MLB Player News

Lovelady was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Lovelady had an excellent spring, pitching eight innings without allowing an earned run or a walk while striking out 10. Despite the strong showing, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports the Royals want Lovelady to work on building up arm strength after missing most of 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. If the southpaw can continue his strong pitching into the minor-league regular season, it shouldn't be long before he's an option for the major-league roster.

Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Taylor, Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady all fell short of making the Royals' Opening Day bullpen. After dealing with a back injury for all of 2022, Taylor will be focused on building up arm strength with Omaha to start the year, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Staumont was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Staumont is a surprising omission from the Opening Day roster. He pitched to a 1.13 ERA and 10:5 K:BB across eight innings during Cactus League play, though the walk issues are a carryover from 2022. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports manager Matt Quatraro told Staumont that he needs to work on getting ahead in counts. It's expected he'll be with the big club again at some point in the season, though the Royals boast bullpen depth that has been lacking in recent years.

Patino was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Patino was in the mix for the Rays' fifth starter spot, but his 11.17 ERA and 1.86 WHIP this spring will cause him to open the year in the minors. Patino has struggled to a 5.10 ERA in 114.2 career major-league innings, including an awful 8.10 ERA in six starts last season, but he's still just 23 years old. A strong month in the minors could easily see him return to the majors for the bulk of the year, but for now, it will be Yonny Chirinos or Josh Fleming who opens the year as the Rays' fifth starter.

Patino was knocked around for seven runs in 2.2 innings in his final spring start Friday against the Mets, raising his Grapefruit League ERA to 11.17.

Patino is fighting with Yonny Chirinos and Josh Fleming for the Rays' fifth starter job, and he hasn't made a very strong case. In addition to his inflated ERA, he also owns a poor 1.86 WHIP and has walked seven batters and hit three more in 9.2 innings. Chrinos hasn't pitched well either, recording an 8.59 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in 7.1 frames, while Fleming's 4.91 ERA in 14.2 innings is better but still unimpressive. The Rays could wind up getting creative every fifth day until Tyler Glasnow (oblique) returns, something the organization has plenty of experience doing.

Barlow was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Barlow has recorded double-digit saves in both of his MLB campaigns to date and owns a career 2.81 ERA, so the decision comes as something of a surprise. His ERA estimators, including a 4.73 xFIP and a 4.21 SIERA, tell a much different story about his performance, but he's cruised to a 2.16 ERA this spring while striking out 13 batters in 8.1 innings. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Barlow's decreased velocity this spring is a main reason for the demotion, with the Rangers hoping some mechanical tweaks in the minors will sort things out.

Ort has allowed eight runs on 13 hits and seven walks while striking out seven over 8.1 spring innings.

The Red Sox have stuck by Ort, keeping him on the 40-man roster over winter while jettisoning other pieces. The hard-throwing right-hander could be in jeopardy of being designated for assignment, which would open up a spot for Raimel Tapia or Jorge Alfaro, two non-roster invitees that have raked this spring and have opt-outs.

Jansen (lightheadedness) said he expects to pitch in Sunday's Grapefruit League game, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

He left Friday's exhibition game with a trainer after feeling lightheaded, but Jansen reported improvement Saturday and said he does not believe the issue is related to his heart condition (atrial fibrillation). The longtime closer suggested it may have just been dehydration, per Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican. So long as Jansen returns Sunday or early next week, he should be in the clear for Opening Day.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that Jansen felt "lightheaded" before leaving Friday's appearance against Atlanta, but he should be fine going forward, Tom Caron of NESN reports.

Jansen left Friday's appearance with a trainer, and he immediately went to the Boston clubhouse. It's a concerning development for anyone, but it's especially worrisome for the 35-year-old because of his history with atrial fibrillation. Fortunately, this exit appears to be precautionary with Cora believing that the right-hander should be OK going forward. Jansen may be held out of action for the next couple days, but it appears that he might be fine for the regular season.

Jansen left Friday's Grapefruit League appearance against Atlanta with a trainer, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Jansen went directly into the clubhouse after exiting the appearance. The right-hander is likely to undergo testing, and there should be an update on his status before the end of Friday's game. This would be a significant loss for Boston after they signed Jansen to serve as the closer for the 2023 season.