28-year-old Venezuelan will be battling for a big-league roster spot in spring training after he hit .231/.262/.375 with a .637 OPS, five home runs, 19 RBI, and 16 runs scored in 67 games in […]

Sandy Alcantara Adding a Sweeper

Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara is adding a sweeper to his arsenal, which already consists of a four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter, slider, and changeup, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. In his first year back from Tommy John surgery in 2025, Alcantara went 11-12 with a career-worst 5.36 ERA (4.28 FIP), 1.27 WHIP, […]

Nate Pearson Coming Off Offseason Elbow Surgery

Houston Astros right-hander Nate Pearson (elbow) had a cleanup surgery on his right elbow in the offseason, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Pearson was scheduled to throw a bullpen session in camp on Friday, though, and appears to be just fine for the start of the 2026 season with his new team. The 29-year-old […]

Clarke Schmidt Seen Throwing on Friday

New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt (elbow), who is on the 60-day injured list as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery last July, was seen throwing in the outfield in camp on Friday, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Schmidt won't be an option for the Yankees' starting rotation until some […]

Spencer Steer's Quad Injury a Thing of the Past?

Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (quadriceps) played through a sore right quadriceps that bothered him for most of last season, and he finished with a .238/.312/.411 slash line, 21 home runs, and 75 RBI in 146 games. Steer also dealt with a sore right shoulder that lingered after the 2024 campaign. To avoid re-injuring his […]

Royals Agree to Two-Year Minor-League Deal With John Means

The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that they agreed to a two-year minor-league deal with left-hander John Means (Achilles). It feels like ages ago when Means was an All-Star with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 in his second major-league season. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw didn't see the mound in the big leagues at all […]

Gleyber Torres Should be Good to Go for Opening Day

Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (groin) should be ready to go on Opening Day this year after the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold reported in December that Torres had been cleared for all baseball activities. The 29-year-old had sports-hernia surgery in October after playing injured in the final month of the regular season and […]

Kyle Manzardo Packs on Muscle in Offseason

The Athletic's Zack Meisel wrote in December that Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo added 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the 2025 season. The Guardians want him to hold up better physically and be a candidate for more reps at first base in 2026. The 25-year-old former second-rounder by the Tampa Bay […]

Bryan Woo Turns Down WBC as he Eyes Larger 2026 Workload

Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo said he turned down an invitation to pitch for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic as he looks to reach the 200-inning mark in 2026, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. The former sixth-round pick out of Cal Poly in 2021 had a breakout 2025 campaign with Seattle, […]

Giants Agree With Rowan Wick on One-Year Deal

The San Francisco Giants announced on Friday that they agreed with free-agent reliever Rowan Wick (elbow) on an undisclosed one-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season, according to Justice delos Santos of MLB.com. Wick will miss the entire 2026 season after having Tommy John surgery in November of last year. The 33-year-old […]

Luis Rengifo Agrees to One-Year Deal With Brewers

Free-agent infielder Luis Rengifo agreed to an undisclosed one-year major-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Rengifo, 28, will give the Brewers a super-utility option in 2026 with the ability to play multiple positions on the infield and in the outfield. The Venezuelan struggled in his seventh […]

Francisco Alvarez Drops 10 Pounds

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez said that he lost around eight or 10 pounds in the offseason by focusing on his nutrition, according to Laura Albanese of Newsday. Alvarez also worked with director of hitting Jeff Albert and will be keeping the batting stance he re-adopted after returning from his demotion to Triple-A Syracuse […]

Seahawks Hire Zachary Orr as Inside Linebackers Coach

The Seattle Seahawks are hiring former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr as their inside linebackers coach, sources told Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports. Orr will reunite with Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who preceded him as the Ravens' defensive coordinator. Orr had the opportunity to take the same position with the Dallas Cowboys, […]

Raiders Request to Interview Aubrey Pleasant for Defensive-Coordinator Job

The Las Vegas Raiders requested to interview Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and passing-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant for their defensive-coordinator job, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Raiders will interview Pleasant on Friday. In addition to the Raiders, Pleasant has interviewed for the same job with the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns […]

Seahawks to Interview Conner Senger for Offensive-Coordinator Position

The Seattle Seahawks will interview Arizona Cardinals passing-game specialist Conner Senger for their offensive-coordinator position, a source told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The 30-year-old interviewed for the Chicago Bears' offensive-coordinator job recently, in addition to other QB coaching jobs. If the Seahawks don't give Senger the job, the Cardinals plan to retain him […]

