MLB Player News

Castro represents the lone position player shipped out to minor league camp in the latest batch of Phillies cuts. There are a handful of notable relief options sent packing here with Vespi, McMillion, Zuniga, Cuas and Kuhnel all likely to get chances in Philadelphia as middle relief depth. Aoyagi pitched well in three spring appearances after signing a minor-league contract with the Phillies. He’ll open the year back at Triple-A Lehigh Valley as extra depth.

The one hit he allowed was a Nick Castellanos solo shot. Harrington, the 36th overall pick in the 2022 draft, could make his major league debut in the Pirates rotation sometime in the first half of the season. He’s not a big upside guy, but excellent command of average stuff should make him a useful big leaguer.

Sánchez allowed four hits, walked none and fanned two. 45 of his 61 pitches were strikes. With his velocity up about 1.5 mph from last year, he looks like one of the NL’s best pitchers right now.

That’s better. Bednar had given up seven runs in his previous two appearances, and this makes just the second time in seven spring outings that he’s retired the side in order. Unfortunately, his velocity is still down 1.5 mph from last year, and we’re not sure whether he’ll be able to flip the switch once the games start to matter. His stock remains well down.

As the farewell tour enters year three, it’s pretty obvious that the Pirates could do better at DH than McCutchen without even spending much more money, if only the team was about winning in the first place. It’s not the McCutchen is abysmal, at least not yet. He managed a 112 OPS+ in 2023 and a 105 OPS+ at age 37 last season. Still, he had easily the highest strikeout rate of his career last year, and he’s struggling to hold up physically even as a DH. Things could come crashing down this season.

Corbin’s arrival provides the Rangers with an experienced back-end rotation stabilizer until Jon Gray (wrist) and Cody Bradford (elbow) are ready to return. We’re assuming that Jack Leiter’s rotation spot is secure following a strong spring, but the 35-year-old veteran’s presence puts some added pressure on Kumar Rocker in the lead up to Opening Day. It’s possible Texas will roll with a six-man rotation, but unless that happens, Rocker is likely the odd-man out. Corbin remains a perfectly cromulent innings-eater at this advanced stage of his career, but he offers virtually zero fantasy appeal after posting a lackluster 5.62 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 139/54 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings (32 starts) last year for the Nationals.

Gray will be shut down for the next six weeks as he recovers from a fractured right wrist and is unlikely to rejoin Texas’ starting rotation mix until at least late May or early June, even in a best-case scenario.

McDermott’s strikeout upside makes him one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in Baltimore’s system, but he’s been dealing with persistent shoulder issues since last August. He’ll need some time in the upper minors to continue building up his strength and stamina before he’s an option for the Orioles’ injury-depleted starting rotation mix.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters he’s “hopeful, but not sure” whether Henderson will be ready for next week’s season-opener as he continues to work his way back from last month’s mild right intercostal strain. The 23-year-old fantasy superstar has occasionally slipped to the back-half of the first round in recent fantasy drafts, but there’s zero reason to believe he’s facing any sort of lengthy absence, even if he’s not ready for Opening Day.

It’s a positive sign that Rodriguez was able to resume throwing from a distance of 75 feet without any symptoms after being shut down last week with right elbow inflammation. He should progress to throwing bullpen sessions in the near future. The 25-year-old right-hander will require several weeks to build up his arm strength and stamina, but he should be ready to make his season debut before the end of April, barring any setbacks.

Blankenhorn bolsters Los Angeles’ outfield depth at Triple-A Salt Lake at the outset of the regular season. The 28-year-old journeyman got into 13 games last year for the Nationals and has appeared in 49 contests at the highest level dating back to 2020. He posted an .820 OPS with 26 homers in 106 games last season at the Triple-A level.