MLB Player News

Ragans agreed to a three-year, $13.25 million contract extension with the Royals on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In addition to covering him for the 2025 season, Ragans' new contract also buys out his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility. The 27-year-old southpaw cemented himself as one of Kansas City's top starters last season, finishing with a 3.14 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while striking out 223 batters over 186.1 innings.

Martin has been dealing with the flu over the past few days, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Martin was still able to play catch Friday, and with the Rangers' first Cactus League game still a week away, it's unlikely that his illness will cause him to miss any spring training reps. The 38-year-old righty turned in a 3.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 44.1 innings with the Red Sox last season, and he has a good chance to open 2025 as the Rangers' primary closer.

Taylor (lat) was cleared to resume throwing Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Taylor suffered a right lat strain in late January during his offseason throwing program, but he has already been given the green light to begin his rehab. It's unclear how quickly the Mariners will try to bring him along, but the 23-year-old reliever may be able to pitch in some Cactus League games.

The Yankees have moved Beeter to the bullpen on a permanent basis, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Beeter has primarily been a starter in the minors, but he moved to the bullpen last September at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and finished the year with two relief appearances for the Yankees. The righty has always had big stuff, but with a career 12.7 percent walk rate in the minors, a shift to relief always seemed likely. Beeter will probably begin the 2025 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but could eventually be an option for the Yankees' bullpen. The 26-year-old is a little behind at the start of camp due to a shoulder issue that dates back to last season, but he has been throwing off a mound.

Stephan (elbow) is expected to begin throwing off a mound in late February.

Stephan had right UCL reconstruction surgery last March and has progressed to throwing five days per week from 120 feet. There's no projected timeline yet for the reliever's return, but he seems likely to miss at least the first couple months of the season.

Enright is dealing with a low-grade right lat strain and is not expected to be game-ready until April.

It's not clear when Enright was diagnosed with the injury, but he is expected to resume a throwing program next week. Added to the 40-man roster over the offseason, Enright missed much of last season due to injury but was excellent when healthy, posting a 1.06 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB over 17 innings with Triple-A Columbus.

Montero has yet to report to camp due to visa issues but is expected to arrive in a few days, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Montero was removed from the Astros' 40-man roster last August but remained in the organization and will be in camp as a non-roster invitee when he does report. The 34-year-old held a 4.70 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 23:19 K:BB across 38.1 innings in 2024 and is owed $11.5 million in the final year of his contract.

Bautista (elbow) said Friday that he's throwing at about 85 percent and is confident he will be 100 percent by Opening Day, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista is 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery and is being eased into things this spring. He has been throwing off a mound since August but is not expected to pitch in Grapefruit League games until late in spring training. While Bautista is expected to be ready to serve as the Orioles' closer on Opening Day, the club doesn't figure to commit to him in the role until they see how he looks and feels this spring.

Woods Richardson is seen as the leading candidate for the No. 5 spot in the Minnesota rotation as spring training begins, Betsy Helfand reports.

Richardson had his first success in the majors last year with a revamped delivery and increased velocity but ran out of gas late in the season (5.91 ERA and 4.6 BB/9 in his last 11 starts). Still, he's seen as the leading candidate for the fifth starter role, with David Festa and Zebby Matthews also in the mix. Chris Paddack enters camp penciled in as the No. 4 starter, but he's not a lock to keep his spot either. The final two spots could be in flux as a result, but Richardson may begin with a slight lead.

Junis signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Junis has worked primarily in relief for each of the last two seasons and was particularly impressive across 67 innings in 2024 by maintaining a 2.69 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He's unlikely to crack the Guardians' rotation to begin the season, but he's likely to see some spot starts while primarily filling a multi-inning relief role.