MLB Player News

The Tigers reassigned Hanifee to minor-league camp Thursday.

Hanifee made three relief appearances for the Tigers during the 2023 campaign and rejoined Detroit on a minor-league deal in the offseason after being non-tendered in November, but he never looked to be a realistic candidate to win a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old right-hander is expected to report to Triple-A Toledo to begin the 2024 season.

Schreiber is viewed as a lock to make the Royals' bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Schreiber's role is yet to be officially defined by manager Matt Quatraro, but it's likely he is in the high-leverage mix after logging nine saves and 33 holds over 110 appearances between 2022 and 2023 for the Red Sox. The right-handed reliever has done everything right in spring so far, allowing five hits and striking out five without walking a batting over five innings through five Cactus League appearances. In addition to Schreiber, Will Smith and James McArthur are seen as the Royals' top relievers, with Smith most likely to close given his past work as a closer.

The Padres traded Wilson, Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala and Jairo Iriarte to the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for Dylan Cease, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Wilson logged a 3.91 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 53 innings last season with the Padres, though he spent the final month of the year on the IL due to left hip inflammation. His hip doesn't appear to be an issue heading into this season, however, as he's pitched six scoreless innings so far during spring training while striking out 10 batters and walking seven. Wilson will immediately become one of the more reliable arms in Chicago's bullpen and could potentially be in the mix for save opportunities if he starts strong in 2024.

Loaisiga (elbow) will make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday against the Red Sox, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Loaisiga hasn't been injured, but the Yankees have simply elected to bring him along slowly this spring after he ended last season on the injured list with a right elbow injury. There are just two weeks from the date of Loaisiga's first spring appearance and Opening Day, but the Yankees haven't offered any indication that the right-handed reliever is in danger of missing out on a roster spot.

The Mariners reassigned Snead to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Snead logged 11.2 innings over 15 appearances at the big-league level with Oakland in 2023, but he was never seen as a likely candidate to break camp with a spot in the Seattle bullpen. The 29-year-old southpaw will likely need to string together several quality appearances at Triple-A Tacoma to begin the season before he receives consideration for a promotion to Seattle.

Poteet is a candidate to join the Yankees' Opening Day rotation due to Gerrit Cole (elbow) being expected to be sidelined for 1-to-2 months to begin the season, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Luke Weaver (neck) looks to be the top candidate to fill the fifth opening in the rotation in the wake of Cole's injury, provided Weaver can overcome the neck issue that caused him to be scratched from his most recent Grapefruit League start Tuesday. If Weaver isn't able to get fully stretched out for Opening Day, however, Poteet may be next in line to fill the rotation vacancy. Signed to a one-year, $750,000 deal in January, Poteet has impressed through his first three spring outings, striking out seven and walking one over 5.2 scoreless frames while holding opposing hitters to a .158 average. Beyond Weaver and Poteet, Will Warren, Cody Morris and Luis Gil are other candidates for the fifth rotation spot.

Brebbia (calf) is scheduled to face hitters in live batting practice Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brebbia has yet to make his Cactus League debut while he works his way back from a right calf strain suffered earlier in camp, but if all goes well Wednesday, he could be integrated into the White Sox's pitching schedule within the next few days. The right-hander is looking on track to be available for Opening Day if he avoids any setbacks in his throwing program, but it's unclear what role he'll hold in the White Sox bullpen. Brebbia was a dependable middle reliever and opener for the Giants over the past two seasons, but he could be a candidate to close games while he's part of a Chicago relief corps that's otherwise lacking in reliable or experienced late-inning options.

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.