Mining the News (10/29/26)

Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Note: I’m still catching up on news after my time off. Some of the information is from articles just after the season ended.

American League

Blue Jays

• Instead of continuing to wear contacts, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got laser vision correction.

“Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is doing great at his post-op visit after laser vision correction with Dr. Gabriel Lazcano,” the Laser Eye Center of Miami wrote on Instagram. “Looking forward to an MVP year and lots of home runs with his new vision.”

Guerrero has long worn contacts on the field and eyeglasses when he wasn’t playing.

When I first saw the headline, I thought Vlad had vision issues that might have been impacting his performance, but he’s just using a different method to correct his eyesight.

Rangers

• Corey Seager needed surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow.

The club announced Friday that Seager underwent a procedure to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. He is expected to make a full recovery in time to begin his normal offseason work.

President of baseball operations Chris Young said on Sept. 28 that Seager had dealt with the bone spur “for a few months” and that minor surgery might be necessary. The five-time All-Star endured two stints on the injured list during the 2026 season, but both of those were due to low back inflammation. Seager also spent time on the seven-day concussion IL in June.

• Danny Jansen needed surgery to deal with a bone growth.

In other injury news, the Rangers announced that catcher Danny Jansen underwent a procedure to remove a bone growth in his right hand on Wednesday.

National League

Diamondbacks

• Nolan Arenado could play some first base next season to help stay healthy.

“We’ve talked about Nolan playing some first base, so that might be something we take a look at,” Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said.
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Playing first base exacts less of a physical toll than third base, and as much as Arenado fights against Father Time with an intense work ethic, at 35 years old, he is also realistic about how many games he can play each year.

“I think it’s taken a toll on him physically a little bit,” Hazen said. “So we’re trying to be mindful of that.”
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The Diamondbacks discussed the possibility of playing some first base with Arenado toward the end of the season and again just this week. Hazen said Arenado was not only open to the possibility, but said he might go play some winter ball for the first time just to get some work in at the position.

“He wants to go play,” Hazen said. “He’s said, ‘I’ve never played winter ball, I want to go.’ And so, I was like, ‘Look, [Geraldo] Perdomo goes and plays winter ball every year for a couple weeks, and he swears that it really helps set him up for the season. So not being a pitcher and being a veteran position player, I trust that you’re gonna take care of what you need to take care of, and I don’t have an issue with it.’ I don’t know that it’s a done deal, but we were just talking about it.”

• Corbin Burnes believes his shoulder was not moving fast enough and that’s why he struggled with velocity.

Burnes made three starts in 2026, each progressively more concerning with diminished velocity and stuff compared to the four-time All-Star’s pre-injury abilities. He did not see the progress he anticipated.

His body felt normal, so Burnes was having trouble picking up what was wrong. So, he gave himself another bullpen to try to get right, could not get a good feel for his pitches and underwent another MRI.

“The missing piece was that the shoulder was just not moving quick,” Burnes said. “I guess the best way to explain it was my body was moving at 100%, the arm was moving at about 75%. It just wasn’t translating. I could do it in small spurts, four or five pitches at a time, and just couldn’t do it much longer than that.”

His fastball velocity has dropped from 97.0 mph to 95.7 mph to 93.0 mph.

Giants

• Randy Rodríguez is building up in the Arizona Fall League after needing Tommy John surgery.

Right-hander Randy Rodriguez is giving the Giants reason to feel excited again.

“Touched 98 (mph), threw a changeup that looked like a split, struck a guy out on a slider,” said Giants GM Zack Minasian, who traveled to Arizona to see Rodriguez pitch last week. “He threw well and under control. It didn’t feel like he was grunting for every bit of velocity possible. It just looked like the ball was coming out pretty good.”
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Rodriguez has made three appearances at the Fall League. While the stats aren’t so important, he’s allowed three runs, including a home run on his developing changeup.
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If the changeup turns out to be a plus pitch, Rodriguez might make the Giants wonder more broadly about his future. He wouldn’t be the first dominant short reliever to translate to a bulk or starting role.

Mets

• During his rehab, Tylor Megill sat 96 to 97 mph.

More than a year removed from his September 2025 operation, Megill wrapped up this summer with live bullpen sessions at the Mets’ rehab facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., sitting 96-97 mph with his fastball and topping out at 98. That work complete, Megill briefly returned home to the West Coast before heading back to the airport for a redeye to Tampa.

If he sits at this velocity, it’s higher than any of his historic season averages (high was 95.8 mph in 2022).