MLB Player News

Winder (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday. He will be built up as a long reliever in the short term rather than as a starter, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Winder threw 2.2 innings in a spring outing Tuesday, so he's making progress. It's likely he'll go on a rehab stint at Triple-A first and could ultimately replace Cole Sands as Minnesota's long reliever in the bullpen.

Henriquez (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Henriquez was shut down in late February due to right posterior elbow soreness. He started throwing late in spring training and could be on track to return in April. A key distinction of the roster move is that he was placed on the major-league injured list. He may be sent to Triple-A when he's activated.

The Orioles optioned Krehbiel to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday.

Krehbiel narrowly missed out on making the Orioles' Opening Day roster, with Baltimore instead opting to go with Logan Gillaspie and Mike Baumann as its final two bullpen arms. The 30-year-old right-hander previously appeared in 56 games with the big club in 2022, logging a 3.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 45:18 K:BB in 57.2 innings while collecting five wins, 10 holds and one save.

Tate (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to March 27.

The 28-year-old was ruled out for the first month of the season back in February due to a flexor strain, so his move to the injured list was to be expected. Tate was throwing bullpen sessions for the final two weeks of spring training, so he appears on track to be available in late April or early May.

Stephan signed a four-year contract extension with the Guardians on Wednesday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Robert Murray of FanSided.com says the deal is worth $10 million, with a $7.25 million club option for 2027 and $7.5 million club option for 2028. The signing locks down a key piece of Cleveland's bullpen for another four seasons. Stephan logged a 2.69 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 82 strikeouts through 63.2 innings last season, alongside three saves and 20 holds. He remains unlikely to get many save opportunities in 2023 behind Emmanuel Clase, but the 27-year-old reliever figures to remain one of the Guardians' premier setup men.

Peralta pitched in six Grapefruit League games, allowing one run on eight hits and two walks while posting a 9:2 K:BB over 5.2 innings.

Peralta's 14.3 K/9 this spring probably shouldn't be hyped up too much given that the veteran has never averaged a strikeout per inning in any of his seven big-league campaigns. Still, it was a good spring overall for the left-hander, who is coming off a career-best performance last season during which he posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 47:17 K:BB across 56.1 innings. Peralta is expected to have an important role in the Yankees' bullpen again this season, as he's currently the only lefty reliever slated to be on the Opening Day roster.

Loaisiga tossed five scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play, allowing three hits and posting a 4:2 K:BB.

Loaisiga also pitched in two games for Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic, allowing three runs on three hits over two frames. The right-hander collected two saves and 10 holds for New York in 2022 and is expected to compete for setup duties ahead of closer Clay Holmes during the coming campaign.

The Tigers will option Holton to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Holton appeared to be in decent standing for a bullpen spot throughout most of camp, but he'll end up beginning the season in the minors with the Tigers opting to include non-roster invitees Trey Wingenter and Chasen Shreve in the Opening Day bullpen. The 26-year-old southpaw should be Detroit's top choice for a call-up if the team requires an extra lefty arm out of the bullpen at any point this season.

Tampa Bay reassigned Heller to minor-league camp Thursday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Heller has previously made 31 relief appearances in the big leagues, but none have come since 2020 and he's pitched just 8.2 innings in total in affiliated ball over the past two seasons while tending to arm-related injuries. He'll need to stay healthy and pitch effectively at Triple-A Durham for an extended period before getting a look in Tampa Bay's bullpen.

Hearn secured a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen after the team finalized its 26-man active roster Wednesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hearn appeared to be on the roster bubble following a poor showing in spring training along with the fact that he had a minor-league option remaining, but Texas ultimately chose to keep him on hand as an extra lefty arm out of the bullpen over fellow southpaw John King, who was dispatched to Triple-A Round Rock. Though he worked as a swingman for Texas in 2022 while making 13 starts over his 31 appearances, Hearn is expected to serve as a full-time reliever in 2023, with most of his opportunities presumably coming in middle-inning or lower-leverage spots.