MLB Player News

Bickford (arm) tossed a perfect inning against San Francisco in a Cactus League contest Saturday. He struck out two.

Bickford entered camp battling arm soreness, so he wasn't able to get into his first spring contest until Saturday. Despite the delayed start, the right-hander pitched as if he was in midseason form, needing only 13 pitches to get three outs -- two of which came via strikeout. Bickford isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, but he should occupy a key role in the Dodgers' bullpen once he's fully ramped up.

The Padres optioned Weathers to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Even with Mike Clevinger (knee) set to begin the season on the injured list, Weathers' slim chances of breaking camp as a member of the Padres' rotation were dashed after the Friars acquired Sean Manaea from the Athletics on Sunday. With MacKenzie Gore turning heads in spring training, Weathers may not be the first prized young arm to get a call-up to the majors if San Diego has an opening at the rotation at some point early on in 2022. The Padres will likely want the 22-year-old lefty to first find some extended success at Triple-A after he faded badly down the stretch for the big club in 2021 to finish with a 5.32 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 10.5 K-BB% across 94.2 innings.

Kimbrel allowed four runs on four hits and struck out one over one-third of an inning in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Saturday.

Kimbrel's tenure as a Dodger got off to an inauspicious start, as he allowed a hit to each of the first four batters he faced. Two of those left the yard, and he was ultimately charged with four earned runs. The veteran did end his outing on a positive note with a punchout, but it wasn't the type of performance Los Angeles envisioned when acquiring him via trade Friday. Of course, spring training blowups don't tend to mean much in the big picture, and Kimbrel remains penciled in to begin the campaign as the Dodgers' closer.

Littell has allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout in three innings across three Cactus League games.

Littell was very effective in 2021, working in everything from an opener role to a fill-in at closer occasionally. He posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB with a 4-0 record, two saves and five holds in 61.2 innings. Entering 2022, Giants manager Gabe Kapler still hesitates to give strictly defined roles to his relievers. Jake McGee, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers are expected to be in the closer committee, while Littell's versatility will see him often work in the middle innings. Given his 3.86 FIP from last season, he'll likely face a little regression in 2022.

Rucker seems likely to secure an Opening Day bullpen spot with the Cubs, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Rucker appeared in 20 games with the Cubs last season, and although he posted an inflated 6.99 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, his 30 strikeouts across 28.1 innings does show some promise. The righty is unlikely to be a high-leverage arm, but he can give Chicago multiple innings out of the bullpen and may snag a few cheap wins here and there.

Gsellman will likely begin the year in the minors, though he could get called up later if he pitches well there, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Gsellman appeared in 17 games for the Mets last season and logged 119.2 innings for New York working as a starter back in 2017, so he certainly has plenty of MLB experience. However, he's on a minor-league deal with the Cubs, and the team doesn't seem to have an open MLB bullpen spot for the 28-year-old. Gsellman could work his way into the mix at some point, though his fantasy value seems fairly limited.

The Mets acquired Rodriguez from the Yankees on Sunday in exchange for Miguel Castro, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The swap of relievers gives the Mets a much-needed lefty option, as Rodriguez becomes the only southpaw that's tentatively in the Mets' projected Opening Day bullpen. Rodriguez is expected to slot into the middle relief/setup ranks for the Mets after he accrued a 4.66 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 47:18 K:BB in 46.1 innings with the Yankees last season to go with one save and 13 holds.

Davidson will make Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Davidson was competing for a spot in Atlanta's rotation, but it appears he'll work out of the bullpen and as a potential sixth starter. Spencer Strider is expected to fill a similar role, which means Kyle Wright should open the campaign as the No. 5 starter. Wright has a 6.56 ERA over 70 big-league innings, so Davidson and Strider could still receive more starting opportunities if Wright doesn't fare better in 2022.

Alvarado (neck) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Though Alvarado has been cleared for game action and likely won't require much buildup time as a reliever who typically doesn't work more than one inning, he's not a lock to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster since the neck issue has kept him out for the majority of the spring. As Gelb notes, the Phillies' plans for Alvarado will likely become apparent based on where his next outing comes Tuesday or Wednesday. If Alvarado pitches in one of the team's final two exhibition games, it would likely signal that he's on track for the Opening Day roster, whereas a simulated game Tuesday or Wednesday would hint that the Phillies are planning to stash him on the injured list to begin the season.

Harvey (triceps) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The outing will mark Harvey's spring and Nationals debut, after he was being brought along slowly at Giants camp earlier in March before being claimed off waivers by Washington two weeks ago. Though the upcoming appearance signals that Harvey is healthy again after he finished the 2021 campaign on the Orioles' injured list with a strained right triceps, he still has a minor-league option remaining and could wind up settling at Triple-A Rochester to begin the season.