diff --git a/packages/mux-player/src/index.ts b/packages/mux-player/src/index.ts
index 842828a8e..50d254b94 100644
--- a/packages/mux-player/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/mux-player/src/index.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import type {
   MinResolutionValue,
   RenditionOrderValue,
 } from '@mux/playback-core';
-import VideoApiElement, { initVideoApi } from './video-api';
+import VideoApiElement from './video-api';
 import {
   getPlayerVersion,
   toPropName,
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ function getProps(el: MuxPlayerElement, state?: any): MuxTemplateProps {
     // Give priority to playbackId derrived asset URL's if playbackId is set.
     src: !el.playbackId && el.src,
     playbackId: el.playbackId,
-    hasSrc: !!el.playbackId || !!el.src,
+    hasSrc: !!el.playbackId || !!el.src || !!el.currentSrc,
     poster: el.poster,
     storyboard: el.storyboard,
     storyboardSrc: el.getAttribute(PlayerAttributes.STORYBOARD_SRC),
@@ -341,18 +341,20 @@ class MuxPlayerElement extends VideoApiElement implements MuxPlayerElement {
       logger.error(`<media-controller> failed to upgrade!`);
     }
 
-    initVideoApi(this);
+    this.init();
 
     this.#setUpThemeAttributes();
     this.#setUpErrors();
     this.#setUpCaptionsButton();
     this.#userInactive = this.mediaController?.hasAttribute(MediaControllerAttributes.USER_INACTIVE) ?? true;
     this.#setUpCaptionsMovement();
+
     // NOTE: Make sure we re-render when stream type changes to ensure other props-driven
     // template details get updated appropriately (e.g. thumbnails track) (CJP)
-    this.media?.addEventListener('streamtypechange', () => {
-      this.#render();
-    });
+    this.media?.addEventListener('streamtypechange', () => this.#render());
+
+    // NOTE: Make sure we re-render when <source> tags are appended so hasSrc is updated.
+    this.media?.addEventListener('loadstart', () => this.#render());
   }
 
   #setupCSSProperties() {
diff --git a/packages/mux-player/src/video-api.ts b/packages/mux-player/src/video-api.ts
index a2783684a..ab5001279 100644
--- a/packages/mux-player/src/video-api.ts
+++ b/packages/mux-player/src/video-api.ts
@@ -61,24 +61,6 @@ const AllowedVideoAttributeNames = Object.values(AllowedVideoAttributes).filter(
 );
 const CustomVideoAttributesNames = Object.values(CustomVideoAttributes);
 
-/**
- * Gets called from mux-player when mux-video is rendered and upgraded.
- * We might just merge VideoApiElement in MuxPlayerElement and remove this?
- */
-export function initVideoApi(el: VideoApiElement) {
-  el.querySelectorAll(':scope > track').forEach((track) => {
-    el.media?.append(track.cloneNode());
-  });
-
-  // The video events are dispatched on the VideoApiElement instance.
-  // This makes it possible to add event listeners before the element is upgraded.
-  AllowedVideoEvents.forEach((type) => {
-    el.media?.addEventListener(type, (evt) => {
-      el.dispatchEvent(new Event(evt.type));
-    });
-  });
-}
-
 // NOTE: Some of these are defined in MuxPlayerElement. We may want to apply a
 // `Pick<>` on these to also enforce consistency (CJP).
 type PartialHTMLVideoElement = Omit<
@@ -96,7 +78,6 @@ type PartialHTMLVideoElement = Omit<
   | 'requestPictureInPicture'
   | 'requestVideoFrameCallback'
   | 'controls'
-  | 'currentSrc'
   | 'disableRemotePlayback'
   | 'mediaKeys'
   | 'networkState'
@@ -148,6 +129,8 @@ interface VideoApiElement extends PartialHTMLVideoElement, HTMLElement {
 }
 
 class VideoApiElement extends globalThis.HTMLElement implements VideoApiElement {
+  #mediaChildrenMap = new WeakMap();
+
   static get observedAttributes() {
     return [...AllowedVideoAttributeNames, ...CustomVideoAttributesNames];
   }
@@ -160,23 +143,19 @@ class VideoApiElement extends globalThis.HTMLElement implements VideoApiElement
   constructor() {
     super();
 
-    this.querySelectorAll(':scope > track').forEach((track) => {
-      this.media?.append(track.cloneNode());
-    });
-
     // Watch for child adds/removes and update the native element if necessary
-    /** @type {(mutationList: MutationRecord[]) => void} */
     const mutationCallback = (mutationsList: MutationRecord[]) => {
       for (const mutation of mutationsList) {
         if (mutation.type === 'childList') {
-          // Child being removed
           mutation.removedNodes.forEach((node) => {
-            const track = this.media?.querySelector(`track[src="${(node as HTMLTrackElement).src}"]`);
-            if (track) this.media?.removeChild(track);
+            this.#mediaChildrenMap.get(node)?.remove();
           });
 
           mutation.addedNodes.forEach((node) => {
-            this.media?.append(node.cloneNode());
+            const element = node as HTMLElement;
+            if (!element?.slot) {
+              this.media?.append(getOrInsertNodeClone(this.#mediaChildrenMap, node));
+            }
           });
         }
       }
@@ -184,6 +163,24 @@ class VideoApiElement extends globalThis.HTMLElement implements VideoApiElement
 
     const observer = new MutationObserver(mutationCallback);
     observer.observe(this, { childList: true, subtree: true });
+
+    // The video events are dispatched on the VideoApiElement instance.
+    // This makes it possible to add event listeners before the element is upgraded.
+    AllowedVideoEvents.forEach((type) => {
+      this.media?.addEventListener(type, (evt) => {
+        this.dispatchEvent(new Event(evt.type));
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Gets called from mux-player when mux-video is rendered and upgraded.
+   * We might just merge VideoApiElement in MuxPlayerElement and remove this?
+   */
+  init() {
+    this.querySelectorAll(':scope > :not([slot])').forEach((child) => {
+      this.media?.append(getOrInsertNodeClone(this.#mediaChildrenMap, child));
+    });
   }
 
   attributeChangedCallback(attrName: string, oldValue: string | null, newValue: string) {
@@ -221,6 +218,10 @@ class VideoApiElement extends globalThis.HTMLElement implements VideoApiElement
     this.media?.pause();
   }
 
+  load() {
+    this.media?.load();
+  }
+
   requestCast(options: CastOptions) {
     return this.media?.requestCast(options);
   }
@@ -277,6 +278,10 @@ class VideoApiElement extends globalThis.HTMLElement implements VideoApiElement
     return this.media?.videoHeight ?? 0;
   }
 
+  get currentSrc() {
+    return this.media?.currentSrc ?? '';
+  }
+
   get currentTime() {
     return this.media?.currentTime ?? 0;
   }
@@ -410,4 +415,13 @@ function getVideoAttribute(el: VideoApiElement, name: string) {
   return el.media ? el.media.getAttribute(name) : el.getAttribute(name);
 }
 
+function getOrInsertNodeClone(map: WeakMap<Node, Node>, node: Node) {
+  let clone = map.get(node);
+  if (!clone) {
+    clone = node.cloneNode();
+    map.set(node, clone);
+  }
+  return clone;
+}
+
 export default VideoApiElement;