MLB Player News

Jansen (back) is scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Orioles, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Jansen has had to be scratched from each of his last two scheduled appearances due to lower-back stiffness, so Thursday's outing should be considered tentative. The veteran closer has been limited to just one outing this spring, having previous dealt with a lat issue. Jansen hopes to ramp up in time for Opening Day, but it will be close.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Thursday that Taylor is currently sidelined by left biceps soreness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

He's receiving treatment and the Royals are still determining what the next steps will be for the left-hander. Taylor has missed much of the last two seasons due to back and shoulder woes. He had been in the mix for an Opening Day bullpen spot, but his status is now cloudy.

Stephenson (shoulder) is scheduled to play catch Thursday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stephenson has been battling shoulder soreness since the beginning of camp, and he's missed all of the Angels' Cactus League games as a result. Considering Stephenson has yet to progress to facing hitters with just a week remaining before Opening Day, it is appearing increasingly likely that the right-hander begins the season on the injured list.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Thursday that Marsh has won the final spot in the rotation, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Jordan Lyles had the incumbency and the contract, but he was hurt and out-pitched by Marsh this spring, so he'll head to the bullpen. Marsh posted a 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB over 14 innings during Cactus League play to earn the rotation slot. The 25-year-old has displayed swing-and-miss stuff throughout his pro career, including during his time with Kansas City last season when he fanned 85 over 74.1 frames while splitting time between the rotation and bullpen. Marsh's control is a problem, though, so he'll need to tighten that up before fantasy managers can put a ton of trust in him.

Berroa (shoulder) is scheduled to make a relief appearance Thursday against the Guardians in a "B" game on the backfields of spring training, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Berroa already has five Cactus League appearances to his name, but he hasn't pitched since March 11 due to a minor shoulder injury. Assuming he gets through Thursday's outing unscathed, Berroa should still have a good chance at winning a spot in the White Sox's Opening Day bullpen. The hard-throwing right-hander could find himself in a prominent role, as the White Sox lack an obvious solution at closer.

The Tigers reassigned Vasquez to minor-league camp Thursday.

The big southpaw didn't allow a run in seven appearances this spring but will nonetheless find himself back at Toledo to begin the season. Vasquez will provide left-handed relief depth in the minors.

The Tigers reassigned Wingenter to minor-league camp Thursday.

Wingenter allowed one run with a 6:4 K:BB over 5.1 innings this spring, but that wasn't enough to break camp with the Tigers' bullpen. He'll head to Toledo for now and wait for a call from the big club.

Sborz (knee) struck out one over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's spring game against the Reds.

Wednesday marked the first time in two weeks that Sborz pitched in a game environment. His 4.50 spring ERA is clouded by his first outing -- two runs in one inning -- but he's been unscored upon in three straight appearances, including 1-2-3 efforts the last two times out. Sborz will fill a high-leverage role in 2024.

The Royals optioned Veneziano to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Veneziano threw 2.1 scoreless frames in the majors at the very end of last season but struggled to find his footing during spring training, surrendering seven earned runs in just 6.1 innings. The 26-year-old southpaw turned in a 4.22 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 89.2 innings at Omaha last season, and he could return to the big leagues should Kansas City's pitching staff run into depth issues during the season.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Zerpa will begin the season in the Royals' bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Twelve of Zerpa's 15 MLB appearances last season came out of the bullpen, and he'll officially reprise his role as a multi-inning reliever in 2024. A strong start to the regular season could help the 24-year-old southpaw move into the rotation, but Zerpa would have to turn things around after giving up seven earned runs across 9.2 innings this spring.