Mining the News (2/13/26)

Syndication: Worcester Telegram

• To keep current on all injuries, MLB.com has a single page linked to all the team reports. Here is the report on Ryan Bliss possibly not being ready by Opening Day.

2B Ryan Bliss
Injury: Right meniscus tear
Expected return: Potentially by Opening Day
Status: Injured while running bases during rehab assignment last September, when returning from a left biceps tear five months earlier. Underwent surgery on Sept. 8 but reported early to Spring Training. (Last updated: Feb. 11)

• MLB.com published an article on a rookie from each team who could compete for an Opening Day job. Example:

Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS (MLB No. 1)

Is this one more wish list than realistic possibility? We shall see. Griffin had an otherworldly first full season of pro ball, reaching Double-A at age 19. He’s played just 21 games above A ball in his career, so it’s understandable that the Pirates’ brass might hedge a little bit when it comes to handing Griffin the shortstop job in Pittsburgh. But sometimes a player comes along to defy expectations and push his way up ahead of schedule. If Griffin continues to do what he did last year all spring, can the Pirates, who feel they’re putting together a playoff-caliber team, afford not to have Griffin on board from Day 1?

• Here is an ESPN.com article on a player from each team to watch. Here is the writeup on the Braves’ Spencer Strider.

Strider didn’t quite look like himself in his return from elbow surgery last season. His strikeout rate was 24.3%, compared to 36.8% when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2023. His fastball was down a couple of ticks and often lacked late life. His ERA stood at 4.45. But Strider was highly effective in the stretch run, maintaining a 2.50 ERA over his last six starts. And one would expect the quality of his stuff to return now that he’s another year removed from surgery.

The Braves are currently deep in pitching prospects, with three players making up Kiley McDaniels’ top 100. But Strider is still the one who can put them over the top in a highly competitive division.

American League

Angels

• According to the manager, José Soriano, Yusei Kikuchi, and Reid Detmers are in the rotation.

Notably, Suzuki said there will be a competition for the final two spots in the rotation, as he stated that right-hander José Soriano and lefties Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers are the only locks.

• Robert Stepenson dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome this offseason.

Stephenson told Fletcher and other reporters on Wednesday that he learned over the offseason that he had experienced symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome. It doesn’t appear he received a full-fledged TOS diagnosis, as he treated the issue with an injection plan but no surgery. Stephenson conceded he’s “a little bit behind everybody” coming into camp but expressed confidence he’ll be available for Opening Day.

Astros

• Christian Walker lost over 10 pounds and reworked his swing this offseason.

Changes to his workout regimen and diet led to Walker losing 10-12 pounds, which should allow him to move around better at first. He also spent a lot of time in the batting cage to try to make his swing more repeatable during the season. He tinkered with a toe tap. In the first half of last year, he had a hard time controlling his movements and leg kick, and his posture wasn’t in a good spot.

Blue Jays

• Trey Yesavage wants to add a curveball.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage on looking to add a curveball to his pitching arsenal ahead of the upcoming season, a pitch he previously had in college, but has moved away from in the major leagues.

• Dylan Cease wants to add a changeup.

Cease, rocking a beard befitting a long NHL playoff run, said on Wednesday that he’s making changes to his four-seam fastball and hoping to add a changeup this spring. The 30-year-old has leaned on his slider and fastball for most of his career. They made up 83 percent of his offerings in 2025.

But if you look at Cease’s splits, it’s clear he could use another weapon against lefties — something that moves opposite his slider. Cease’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was 7.5 points lower against lefties last year, and southpaws got on base at a .339 clip against him. Some sort of changeup or splitter could help the righty achieve consistency against batters of both sides.

Mariners

• The team thinks Colt Emerson could already be ready for the majors.

As they echoed on a Peoria Sports Complex back field on Wednesday, each boom audibly showed why the Mariners believe Colt Emerson is knocking on the Major League door.

And with a big Spring Training, it’s possible that he might burst through it by Opening Day.

