MLB Player News

Bummer (lat) threw a bullpen session Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

It's the first time he's thrown off a mound since he went down with some left lat soreness in early February. The White Sox will wait to see how Bummer recovers Friday before deciding the next step. The team remains hopeful that Bummer will be ready for Opening Day, but he can't afford any missteps.

Effross (elbow) began a throwing program Monday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Effross is at the beginning stages of a long road back from last October's Tommy John surgery. There might be an outside chance he makes it back late in the 2023 season, but the better bet is that he'll be held out until 2024.

Snider has allowed a hit and struck out three over three innings through three Cactus League appearances.

Snider is in contention for a low-leverage role in the the Royals' bullpen. The 27-year-old righty struggled in his first taste of major-league action a year ago, posting a 6.55 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 22:15 K:BB over 34.1 innings, though he also added seven holds and a 4-2 record. It's still too early to tell if he'll make the roster, and given his career 5.92 ERA at the Triple-A level, he could regularly be moved between Kansas City and Omaha this season.

Hentges (shoulder) showed progress in his medical evaluation Wednesday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hentges has been out for a week already with left shoulder inflammation, but manager Terry Francona was encouraged by Wednesday's check-up. "It was really, really encouraging," Francona told mlb.com. "To the point that they're going to let him do dry work and stuff." A stint on the injured list hasn't been ruled out yet, but it doesn't appear Hentges will be out for long even if he misses the start of the season.

Manager Brandon Hyde has been impressed with Akin in spring training, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The numbers back up Hyde's feelings -- Akin has allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over three innings across two Grapefruit League games. Hyde added that he wants to have several multi-inning relievers break camp with the Orioles, which indicates Akin has a good chance of being in that group. He covered 81.2 innings over 45 appearances (one start) in 2022, pitching to an excellent 3.20 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 77:20 K:BB.

Hall (back) has a chance to be ready for Opening Day, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com on Thursday.

Hall does not have enough time to be stretched out to start as he returns from a lower-back injury. However, the Orioles might ultimately decide to keep him around in a multi-inning relief role rather than send him to Triple-A Norfolk. Hall threw a bullpen session Wednesday and is on track for a live batting practice session in the next few days.

Trivino will begin the season on the injured list with a right elbow ligament strain, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

The strain is considered mild but is expected to cost Trivino at least the first month of the season. It's another blow to the Yankees' right-handed relief corps after Tommy Kahnle (biceps) went down earlier this week. Trivino pitched well after being acquired at last year's trade deadline with a 1.66 ERA across 25 appearances. When healthy, he's slated for a setup role and could even earn the occasional save.

Munoz (foot) is expected to need one or two more live batting practice sessions before appearing in a Cactus League game, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said that the team is "slow-playing" Munoz following offseason foot surgery, but the flame-throwing reliever is "looking good" and "feels great." Munoz will be in the mix for saves again this season alongside Paul Sewald. He has the potential to be a lockdown closer if given the job, but his manager has a track record of not settling on one guy.

Alcala threw a scoreless inning with three strikeouts in Wednesday's spring training win over Toronto. He reached 96.3 mph with his fastball.

After a rocky spring debut (two earned runs on two hits with a walk and no strikeouts over one inning), Alcala has improved. He has a 4.50 ERA with a 7:2 K:BB in four innings this spring. Alcala underwent season-ending arthroscopic debridement surgery on his elbow in August, so a slow start to the spring isn't surprising. He's expected to be a key setup man and could figure in the mix for saves with the Twins possibly using a committee approach.

White (shoulder) is scheduled to throw live batting practice Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

White got through a 43-pitch bullpen session over the weekend and is now ready to take the next step in his spring throwing program. If the live BP workout also goes smoothly, he figures to be cleared to make his Grapefruit League debut early next week. It's looking like that offseason shoulder impingement might prove to just be a blip for the 28-year-old right-hander, who is in the running for the final spot in the Blue Jays' season-opening starting rotation. He could be an option in long relief as well.