MLB Player News

Rodriguez racked up six strikeouts on the night while issuing only one base on balls. The Padres jumped on him early in this one as Fernando Tatis Jr. slugged a leadoff homer and Xander Bogaerts added a two-run blast in the opening frame. Elias Diaz then added a two-run shot in the second inning. He shut the Padres out over his final four innings, but the damage had already been done. The 32-year-old southpaw wraps up a disappointing season with a 5.02 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and a 143/60 K/BB ratio over 154 1/3 innings in 29 starts.

Pérez winds up making Washington’s season-opening bullpen as a non-roster invitee after spinning six scoreless frames in Grapefruit League action. The 29-year-old southpaw was a key component of Baltimore’s relief mix over the past four seasons, posting a strong 3.72 ERA across 186 1/3 innings over 212 appearances.

Gray was set to open the year back at Triple-A Rochester working his way towards a return to Washington’s rotation for the first time since April, 2024. The 28-year-old right-hander’s once-promising career has been derailed by injuries the past couple seasons after making 58 starts for the Nationals from 2022-2023. He was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball roughly a half-decade ago before being shipped from the Dodgers as part of the Trea Turner and Max Scherzer trade back in 2021.

No word yet regarding how much time Schultz is expected to miss but elbow issues typically result in extended absences. The 28-year-old reliever was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays back in January after posting a serviceable 4.38 ERA across 24 2/3 innings last year at the highest level.

The White Sox took a 7-0 lead in a game in which the A’s pulled their regulars after two, but the minor leaguers combined to scored nine times between the fourth and fifth to pull this one out. Stefanic, who was cut from the spring roster a week ago, finishes up the Cactus League season with a .500/.565/.725 line and nine RBI in 44 plate appearances. He’ll probably be in line for a look if an infielder gets hurt.

Morales walked three of the first four batters he faced and then gave up a bases-loaded double to Lenyn Sosa, at which point he was lifted. He came back out for the second and retired six of seven through the third before being removed for good. Morales, who will face the Jays on Sunday, concludes the spring with a 7.58 ERA and a 17/14 K/BB in 19 innings. He was rather impressive for the A’s last season, but he doesn’t make sense as a starter in shallow leagues right away.

Kay walked four, plunked two and gave up nine hard-hit balls in an ugly showing. He actually opened with two scoreless innings versus something close to the Athletics’ regular lineup. Then the A’s pulled everyone and scored nine runs between the fourth and fifth. Kay has already been named to the White Sox rotation, but he might fit better in middle relief. He’ll make his first start Sunday in Milwaukee.

Grant Taylor should be the White Sox’s best reliever, but if closer Seranthony Domínguez falters, the team might initially turn to Hicks in the ninth. His stuff has rebounded this spring and 17 of the 24 balls in play against him have been grounders. The White Sox already did well to get David Sandlin in return for taking part of his contract off Boston’s hands. It’ll work out even better for them if they can flip him for another prospect in July.

Even though he led the White Sox with 22 homers and 75 RBI in 140 games last year, playing time seemed poised to be an issue for Sosa at the beginning of the spring. However, with Kyle Teel and Brooks Baldwin opening up on the IL, he’ll be in the lineup regularly initially, giving him a chance to prove that he should stay there. He needs to improve his defense or get his OBP up in order to be a truly useful major league regular, but as is, he’s already the kind of guy who is useful in mixed leagues while starting regularly.

Rafaela’s home run, his third of the spring, was 98.6 mph off the bar and traveled 360 feet. He also added a 98.2 mph single and is hitting .394/.447/.788 this spring. He has ten strikeouts to just three walks in 38 plate appearances, but he continues to make hard contact and flash potential 20/20 upside while being an everyday player due to his elite centerfield defense. Considering he is also second base eligible in fantasy leagues, he’s an intriguing target outside of the top 100 picks.

It gets worse. Oviedo’s velocity was down over two mph on every one of his pitches, and his four-seam fastball averaged just 92.9 mph, which is significantly down from the near 96 mph mark he’s shown all spring. He also allowed eight hard-hit baseballs in this one and a 96.1 mph average exit velocity. As of now, there is no indication that the 28-year-old is dealing with any injury, and he mentioned after the game that his execution was “off” as he continues to work on new pitches, including his cutter. Considering Oviedo has minor league options left, this was not a great time for a poor outing and could open the door for Connelly Early to steal the final rotation spot.