“It’s not out of the question that he earns a spot on the team,” said Jerry Dipoto, Mariners president of baseball operations. “He’s always been confident. He’s as humble and well-put together as any young player that you’ll ever encounter. That gives him the ability to hit the ground running as a big leaguer, when a lot of guys will require time to adjust emotionally.”

Orioles

• Coby Mayo could see time in the outfield or at third base.

Mayo said he’s been working at third base “a good bit” of late, while still getting reps at first as well. The 2020 fourth-round Draft pick came up through the Minors as a third baseman, but his large frame (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) allowed him to have better results at first.

The Orioles have long discussed the possibility of trying Mayo in the corner outfield. It has never materialized, but president of baseball operations Mike Elias didn’t rule it out this week.

Red Sox

• The plan is for Kristian Campbell to only play in the outfield but do some infield work for a game emergency.

On Tuesday, Cora clarified that while Campbell will still do individual work at second and third base with infield coach José Flores, almost all of his playing time in games will be in the outfield this spring.

“I don’t think he’s gonna play the infield,” Cora said. “He’s gonna play mostly outfield, but we cannot forget about the infield part of it because you never know what can happen. All his work will be in the outfield. But individual (side) work will be with Flo whenever he can. It’s one-on-one, attention to detail and see how it looks.”

• The team is trying to quiet down Kristian Campbell’s swing.

As the Red Sox seek to keep Campbell’s defensive profile versatile, the most important thing is getting his bat back on track. This offseason, the Red Sox worked to quiet Campbell’s swing and have him produce a more fluid action. He spent time in winter ball in Puerto Rico working on the swing, and the Red Sox hope the work carries over to camp.

“Let’s get (the bat) going,” Cora said. “I think that’s his calling card. Last year, he made the team because we thought he was gonna hit. He hit for a little bit, and then he struggled, and he knows it, and now it’s just a matter of hopefully the adjustments he made and the suggestions that we gave him can translate in between the lines. In the cage, in BP, it looks great. Now. We have to do it in the game.”

• The plan is to NOT have Trevor Story play as many games this year.

From that point on, Cora penciled Story’s name into the lineup so often that the shortstop racked up 157 games, matching a career high set in 2018.

With veteran super-utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the fold, Cora plans on getting Story more rest this season. Perhaps worn down by his first full season in years, Story made six errors in the final nine games of the season.

• Brayan Bello is bringing back his curveball.

Bello added strength and arrived early to camp before he heads to the World Baseball Classic to pitch for the Dominican Republic. He’s also working to bring back the curveball he had early in his career, a pitch that will deepen an already complex arsenal that includes a four-seamer, sinker, cutter, sweeper/slider and changeup.

Yankees

• Cam Schlittler is dealing with a lat muscle injury.

Schlittler, 25, said he has been dealing with the issue since “a few weeks ago.” He also mentioned his lat muscle when describing the discomfort, which can suggest a more significant absence.

National League

Brewers

• Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester will be slowly ramped up.

Murphy says Brandon Woodruff "is in a good spot" physically and that he's been throwing bullpens, but his ramp-up will be monitored closely.

"This is a time of year that people are very vulnerable, so you have to be mindful of that. A guy with an injury history even more so."

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 11, 2026

Quinn Priester is recovered from the wrist issue that he dealt with late last year, but he'll be slow to get going as well.

"He's had a couple things that have kept him from progressing, but he's thrown bullpens. Nothing shutting him down or anything like that."

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 11, 2026

• Garrett Mitchell will have a slow Spring Training ramp-up.

OF Garrett Mitchell
Injury: Left oblique, left shoulder
Expected return: 2026
Status: Was cleared for baseball activity just in time for Spring Training. He’ll have a slow build-up but is expected to be ready for Opening Day. (updated: Feb. 12)

Cubs

• Cade Horton said he didn’t strikeout many batters because he wanted to be efficient with his limited pitch count.

