MLB Player News

Junk (ankle) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Stephen Strom of Marlins Radio Network reports.

It's another box to check for Junk, who is working his way back from a Grade 1 mild right ankle sprain. He shouldn't be far off from his Grapefruit League debut, barring any setbacks. Junk is in the running for a spot in the Marlins' rotation, but a long-relief role is more likely.

Imanaga allowed three hits across two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres. He struck out one.

Making his spring debut, Imanaga looked sharp as he logged 33 pitches. Most notably, his fastball velocity was 93 mph on average in the contest, which is up from last season's 90.8 mph average, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. This supports reports coming out of camp about increased velocity for Imanaga. It remains to be seen if this is just a blip for the southpaw in a short start or something he can actually sustain throughout the year. If Imanaga can regularly throw harder, he might be able to improve upon last season's 7.3 K/9, which was down from the 9.0 K/9 he recorded during his 2024 rookie campaign.

Santos allowed two hits and two walks across one scoreless inning during Monday's 6-2 Cactus League win over the Athletics.

Santos surrendered a double, a single and two walks but was able to escape the third inning without allowing a run. A non-roster invitee to spring training, Santos signed a minor-league pact with San Francisco in mid-December after being non-tendered by the Mariners following a forgettable two-season stretch in which he made just 16 relief appearances while missing time due to right knee and arm issues. He'll look to earn a spot in the San Francisco bullpen and return to form after his injury problems.

O'Brien (calf) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It will be the first time O'Brien has thrown from the mound since he went down with a minor right calf strain a week ago. The injury is expected to prevent the reliever from pitching for Team South Korea in the World Baseball Classic, but O'Brien should not have trouble ramping up in time for Opening Day if he can avoid setbacks.

Holmes gave up two runs on one hit and two walks over 3.2 innings in the Mets' Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays on Monday. He struck out three.

The right-hander threw 57 pitches (30 strikes) as he prepares to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Holmes' one real mistake came on an 82.2 mph curveball to Kazuma Okamoto, which the Japanese slugger put over the fence in center field for a two-run home run. It's a pitch Holmes didn't throw at all in 2025. Once he returns to camp from the WBC, Holmes will be battling with Kodai Senga for the fifth spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation, although with only two days off through the first three weeks of their schedule, it's possible the team will roll with a six-man rotation out of the gate.

Bender (shin) threw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Bender has been slowed early in Marlins camp by a shin issue, but he did not appear compromised Tuesday, sitting 95-96 mph with his fastball. The veteran reliever's next time on the bump could be in a game setting.

Megill had a PRP injection this offseason after missing time during the 2025 season due to a forearm strain, Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Meanwhile, manager Pat Murphy suggested that he won't necessarily need defined roles for Megill and others at the back of the bullpen. "I don't feel like that at all," he said. "I feel like we'll look at the matchups and see what's best. We'll look at the health of the pitcher. You might see other guys in that mix too."

The Brewers' bullpen situation is especially tough to project, because they have so many different good options, even beyond Megill and Abner Uribe. Moreover, both Megill and Uribe are being priced in the draft market as near full-time closers. While their respective ratios and strikeouts mitigate some of the costs of missing out on saves, it's difficult to draft both and miss out on production at another position.

Burgos (forearm) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Monday's Cactus League game against the Guardians, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Burgos is healthy again and preparing to compete for a spot in the Diamondbacks' Opening Day bullpen after he closed the past season on the injured list due to a right forearm contusion. The 25-year-old reached the big leagues for the first time in 2025, making 13 appearances between stops with Seattle and Arizona and producing a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over 13.1 innings.

Vasquez tossed two scoreless innings in a Cactus League start against the Dodgers on Sunday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out one batter.

Vasquez held the Dodgers' lineup in check, though Los Angeles didn't play most of its regular starters. The right-hander threw 31 total pitches as he begins to build up toward the regular season. Padres manager Craig Stammen said last week that Vasquez has an "inside track" to beginning the regular season in San Diego's rotation, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.

Castillo received an invitation to big-league spring training, but the lat injury will likely end his longshot bid to win a spot on the Rockies' Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old righty split the 2025 campaign between Triple-A Albuquerque and Double-A Hartford, posting a 2.94 ERA and 64:27 K:BB in 52 innings.