MLB Player News

Pivetta allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over four-plus innings in Monday's spring start against Minnesota.

Pivetta, whose pitch count reached 79 in his penultimate spring outing, was removed in the fifth inning after the first batter reached on a single. For those calendar watchers, Pivetta's five-day schedule lines up perfectly with Opening Day, March 28, on the road in Seattle. The right-hander has a 5.25 spring ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks over 12 innings.

Alcala looks set to begin the season in the Minnesota bullpen with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique), MLB.com reports. He has a 2.16 ERA this spring with a 10:3 K:BB in 8.1 innings.

Alcala has had a strong spring and looks back to full strength after two injury-plagued seasons. He threw just 17.1 innings last season with an ugly 6.23 ERA and missed more than four months with a stress fracture in his right forearm. He threw just 2.1 innings in 2022 due to an elbow injury that required season-ending arthroscopic debridement surgery. He could become part of the setup mix if his fastball can come close to averaging in the high-90s as it did earlier in his career (97.4 mph average in 2021).

Brebbia (calf) threw one inning in a minor-league game Monday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brebbia is working his way back from a calf injury and had a successful return to game action. He remained non-committal about his status for Opening Day, noting that he typically needs eight-to-10 innings in the exhibition season to get properly stretched out. Monday's outing marked his first game action of the spring, meaning he may need to start the regular season on the injured list.

Buttrey was assigned to minor-league spring training Monday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Buttrey held his own while at big-league camp, surrendering one run on five hits while striking out five over five frames. He'll now set his sights on preparing for the 2024 minor-league campaign and figures to begin the year at Triple-A Tacoma.

Staumont reached 98 mph with his fastball in his last outing Saturday after only reaching 92-93 mph earlier in the spring, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He's given up two earned runs with four strikeouts and five walks in 4.2 innings this spring.

He had an 95.8-mph average fastball last season. Staumont is working his way back after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July. He has a minor-league option left, so he may begin the season in Triple-A as he builds back to full speed. It's also possible he begins the season in the majors with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique).

Funderburk looks set to begin the season in the Minnesota bullpen with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique), Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Funderburk and Steven Okert will be the primary lefties in the Minnesota bullpen with Theilbar sidelined. Funderburk had a 2.60 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 75:21 K:BB across 37 appearances (two starts) at Triple-A last season. He then had a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings with the Twins. He had the best strikeout rate of his career last season at Triple-A (13.0 K/9) with a strong walk rate. He could stick in the major-league bullpen if he has a strong start to the season.

The Twins reassigned Balazovic to minor-league camp Monday.

Once of the Twins' more promising starting pitching prospects, Balazovic made the full-time move to the bullpen in 2023. Though he reached the big leagues for the first time last season, Balazovic struggled to distinguish himself, posting a 4.44 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB in 24.1 innings. Balazovic will remain in the Twins organization for 2024 despite being outrighted shortly before spring training, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot will work against him in his efforts to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen.

The Rays reassigned Uceta to minor-league camp Monday.

Uceta made 25 appearances at the big-league level over the past three seasons, but he never had much of a shot at winning a spot in the Rays' Opening Day bullpen after joining the club on a minor-league deal over the winter. He's expected to begin the campaign at Triple-A Durham.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Jansen (back) will make an appearance Tuesday against the Rays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Jansen was scratched from a scheduled outing Monday with lower-back tightness, but he'll wind up being pushed back just one day. Cora noted that the closer is "running out of time" in order to be ready for Opening Day and can't afford any more hiccups. Jansen has been limited to just one appearance this spring, having previously dealt with a lat issue. After Tuesday's outing, Jansen is scheduled to pitch Thursday, Sunday and once more after that as he aims to be ready for the March 28 opener in Seattle, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

The White Sox announced Monday that Crochet will start the team's season opener March 28 versus the Tigers in Chicago.

A converted reliever who has yet to make a big-league start and is just under two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Crochet is a bold choice for the Opening Day starting nod. The White Sox's decision to go with Crochet for the season opener speaks to the organization's lack of attractive alternatives, though the 24-year-old lefty at least brings some upside to the table. After struggling with his control late last season when he rejoined the White Sox bullpen following his recovery from elbow surgery, Crochet has looked far sharper this spring, striking out 12 and walking none while working around seven hits across nine scoreless frames. Fantasy managers shouldn't jump to any grand conclusions based on the spring numbers, but the improved results along with the White Sox's commitment to him in a starting role are enough to put Crochet on the radar as a late-round target in fantasy drafts.