MLB Player News
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Janson Junk RP | MIA
Marlins' Janson Junk: Set for bullpen session
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.
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Scott Barlow RP | ATH
Athletics' Scott Barlow: Surrenders two runs in spring debut
Barlow allowed two runs on three hits and no walks across one inning in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the Brewers. He did not record a strikeout.
Barlow entered in the fifth inning to make his Athletics debut after signing a one-year deal with the club Feb. 6, and he allowed some hard contact, including a pair of two-out doubles by Tyler Black and David Hamilton that each drove in a run. The veteran right-hander is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he posted a 4.21 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with a 9.9 K/9 and a career-worst 5.9 BB/9 across 68.1 innings with the Reds. His 59 career saves will keep him in the mix for closing duties, though middling results in recent seasons offer little security as Barlow competes with fellow veteran Mark Leiter and younger options Justin Sterner, Elvis Alvarado and several other arms.
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Jacob Latz RP | TEX
Rangers' Jacob Latz: Opens rotation bid
Latz allowed two hits over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring start against Arizona.
Latz made his Cactus League debut and was all over the strike zone, landing 20 of his 26 pitches for strikes. The left-hander delivered first-pitch strikes to six of the eight batters he faced. He's competing with Kumar Rocker for the fifth spot in the rotation, but he could ultimately land in a hybrid role.
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Ryan Helsley RP | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Helsley: Scoreless inning in spring debut
Helsley allowed one hit in a scoreless third inning during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.
After signing a two-year, $28 million contract with the Orioles in November, Helsley pounded the zone for 10 strikes among his 12 pitches in his spring debut. The 31-year-old right-hander's fastball velocity topped out at 97.7 mph, and he'll likely be looking to increase that as spring training progresses. With Felix Bautista (shoulder) likely to miss 2026, Helsley is gearing up to function as Baltimore's closer to begin the season.
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Brendan White RP | SEA
Mariners' Brendan White: Lands with M's
White signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Saturday.
White struggled to find his footing in the minors last year, posting a 7.24 ERA and 1.90 WHIP across 32.1 innings with Detroit's Triple-A affiliate before being released by the club in July. He'll get a chance to redeem himself with the Mariners, though he will most likely be used as bullpen depth at Triple-A Tacoma.
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Shota Imanaga RP | CHC
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Velocity up in spring debut
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.
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Christian Montes De Oca RP | ARI
Christian Montes De Oca: Cut by Arizona
The Diamondbacks released Montes De Oca (back) on Tuesday, Aaron Hughes of SI.com reports.
Montes De Oca made his MLB debut last season but underwent back surgery in June that kept him out for the remainder of the year and will also sideline him for most of the 2026 campaign. The 26-year-old righty posted a 4.07 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 24.1 innings at Triple-A Reno and shouldn't have much trouble landing a minor-league deal despite his injury.
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Julian Merryweather RP | MIN
Twins' Julian Merryweather: Exits with strained hamstring
Merryweather was removed from Tuesday's Grapefruit League appearance against the Rays with a left hamstring strain, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Merryweather walked the first batter he saw in the third inning and then struck out the next hitter before being pulled. That the Twins are already calling the injury a strain suggests he could be out a while. Merryweather is in Twins camp as a non-roster invitee.
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Gregory Santos RP | SF
Giants' Gregory Santos: Issues two walks in spring debut
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.
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Riley O'Brien RP | STL
Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: Bullpen session Tuesday
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.