Cardinals Expected to Hire Matt Schaub as Quarterbacks Coach

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to hire former NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Schaub as their new QBs coach, sources told Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Schaub played in the NFL from 2004 to 2020 and made 93 career starts with the Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens. He threw for a […]

Cardinals Expected to Retain Defensive Coordinator Nick Rallis

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to retain defensive coordinator Nick Rallis under new head coach Mike LaFleur, sources told Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Rallis was the defensive coordinator under previous head coach Jonathan Gannon for the last three seasons, and he will remain in Arizona under LaFleur in 2026. The 32-year-old was the youngest […]

Stefon Diggs Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Allegation

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs pleaded not guilty on Friday to felony strangulation and other criminal charges stemming from an alleged dispute with his personal chef, according to ESPN. According to court records, the chef told officers that she and Diggs argued about the money he owed her for her work. During a […]

Aaron Rodgers Likely to Return to Steelers?

ESPN's Brooke Pryor reports that she gets the sense that Pittsburgh Steelers impending free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers is "more likely to come back than not" in 2026. The Steelers probably want an answer sooner rather than later from Rodgers, especially with the scouting combine coming up in a few weeks. The difference between this year […]

Emmanuel Clase Used Coded Language for Pitch-Rigging Plans

Federal prosecutors said that Cleveland Guardians right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase and co-conspirators used coded language to discuss pitch-rigging plans, according to The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov and Zack Meisel. Clase received a text message hours before a game against the Reds on May 18 of last year that read, "Throw a rock at the first rooster […]

Kyle Teel to be Chicago's Everyday Catcher?

It sounds like the Chicago White Sox view catcher Kyle Teel as their everyday catcher. "We do view Teel as an everyday guy. But at the catching position, we know that doesn't mean you're actually in there every day. It's a demanding role. And Edgar is a guy that we like the bat against lefties, […]

Chris Paddack to be in Opening Day Starting Rotation

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough confirmed that right-hander Chris Paddack will be part of the team's Opening Day starting rotation, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The first three spots in Miami's rotation are locked down with Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, and Paddack. The 30-year-old veteran joined the Marlins last week to little […]

Cubs to Sign Shelby Miller to Multi-Year Contract

The Chicago Cubs are finalizing a multi-year guaranteed major-league deal with free-agent right-handed reliever Shelby Miller (elbow), sources told Robert Murray of FanSided.com. Miller only pitched in 11 games last year for the Milwaukee Brewers after they acquired him in a midseason trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks before tearing the UCL in his right elbow […]

Roman Anthony to Play for Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony will play for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic if he passes a physical in spring training, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Anthony will be a replacement for injured Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (hand). The 21-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder is heading into his first […]

Kevin McGonigle Seeing Time at Third Base

Detroit Tigers infield prospect Kevin McGonigle was seen working out at third base in camp on Friday, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. McGonigle is only 21 years old, but he's ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 2 overall prospect going into the 2026 season because of his advanced hit tool. The former first-rounder […]

Jurrangelo Cijntje to Continue Building Up as Switch-Pitcher

St. Louis Cardinals switch-pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje warmed up from both sides during a bullpen session in camp on Friday and is "definitely going to try to keep throwing from both sides," according to Tamar Sher. Before the Cardinals acquired Cijntje from the Seattle Mariners in the trade that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle, the […]

Jonah Tong Looking to Develop his Offspeed Pitches

New York Mets right-hander Jonah Tong said that his focus in spring training this year is to "further develop his offspeed pitches," according to Laura Albanese of Newsday. Tong was confident in his fastball and changeup, and "I want to make sure I have the same level of confidence in my other two offerings." The […]

Gerrit Cole to Return in May?

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) said he's still targeting a June return, give or take some days, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Cole said his estimated timeline of 14 to 18 months hasn't changed since his Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in March of last year, […]

Reds Bringing in Nathaniel Lowe

The Cincinnati Reds are signing free-agent first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to an undisclosed non-roster deal on Friday, sources told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lowe joins the Reds on a minor-league deal and will compete for an Opening Day roster spot in spring training after hitting a disappointing .228/.307/.381 in 153 regular-season games last year with […]