MLB Player News

Brieske was removed from Monday's Grapefruit League appearance versus Atlanta after only three pitches with an undisclosed injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Brieske was making his first appearance of the spring after previously being sidelined with back spasms. It's safe to assume he encountered a setback with his back, but the Tigers should have more clarity on the reliever's status soon.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Hurt isn't considered a candidate for a rotation spot and is competing for a bullpen role on the team's Opening Day roster, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Hurt rose through the Dodgers farm system as a starter and looked to be making a case for a full-time appointment in the big-league rotation following a breakout 2023 campaign in which he amassed 155 strikeouts in 94 innings across three stops. However, after he required Tommy John surgery in July 2024, Hurt's trajectory appears to have changed. Though Hurt pitched effectively out of the Triple-A Oklahoma City bullpen late last season upon completing his recovery from surgery and benefited from a normal offseason, the Dodgers won't ask him to get stretched back out again in 2026. The Dodgers' ample depth is likely a major factor in the decision; even with Blake Snell (shoulder) and Gavin Stone (shoulder) expected to open the season on the shelf, the team still has plenty of appealing candidates (Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, River Ryan, Ben Casparius and Landon Knack) to fill out the final two spots in the projected six-man rotation.

Atlanta signed Nelson to a minor-league contract Feb. 25.

Nelson struggled in 2025 in his first season back from thoracic outlet surgery, allowing two runs in two innings with the Diamondbacks and posting a 9.09 ERA in 42 appearances with Triple-A Reno. The 29-year-old will give Atlanta some experienced left-handed relief depth at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Samaniego (back) is scheduled to make a relief appearance Tuesday in the Red Sox's exhibition versus Team Puerto Rico, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Samaniego had been scheduled to make an appearance early in the Grapefruit League slate, but a back issue cropped up and prevented him from pitching. The young lefty wasn't shut down for long and has been able to ramp back up through bullpen sessions and live batting practice over the past week, setting the stage for him to make his spring debut Tuesday. Samaniego was added to the Red Sox's 40-man roster over the winter but is expected to open the season in the Triple-A Worcester bullpen.

Wilson said Sunday that his lower back has responded well to an injection, and he hopes to be ready to make his season debut shortly after Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Wilson's back issue cropped up following his second bullpen session of spring training and prompted the Rays to shut him down. The righty reliever is still waiting for the injection to take full effect, but assuming it alleviates the lingering pain in his back, he should initiate a throwing program in the coming days. Once healthy, Wilson is likely to fill a middle-innings role for Tampa Bay, who acquired him in November after he turned in a 3.42 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 51:22 K:BB over 55.1 innings out of the White Sox bullpen in 2025.

Strahm allowed a hit and no walks across a scoreless inning in Sunday's Cactus League win over the Brewers. He struck out one.

Strahm entered in the fifth inning to make his spring debut, working around a leadoff single by Cooper Pratt to retire the side without allowing a run. The veteran left-hander, who began his big-league career with the Royals in 2016, was acquired by Kansas City from Philadelphia in December in exchange for Jonathan Bowlan. Strahm is coming off a 2.74 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a 10.1 K/9 across 62.1 regular-season innings out of the bullpen last season and figures to handle plenty of high-leverage opportunities for the Royals in 2026.

Brieske (back) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Brieske will be making his spring debut Monday after a bout with thoracic spine inflammation prevented him from pitching last week. The Tigers didn't use Brieske for more than two innings in any of his appearances last season, so the 27-year-old won't require much of a buildup period during spring training.

Hentges (shoulder/knee) said Monday that he will throw one more bullpen session before advancing to facing hitters, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hentges has been throwing off the mound since the beginning of Giants camp, but the club is being slow and steady with his progression following left shoulder surgery in September 2024 and arthroscopic right knee surgery in August 2025. The southpaw will likely face hitters at least a couple times before he's ready to pitch in games. The deliberate pace the Giants have Hentges on suggests they might put him on the injured list to begin the season.

Megill tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's spring game against the Royals. He did not allow a hit, struck out a batter and walked another.

It was reported last Monday that Megill received a PRP injection in his forearm at some point over the offseason, but he took the mound for the first time this spring less than a week later, and per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hit 98.3 mph on the radar gun. The arm issues are something to be aware of, but it's also tough to ignore the 30 saves he recorded last season and 21 the year before. Megill is in line to open the season as Milwaukee's closer, and Abner Uribe is presumably next in line should Megill need a breather or wind up unavailable.

Bender (shin) will throw a couple more live batting practice sessions before making his Grapefruit League debut, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Bender is a bit behind schedule because of a shin issue, but he's on the mend. The veteran reliever faced hitters last week and will do so more times this week before being thrown into game action. Bender has plenty of time to ramp up for Opening Day.