MLB Player News

The Rangers optioned White to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

White was one of four pitchers sent to minor-league camp in the Rangers' latest round of roster cuts. The 24-year-old right-hander made two relief appearances for Texas last season but otherwise spent the 2023 campaign in the minors with Round Rock and Double-A Frisco. White is expected to be a full-time member of the Round Rock rotation in 2024.

Kowar will meet with a doctor Friday to have his sore right arm examined, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The Mariners gave Kowar a couple days to rest and that evidently didn't knock the soreness out, so he's set to be evaluated further. It's not clear whether the soreness is in his elbow or shoulder. Kowar might have been pitching his way into a bullpen spot with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings this spring, but now it's possible he could be sidelined for a while.

Kelly (oblique) said Thursday that he expects to resume throwing off a mound next week and be ready in time for Opening Day, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Kelly is dealing with left oblique soreness, but the reliever is optimistic he can avoid a stint on the injured list. The 29-year-old wouldn't appear to be a lock for the Opening Day roster, however, as he's struggled this spring in allowing two runs on four hits and four walks over three innings.

Jansen (lat) said Wednesday that he's targeting the Red Sox's March 15 game against the Twins for his Grapefruit League debut, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Jansen came into camp battling right lat soreness but recently progressed to facing hitters and is a little over a week away from a game appearance. He'll have less than two weeks to prep for Opening Day, but that's not expected to be a problem. Jansen will open the season as Boston's closer.

Dubin (shoulder) resumed playing catch Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubin has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut while he recovers from right shoulder inflammation, but resuming a throwing program this week is the first step toward getting back on the mound in a game setting. The right-hander will likely increase his throwing distance off flat ground over the next several days before advancing to bullpen sessions and then facing hitters in live batting practice. Even if he remains free of setbacks as he builds back up, Dubin is still probably a week or more away from his spring debut.

Kelly is currently sidelined by a left oblique injury, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Kelly's last Grapefruit League appearance came on March 2, although it's not clear whether he was injured then or sometime after. It's possible he will require a stint on the injured list to begin the season, but more should be known in the coming days.

Blanco could begin the season in the rotation, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Blanco was a versatile option for the Astros in 2023, as he made 17 appearances in the majors -- seven of which were starts. He posted a 4.74 ERA paired with an uninspiring 35:21 K:BB across 38 frames as a starter, though Houston may have little choice to turn to him with Justin Verlander (shoulder) set to begin the season on the injured list and J.P. France (shoulder) still limited. Blanco has made three spring training appearances, with his longest outing being three frames. He's also gotten good results, throwing 7.2 scoreless innings while compiling an 8:2 K:BB.

Duffey has been sidelined since Feb. 26 after having surgery to remove a cancerous mole from his back, MLB.com reports. He started light baseball activity Wednesday.

A suspicious mole on Duffey's back was diagnosed as melanoma during an exam early in spring training. Duffey hopes to pitch in games by the end of spring training, but it appears likely he'll begin the season on the injured list. He signed a minor-league deal with the Royals and is attempting to win a spot in the major-league bullpen this spring.

Criswell allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Wednesday's spring start against Minnesota.

The Red Sox cited Criswell as a potential starter in the wake of Lucas Giolito's elbow injury, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. The right-hander made his first spring start Wednesday and threw a pair of 1-2-3 innings before sputtering in the third. Criswell's not overpowering -- his fastball topped out at 89.3 mph Wednesday -- but the Red Sox will need length and possibly a sixth starter early when the team plays 23 games in the first 25 days of the season.

Anderson has been impressive in camp so far and could make a push for an MLB bullpen spot, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Anderson, who spent the last two seasons pitching in Japan, has logged three scoreless innings with four strikeouts so far in Grapefruit League play, touching 97 mph with his fastball. While it's no guarantee that he breaks camp with the big-league club, Anderson could be first in line for a call up when a need arises. The righty most recently appeared in the majors back in 2021, logging 22 innings for the Rangers and posting a solid 3.27 ERA.