MLB Player News
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Shawn Dubin RP | ARI
Astros' Shawn Dubin: Sent for MRI on shoulder
Dubin is headed back to Houston to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Dubin tried playing catch Sunday after being shut down for a while and the shoulder did not respond well. It sounds like he could be headed for a long-term absence, but more will be known once the test results are in. Dubin held a 4.17 ERA and 49:26 K:BB over 45.1 innings for Houston in 2024.
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Garrett Whitlock RP | BOS
Red Sox's Garrett Whitlock: Throws after planned downtime
Whitlock threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday following a week of downtime, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
As part of the rehab plan this offseason to bring Whitlock back from an internal brace procedure, the Red Sox introduced the concept of what was coined a "de-load" week. The right-hander would throw normal bullpens, then get a week off. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said this most recent de-load was the last one. If healthy, Whitlock should serve in a high-leverage bullpen role, including save opportunities.
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Cody Bradford RP | TEX
Rangers' Cody Bradford: Stakes claim to rotation
Bradford allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against the Cubs.
Bradford, who could land in the rotation or the bullpen, submitted evidence during his Cactus League debut of his worthiness to be a starter in the regular season. Sixteen of his 24 pitches were strikes, which impressed manager Bruce Bochy. "Outstanding, wasn't he?" Bochy told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports. "Really nice job, throwing his strikes, Cody was Cody today. Good day for him." The left-hander pitched well in 2024 when healthy, posting a 3.54 ERA over 14 outings (13 starts).
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Trevor Gott RP | SEA
Mariners' Trevor Gott: Minor-league deal with Seattle
Gott signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Gott missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery as part of the Athletics organization. He'll now return to Seattle, where he spent half of the 2023 campaign, appearing in 30 games with the Mariners and posting a 4.03 ERA over 29 innings. The right-hander's contract includes an invitation to spring training in Arizona, where Gott will look to prove his health.
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Garrett Crochet RP | BOS
Red Sox's Garrett Crochet: No runs in Grapefruit League debut
Crochet allowed no runs on three hits and one walk over 1.2 innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.
The left-hander was on a pitch count for his first spring game, with his departure in the midst of the second inning also being the result of a long wait between his first and second frames, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. Crochet had a limited workload last year with the White Sox in his first season as a full-time starter, but he was still one of the top breakout players in MLB with a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209:33 K:BB across 146 innings. The 25-year-old isn't expected to face any workload restrictions in 2025 after being acquired by the Red Sox.
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Jonathan Bowlan RP | PHI
Royals' Jonathan Bowlan: Tabbed for bullpen role
The Royals are viewing Bowlan as a reliever, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Two of Bowlan's three big-league appearances to date have come in a starting role, though he's gone a mere 4.2 innings combined in those outings. The right-hander has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors as well, but the Royals appear set to deploy him out of the bullpen when he's with the big-league club. Bowlan has one minor-league option remaining, which gives the team some flexibility in terms of managing a relief corps that is comprised of mostly veteran arms.
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Prelander Berroa RP | CHW
White Sox's Prelander Berroa: Diagnosed with elbow strain
Berroa has a Grade 1 right elbow strain, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Berroa was pulled from Saturday's Cactus League contest against the Cubs after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow, and subsequent testing revealed the elbow strain. The White Sox haven't yet announced a timeline or course of action for the reliever's return, but Grade 1 strains typically require several weeks of recovery. Berroa entered spring training as a candidate for a high-leverage role in Chicago's bullpen after posting a 3.32 ERA and 12.3 K/9 over 19 innings with the team last season.
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Felix Bautista RP | BAL
Orioles' Felix Bautista: Takes big step toward return
Bautista (elbow) threw live batting practice Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Bautista's throwing session Sunday represented the first time he has faced live hitters since he underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2023. The 29-year-old stated last week that he's confident in his ability to be ready to pitch by Opening Day, and all signs so far point to that scenario being a legitimate possibility. However, Bautista isn't expected to appear in any Grapefruit League contests until late in spring training, and how he fares when he gets back on the mound in exhibition play could be a determining factor in his return date for regular-season action.
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Chris Murphy RP | CHW
Red Sox's Chris Murphy: Throwing bullpens
Murphy (elbow) has thrown two bullpen sessions early this spring, Christopher Smith of MassLive reports.
Murphy has thrown a 10-pitch and a 15-pitch bullpen this spring as he works his way back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last April. The southpaw missed all of last season due to the procedure after throwing 47.2 innings over 20 appearances out of the bullpen for the Red Sox as a rookie in 2023. Smith said Sunday that he's currently aiming to throw to live hitters April 10 and that there's a possibility he could be ready for game action during the first half of the campaign. He added that he's unsure what his role will be upon making it back to the big club, though Smith indicated a desire to be used in a multi-inning role, saying, "I feel like that's something that's going on in baseball now -- guys that can go two innings, guys that can go three innings. So have some utility."
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Prelander Berroa RP | CHW
White Sox's Prelander Berroa: Exits with trainer
Berroa was removed from Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cubs due to right elbow discomfort.
Berroa was only able to get through one-third of an inning before being removed, during which he allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk. He's slated to undergo further evaluation after the game, at which point more will be known regarding his availability going forward.