MLB Player News

It’s likely that most — if not all — of the hurlers will refuse the outright assignments and elect free agency. There’s something to be said though for a lack of competition, and if they’re serious about securing a spot in a big league bullpen for the 2024 season, the A’s may offer the clearest path to doing so.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro deemed India’s early exit as precautionary while speaking to reporters after the contest. The 29-year-old utility specialist will undergo further evaluation to determine the severity of the issue later this weekend. There should be some additional clarity shortly but it doesn’t sound like a major concern.

Kelly has progressed to pitching in Cactus League contests, but his fastball velocity was down noticeably on Friday during his spring debut. He’s unlikely to have enough time to fully ramp up in advance of Opening Day, which is less than two weeks away. The 37-year-old veteran, who missed time with a back issue earlier this spring, figures to require only a brief trip to the injured list and be ready to make his season debut at some point in early-to-mid April. His brief absence gives Michael Soroka a little extra runway at the start of the year and means Arizona will probably go to a six-man rotation once he’s back in the fold. Kelly is a strong late-round selection for fantasy managers willing to wait a couple weeks for his return.

It’ll be a playoff atmosphere (in mid-March) at loanDepot park in Miami when Skenes squares off against a loaded Dominican Republic lineup that leads the international tournament in runs scored and is coming off a 10-0 shutout win over Korea. United States manager Mark DeRosa told reporters Skenes is slated to throw roughly 75-80 pitches in this outing. It’s a high-profile spot for 23-year-old superstar to face off against one of the best lineups he’s likely to face in his entire career. It’ll be Athletics starter Luis Severino taking the ball for the Dominican Republic. Get your popcorn ready, folks.

Hoffman fortifies Team USA’s high-leverage relief mix heading into a WBC semifinal showdown matchup against a star-studded Dominican Republic squad following a narrow win over Canada on Friday night. The 33-year-old Blue Jays closer recorded a career-high 33 saves last year in his Toronto debut.

The homer left his bat at 108 mph and was projected at 419 feet. Tucker left the Dodgers for a week for the birth of his child, but he’s never been one to require a ton of spring at-bats. He’s 3-for-12 with six walks at the moment.

Emerson’s first spring homer gave him a .206/.263/.353 line through 38 plate appearances. He might have had a chance at making the Mariners with a brilliant spring, but some extra seasoning in the minors was always the likely outcome here. If he performs well in Triple-A, he could come up to play third base, with Brandon Donovan moving to the outfield or second base.

Stewart knocked Elly De La Cruz after he walked and stole second with two outs in the first. As it turned out, it was the Reds’ only hit in the contest. That’s pretty fun, but it’s also notable that Stewart is now 4-for-4 stealing bases this spring. We’re expecting him to be one of the year’s biggest bargains even if he doesn’t do much running, but 15 steals would be a very nice bonus.

Singer came in with a 9.00 ERA in five innings, but he fared well against the Giants’ road lineup, which featured Nate Furman leading off and Christian Koss batting third. With two strikeouts and two walks, he’s now boasting a 6/6 K/BB in nine innings.

Whisenhunt’s velocity bump might not last; he was down to 94.2 mph with his average fastball tonight after coming in at 95.2 mph and 94.8 mph in his previous two years. Still, he was able to fan six Reds anyway. He remains likely to open up in the Triple-A rotation.

Brubaker averaged 92.6 mph with his sinker in his first three outings this spring, which was down 0.9 mph from last year in his return from Tommy John surgery. Tonight, though, he was up to 94.2 mph, even after he faded some in his third inning of work. The Giants apparently intend to look at Brubaker as a middle man, so he wouldn’t seem to offer much fantasy potential. However, if he can impress in shorter stints, the possibility of saves can’t be ruled out. He never had much success as a starter in Pittsburgh, but he’s always been able to miss bats at a solid clip, and he might yet get a little better there in short outings.