MLB Player News

Winckowski walked one and struck out one over two hitless and scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against Washington.

Winckowski, making his Grapefruit League debut, walked the first batter he faced then retired six in a row, submitting his first piece of evidence that he should be Boston's fifth starter. The right-hander is transitioning from the bullpen -- he excelled in relief last season -- so Winckowski needs to show he can sustain through longer outings. His main competition for the final rotation spot is Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.

Sborz allowed two runs on a hit and a walk while striking out one over one relief inning during Wednesday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Sborz made his Cactus League debut, and the results were different from the last time he pitched in a competitive environment; the right-hander shut the door on Arizona for the final out of the 2023 World Series. Giving up a two-out, two-run home run to the No. 9 hitter Wednesday wasn't ideal, but it should not prevent Sborz from filling an expected role as part of manager Bruce Bochy's high-leverage bullpen crew. He could see save opportunities for a team with a volatile closer situation.

Bradford allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings during Wednesday's spring start against the Dodgers.

Bradford made his second Cactus League start in a quest to claim the fifth spot in the rotation. To that end, he's reintroduced a curveball to his repertoire to go along with a four-seamer, slider and changeup. "It's just to have something to steal strikes with," Bradford said. "It was a good pitch for me [in college], so I'm trying to get back to basically figuring out how to do that again." Or, if the rotation doesn't work out for Bradford, the lefty could land a bullpen spot. He pitched in both roles in 2023, including five relief appearances during Texas' postseason run, when he allowed one run over 7.2 innings.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Santos (lat) checked out well after playing catch Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

According to Servais, Santos was throwing hard while playing catch, but he's still not been cleared to advance to mound work as he looks to shake off right lat soreness. Santos could get the green light to throw a bullpen session after he plays catch again later this week.

Stephan will be shut down for three weeks with a deep bone bruise in his right elbow, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Stephan's elbow is structurally sound, but the Guardians will shelve the reliever for a while to let him recover from the bone bruise. Considering that Opening Day is just over four weeks away, Stephan undoubtedly will require a stay on the injured list. The 28-year-old has been a key setup man for Cleveland, posting a 3.73 ERA and 27.5 percent strikeout rate over the last three seasons.

Stephenson has been dealing with right shoulder soreness but will play catch Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stephenson has yet to make a Cactus League appearance, and Fletcher's report helps clarify why the veteran reliever hasn't debuted. It's certainly a good sign that he'll resume throwing Wednesday, but he'll need to check off additional boxes before being cleared for spring games. Assuming he's fully healthy for Opening Day, Stephenson is slated for a setup role with the Angels ahead of closer Carlos Estevez.

Angels manager Ron Washington recently confirmed that Estevez will be the team's closer, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

General manager Perry Minasian said in January following the signing of Robert Stephenson that he still viewed Estevez as the favorite to serve as the club's closer, and Washington has now given his stamp of approval. Estevez had a dominant first half in 2023, which netted him an All-Star nod before he regressed to a 6.59 ERA in the second half. Stephenson -- who signed a three-year, $33 million contract -- will be a threat to overtake Estevez after his dominant run with the Rays last season. Worth noting, though, is that Stephenson is dealing with a bit of shoulder soreness.

Englert (hip) is scheduled to appear in relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

After he was blasted for nine earned runs in 2.1 innings of long relief July 22 against the Padres, Englert never appeared again for the Tigers last season. He was placed on the injured list two days later with a left hip tightness, and though he was sent out on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo in September, he was ultimately shut down again. Englert appears to be healthy again after having the offseason to recover from the hip issue, but he'll need a strong showing in spring training to secure a spot in the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen. He'll be making his second Grapefruit League appearance Wednesday after he surrendered three earned runs on three hits -- all home runs -- in two innings this past Saturday against the Yankees.

Brash (elbow) could be sidelined for a significant period of time, perhaps for the entire season, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Brash and the Mariners haven't revealed where exactly the reliever is hurting, but Divish notes that the righty was looking down at his elbow while discussing the injury. Divish also hears from sources that the injury could potentially be long term and, at the very least, is likely to result in an injured list stint to begin the season. Brash struck out 107 batters over 70.2 innings last season and his potential loss would be a devastating blow to Seattle's bullpen.

Walter struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against St. Louis.

Walter was impressive in his Grapefruit League debut, getting all six batters out, with one ball leaving the infield. He followed starter Kutter Crawford, pitching the third and fourth innings. The left-handed Walter had a rough introduction to the majors in 2023, charged with 16 earned runs on 32 hits and seven walks over 23 innings. That experience shaped his offseason preparations, per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. "I was able to reflect on it and see why I wasn't successful," Walter said. "I'm so used to being successful in the minor leagues. Making adjustments on the fly is something I need to improve on. I focused on attacking with all my pitches and throwing strikes. I was too consumed with velocity instead of doing what I do best." The 27-year-old Walter is expected to be part of the rotation at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2024 season.