MLB Player News

Kent will get a chance to win one of the final bullpen spots with the Cardinals this spring. The 27-year-old pitched well in Triple-A Columbus with a 2.84 ERA, but he struggled at the highest level as seen in a 4.58 ERA, albeit in a small sample of 17 2/3 innings.

Alvarez has a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings, will get a better shot at a win with this news, and the Padres haven’t hit well at all this year. It’s hard to recommend the Alvarez streaming start, but we could definitely see it working out.

Carmen Mlodzinski will be demoted to the bullpen. Jones has a 2.89 ERA in five rehab starts throughout the minor leagues, striking out 24 in 18 2/3 innings in coming back from internal brace surgery on his elbow ligament. He draws a tasty assignment against a struggling Twins lineup, but isn’t a must-start in his first game back as he’s only gotten up to 76 pitches so far and there’s no guarantee he’ll go long enough to qualify for a win. Either way, he should be rostered in most leagues based on the potential he showed last season before the elbow injury.

It was the drumbeat for most of the offseason, so this isn’t surprising, but it’s still galling to see it. A salary floor would be set at $171.2 million for MLB teams, meaning 12 teams would have to increase their payrolls while eight would have to shed to get under the cap. We’re not quite sure how likely any of this is to happen — either this or yesterday’s proposal from the MLBPA to raise the minimum salary to $1.5 million — but this will remain the backdrop as the union and ownership continue to talk ahead of the expiration of the CBA after the season.

Samaniego has a 1.04 ERA in 18 games with the Red Sox this year, so it was surprising that he was optioned back to Worcester on Sunday in the first place. Garrett Whitlock’s placement on the injured list opened the door for Samaniego to reclaim his roster spot.

Whitlock had a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings for the Red Sox as their main setup man for Aroldis Chapman, blowing a save on Sunday before sitting out the next two days with the injury. Justin Slaten looks to be the main cog in this pen for holds now, with Jovani Morán potentially joining the mix as well.

He was hitting .250/.356/.436 at Buffalo this year, coming over from the Pirates in a deadline Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade in 2024. He’ll have a chance to play Lenyn Sosa off the roster while Sosa is on IL with a wrist contusion, but isn’t in the Thursday starting lineup.

Sosa will give way to Charles McAdoo on the active roster, though playing time may be sparse enough that there’s little reason to pick up McAdoo. Sosa did not play Wednesday after apparently suffering the injury on Tuesday. He was hitting .188/.205/.275 since being picked up by the Jays for Jordan Rich on April 13.

It frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for INF Charles McAdoo. Estrada was placed on the injured list on April 18, retroactive to April 5, so his potential return timeline isn’t altered much by this. He’ll be eligible to come off the injured list in early June.

Lee has an 8.10 ERA in three appearance for the Jays, walking four and striking out just one. He figures to be part of the bullpen shuttle between Buffalo and Toronto for most of the season. Lee does hold a 1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings at Buffalo, so he’s shown well there despite not pitching well at the highest level just yet.

It looks to be a routine day off for Kim against Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle. Kim has struggled mightily since returning from his torn finger tendon, hitting just .095/.191/.095 in 12 games for the Braves so far. Jorge Mateo is manning shortstop today in his absence.