MLB Player News

Strahm allowed a hit and no walks across a scoreless inning in Sunday's Cactus League win over the Brewers. He struck out one.

Strahm entered in the fifth inning to make his spring debut, working around a leadoff single by Cooper Pratt to retire the side without allowing a run. The veteran left-hander, who began his big-league career with the Royals in 2016, was acquired by Kansas City from Philadelphia in December in exchange for Jonathan Bowlan. Strahm is coming off a 2.74 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a 10.1 K/9 across 62.1 regular-season innings out of the bullpen last season and figures to handle plenty of high-leverage opportunities for the Royals in 2026.

Brieske (back) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Brieske will be making his spring debut Monday after a bout with thoracic spine inflammation prevented him from pitching last week. The Tigers didn't use Brieske for more than two innings in any of his appearances last season, so the 27-year-old won't require much of a buildup period during spring training.

Soriano won't start Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners as scheduled due to an illness, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The right-hander has surrendered seven earned runs across 3.2 frames in his first two outings of spring training, and his third appearance will be pushed back due to an ailment. Soriano shouldn't miss much time and could slot back into the pitching schedule later in the week.

Estevez's fastball has averaged just 89 mph in his first two appearances of spring training.

A pitcher showing reduced velocity early in camp is hardly unique, but the fact that Estevez's fastball is down nearly seven mph from his 2025 average is a little worrisome. The right-hander led MLB with a career-high 42 saves in 2025 while finishing with a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 54:22 K:BB across 67 outings. There's been no indication of an injury to this point, but fantasy managers should keep an eye on Estevez's velocity as he continues to build up during spring training. Lucas Erceg would likely be the next man up for Kansas City in the ninth inning, should Estevez's effectiveness take a big step backwards.

Guenther (hip) has allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings through his first two Grapefruit League appearances.

Guenther is back to full health for spring training after he didn't make an appearance in the majors or minors after June 25 last season while recovering from a left hip arthroscopy. Detroit brought the 30-year-old lefty reliever back on a minor-league deal this winter, and he's competing for a spot in the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen.

Kowar (shoulder) made his Grapefruit League debut in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Tigers, issuing one walk and allowing no hits over a scoreless inning of relief.

Kowar looks to be back to full health after he spent the final month of the 2025 season on the Mariners' injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. After Seattle waived Kowar in January, he caught on with the Twins before being traded to the Orioles less than two weeks later. The right-hander is competing for a spot in Baltimore's Opening Day bullpen this spring.

Smith allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and one walk across three innings during Saturday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

This marked Smith's second start of spring training, and he worked up to 41 pitches. He threw 25 of those offerings for strikes in a relatively sharp outing. After posting a 3.81 ERA and 1.20 WHP across 146.1 innings in 2025, Smith is a candidate to start Opening Day for the White Sox.

De Los Santos (knee) is expected to begin throwing bullpen sessions sometime next week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

De Los Santos has been shut down from throwing since he suffered a right knee strain at the start of camp. It remains unknown how far away he is from pitching in Grapefruit League games, though the Astros will likely also have the 30-year-old reliever face live hitters before using him in a competitive setting.

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Gamboa is dealing with an elbow injury and will be shut down for at least three days, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Gamboa has made just one appearance so far this spring, during which he gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk across 1.1 innings. His injury doesn't seem to be anything major, but the Red Sox will shut him down temporarily to be safe.

Pepiot allowed one unearned run on one hit and two walks in two innings during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto. He struck out two.

Pepiot showed some signs of rust in his first spring outing, throwing just 19 of his 32 pitches for strikes. The right-hander's fastball velocity topped out at just 94.6 mph as well after averaging 95.2 mph in 2025, so he'll be looking to round into form in the coming weeks. Though he did manage a strong 3.41 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 16 home starts at hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field last regular season, Pepiot is still likely looking forward to the Rays moving back to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field in 2026.