MLB Player News

It was thought the Red Sox might take any of the big names that dropped, but they passed on Matt Harvey. Hagadone, the 55th pick, may go the Jonathan Papelbon route, moving from the bullpen in college to the rotation in the minors. Dent, drafted 62nd, is a toolsy middle infielder who might end up at second base or in center field. He possesses terrific speed, and the Red Sox will hope he blossoms into a leadoff man.

It’s hard to know exactly what to make of that. While you never want to hear thoracic outlet syndrome, Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy told reporters on Thursday that the issue should be treatable without surgery. He also noted that Priester threw lightly on Thursday and has a bullpen session scheduled for March 21. It’s a near lock that he’ll open the season on the injured list, but it’s anyone’s guess at this point on when he may be able to rejoin the Brewers’ rotation.

No word yet on any sort of timeline for when he may return to action, but the White Sox aren’t likely to push him too quickly here. He could be looking at a short stint on the injured list to start the regular season.

The 27-year-old infielder entered the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. He then singled in the seventh but was cut down attempting to steal second base. Williams atoned for that in the eight, smacking a go-ahead two-run single that proved to be the difference in the ballgame. He’s having himself a solid spring at the dish, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a homer and five RBI.

The 28-year-old first baseman has been having a hard time at the plate so far in Grapefruit League play, hitting just .176 (3-for-17) with a 4/1 K/BB ratio. He still has a couple of weeks to get into a groove before Opening Day.

Most importantly for the 23-year-old hurler, he issued only one walk in the contest while allowing just one hit. The lone tally against him came on a solo shot off the bat of Jair Camargo in the third inning. Aside from that, Chandler was brilliant. He got 15 swings and misses on 66 pitches in the ballgame — 10 of those on his fastball which averaged 98.2 mph — while registering a strong CSW of 35 percent. He has been maddeningly inconsistent this spring, compiling a 6.55 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 17/11 K/BB ratio over 11 innings, but he showed once again on Thursday the type of upside that he possesses.

The 26-year-old backstop victimized Pirates’ prized right-hander Bubba Chandler for a 391-foot (112.6 mph EV) solo shot to open the scoring in the third inning. That would be his only hit in the ballgame. He has struggled in his limited action this spring, hitting just .200 (2-for-10) with five strikeouts, though both of his hits have left the yard.

Holmes outdueled Pirates’ right-hander Bubba Chandler in this one, with the only baserunner against him coming on a one-out walk to Ryan O’Hearn in the opening inning. The 29-year-old hurler got better as the game went on too, striking out five of the final six batters that he faced. He generated a whopping 18 swings and misses on 64 pitches in the ballgame — 13 of those on his slider — while posting an elite CSW of 42 percent. You can take spring training stats with a grain of salt, but Holmes has been among the most dominant hurlers in all of baseball, firing 12 1/3 scoreless innings with a 0.73 WHIP and a 16/6 K/BB ratio. It would seem he has locked up a spot in the Braves’ Opening Day rotation.

No word yet on the financial terms, but it will be a major league deal for the 32-year-old southpaw. The deal is still pending a physical. Beeks missed nearly three months of the 2025 season due to a back issue, but when he was on the field he registered a 3.77 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 47/20 K/BB ratio over 57 1/3 innings. He makes for a quality addition to the Rangers’ middle relief corps.

Tawa got the scoring started before the Diamondbacks had recorded an out in the ballgame, crushing a 412-foot (105.7 mph EV) two-run blast off of Sean Sullivan in the opening inning. Unfortunately, that would wind up being the extent of the Snakes’ offense in the ballgame. Tawa finished the day 1-for-2 and is now hitting .267 (8-for-30) with a pair of homers and five RBI on the spring.

The 32-year-old hurler functioned as an opener in this one, getting to battle the top of the Rockies’ lineup. He struck out Jake McCarthy during a perfect first inning then punched out Jordan Beck while issuing a two-out walk to Kyle Karros in the second. Clarke has been very sharp this spring, hurling six scoreless frames with a 0.83 WHIP and a 4/2 K/BB ratio. He is expected to function in a middle relief role to open the season for the Diamondbacks.