As Horton noted there, so much of his success as a rookie came by way of being forced to really attack the strike zone (he was only getting 50-60 pitches per start, so he had to pound the zone if he wanted to try to get through 5+ innings). That left him with a walk rate that plummeted (good!) and a strikeout rate that was also down from where you might expect it given the stuff (less good, but it was still solid). The quality of contact numbers were actually probably more mixed than you realized, and, yes, there was probably some good luck baked into the sub-3 ERA.

He was wrong. In games where he threw fewer than 80 pitches, he had an 8.0 K/9 (18% K%-BB%) and in games with 80 or more pitches, a 6.8 K/9 (10% K%-BB%).

• So far this offseason, Shota Imanaga has built up strength while working on three of his pitches (sweeper, cutter, and sinker).

Once the contract situation was resolved, Imanaga sent Hottovy and the Cubs’ pitching group videos from his training in Japan consistently over the offseason. The pitcher focused on strengthening his lower half in the winter months, so he could get back to the delivery cues that have worked for him on the big league stage.

That process will continue this spring, while Hottovy also teams with the pitcher on adjusting his pitch repertoire. While the fastball and splitter are Imanaga’s calling card, Hottovy said the goal is to keep honing a sweeper from his “natural arm slot,” while reintroducing the pitcher’s cutter and finding a sinker grip that helps maintain velocity.

Diamondbacks

• A.J. Puk plans on being healthy early in the season.

For Puk, early May sounds like an dream target, although he admitted coming back that soon seemed impossible. But the lefty is expected to return first out of that trio, potentially in the first half of the season.

“At the end of March I’ll start my bullpens and then you face live hitters and then you start your rehab assignment,” Puk said. “I just had the elbow brace, not the full on Tommy John, the new ligament. So it’ll be quicker than J-Mart and Burnes. I’m not sure when it’ll be, but that’ll be definitely be quicker (than July).”

• Corbin Burnes plans to return around the All-Star break.

Arizona Diamondbacks ace Corbin Burnes said he hopes to return to game action around the all-star break, which would be a little more than a year following an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers

• Tyler Glasnow was able to align his hip this offseason.

When the conversation shifted to how he finished the year and what clicked late, Glasnow pointed right to the Dodgers’ staff and a mechanical adjustment that helped him settle in. “Connor and Mark gave me so many things right before the postseason,” he said, crediting them for getting him aligned. “We made some adjustments of how my hip is lined up. I think a lot of my issues before that was me trying to find the feeling with that. Working with them, getting that feeling, kind of locking it in the postseason, this is just business as usual.”

Giants

• Bryce Eldridge will start working some in the outfield.

Giants manager Tony Vitello requested that Eldridge spend a little time in the outfield grass. It was a chin-stroking sight even if it’s not the start of a full-fledged position change for the Giants’ best hitting prospect since Buster Posey. Eldridge is still expected to focus on first base this spring in his bid to crack the Opening Day roster, and he spent most of Wednesday’s workout on a back field with coach Ron Washington.

For now, the only person impacted by Eldridge’s light foray in the outfield is his mother, Beth Kenney, who had to dig up her son’s never-used outfield glove and ship it from Virginia to Arizona.

Given the state of the Giants’ roster, though, it would make a lot of sense for Eldridge to continue spending time in the outfield. The left-handed hitter acknowledged that the team has first base and designated hitter well covered with lefty-hitting Rafael Devers and Luis Arraez.

Padres

• Sung-Mun Song 송성문 will play all over the field, including the outfield.

Song is in a similar place. If there’s an acclimation period, the Padres don’t need to overwork him. They seemingly have enough depth to where he can play three or four times a week, getting exclusively favorable matchups.

But if the adjustment is quick — and Song proves it in Spring Training — there are regular at-bats to be had, particularly against right-handed pitching. The Padres are likely going to use Song all over the diamond, potentially even in the outfield as well. The more versatile Song is, the more prevalent those at-bats will be.