MLB Player News

Newcomb (knee) made his Cactus League debut in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Royals, striking out four over two scoreless innings while working around two hits and one walk.

Newcomb's integration into the spring pitching schedule was delayed while he completed his recovery from the surgery he underwent on his left knee last September, but he looked sharp in his two-inning appearance Sunday. Though Newcomb could be built up for a starting role over the final two weeks of the spring, he still looks set to miss out on a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Even if that's the case, Newcomb could still be included on the Opening Day roster as a long reliever.

Devenski is an option to step in as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Devenski has not started a big-league game since the 2019 season, but September was a renaissance of sorts as he posted a 2.08 ERA and 9:2 K:BB in nine appearances with the Rays down the stretch. Tampa Bay liked what it saw enough to bring the veteran back for 2024, and he has been building up to handle multiple innings this spring. Devenski threw two innings against the Blue Jays on Monday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter.

Alexander is a candidate to open the year as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A partial lat tear ended Alexander's season in July and the Tigers decided to move on in November. The Rays claimed Alexander off waivers and may need him for important innings right away with Bradley shut down for a couple weeks. Alexander threw over 100 big-league frames for Detroit in 2021 and 2022 and has been building up for a substantial workload this spring. Jacob Lopez, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jacob Waguespack and Chris Devenski were also mentioned as possible replacements in the starting rotation.

Waguespack is one of the candidates for the Rays' rotation while Taj Bradley (pectoral) is sidelined, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Waguespack signed a minor-league contract with the Rays in January following a two-year stint in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with the Orix Buffaloes. The 30-year-old has experience as a starter and a reliever and holds a 5.40 ERA and 6:1 K:BB over five innings this spring. Waguespack might not be stretched out enough to be used as a traditional starter, but he could perhaps work as an opener or bulk reliever.

Lopez is a candidate to open the year as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jacob Waguespack, Tyler Alexander and Chris Devenski were also mentioned as potential replacements. The lefty Lopez operated as a starter at Triple-A Durham last season, posting a 2.72 ERA and 87:47 K:BB over 18 starts (79.1 innings) to earn his first MLB looks over the final six weeks. He has allowed one hit and five walks in 3.1 innings so far this spring.

Wood allowed two earned runs on four hits over 4.1 innings in the Athletics' Cactus League win over the Mariners on Tuesday. He also hit two batters and recorded five strikeouts.

Wood built on a decent showing in a rain-shortened outing against the Guardians on Thursday, when he allowed two runs on three hits over 2.1 innings with five strikeouts. The left-hander was able to match the latter total Tuesday while upping his workload, and although his control wasn't at its sharpest, Wood appears increasingly ready to open the regular season as the Athletics' No. 4 starter.

Beeter is a candidate to claim a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day rotation if Gerrit Cole (elbow) needs to miss time, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reports.

Beeter has impressed in Grapefruit League play this spring, posting a 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB over nine innings across three outings, including two starts. In the right-hander's most recent appearance, he recorded four scoreless frames with four strikeouts against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Cole has already undergone an MRI and is slated for additional testing on his pitching elbow, and manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Monday that the ace is unlikely to be ready for the start of the campaign, per Erik Boland of Newsday. Along with Beeter, fellow youngsters Will Warren and Luis Gil are candidates to fill in for Cole if he does indeed need to miss time, although Warren isn't on the 40-man roster.

Thielbar (hamstring) still isn't able to run at full speed, but he believes he'll be ready for Opening Day, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. He threw another batting practice session Tuesday.

It's a little worrisome he can't run at full speed, but it sounds like he has enough time to be ready for the start of the season. He will try to progress to appearing in a spring game in the next week. Thielbar is an impact reliever who will serve in the setup corps for the Twins again this season.

Sands could make Minnesota's major-league roster in a long-relief role to begin the season, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Sands shuffled between Triple-A and the majors multiple times last season, working in a long-relief role with the Twins. He posted a respectable 3.74 ERA, but it was accompanied by an 8.7 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9. If he begins the season in the majors, he may end up splitting time between Triple-A and the big-league club again.

Staumont may not make the opening roster due to decreased velocity this spring, with his fastball clocking 92-94 mph in games, MLB.com reports. He has a 4.50 ERA with two strikeouts and three walks in four innings this spring.

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.