MLB Player News

Fitts allowed one hit and struck out four over 4.1 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against Miami.

After a couple of Grapefruit League appearances as a reliever, Fitts' last two appearances were as a starter. It's become apparent that Fitts will be part of the rotation to start the regular season, as several projected rotation members are expected to open the season on the injured list. The right-handed Fitts has a 0.84 ERA over 10.2 spring innings.

Paddack gave up two earned runs over four innings with six strikeouts and no walks in Friday's split-squad win over the Rays. He has a 5.59 ERA with nine strikeouts and no walks this spring.

Paddack left his previous start Saturday with a head contusion after a liner deflected off his glove, but he never entered the concussion protocol. He looked back to full strength and the injury doesn't look like an issue for Opening Day. While Paddack hasn't had the best numbers this spring, he's had decent strikeout totals and appears set to begin the season as the Twins' No. 4 starter.

Perdomo struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings of relief in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Entering the game in relief of Spencer Schwellenbach in the fifth inning, Perdomo fanned Dylan Crews to end the frame and then rang up Stone Garrett in the sixth. Perdomo didn't pitch last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and had a delayed start to his spring, but the 30-year-old southpaw has shown flashes of high-leverage potential in camp. While Atlanta could elect to stash him on the IL to begin the season, Perdomo should have a spot waiting for him in the bullpen once he's deemed ready.

The Cardinals optioned O'Brien to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.

O'Brien made his return Friday from an elbow issue that held him out for two weeks, but he'll now head back to Memphis to begin the 2025 campaign. The 30-year-old righty owns a 10.45 ERA over 10.1 career MLB innings, though St. Louis may be willing to give him another shot if he can replicate his 1.35 ERA in Triple-A from last year.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Saturday that Crochet will start Opening Day against the Rangers, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

After throwing 6.1 shutout innings in spring training, Crochet has officially earned the honor of starting on the bump Opening Day for his new team. His Red Sox debut will come against a Rangers squad that finished 11th in the American League with a .685 OPS last season but has brought that number up to .790 this spring.

Leahy has spun eight scoreless innings with a 9:1 K:BB during Grapefruit League play this spring.

Leahy is competing with Nick Anderson, Chris Roycroft and Riley O'Brien for one of the final two spots in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen. Perhaps working in Leahy's favor, in addition to his fine work this spring, is that he's shown the ability to go multiple frames, whereas the other three competitors are more one-inning relievers. Each of Leahy's last three outings this spring were two innings apiece, and he recorded more than three outs in 20 of his 33 appearances last season for St. Louis.

O'Brien tossed a scoreless inning Friday versus the Mets after being unavailable for more than two weeks due to right elbow soreness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

O'Brien said his elbow "flared up" after his second spring outing Feb. 26, but he did not go for tests because the elbow responded immediately to rest and treatment. While the reliever was unconcerned about the issue, it should be noted that he missed much of the 2024 campaign with a flexor strain. The Cardinals will wait to see how O'Brien's elbow bounces back from Friday's appearance before scheduling his next outing. O'Brien is in the running for one of the final spots in the St. Louis bullpen.

Roycroft is one of four competitors eyeing one of the final two spots in the Cardinals' Opening Day bullpen, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Nick Anderson, Kyle Leahy and Riley O'Brien are the others in the mix. Roycroft has put his best foot forward to claim one of the jobs, tossing six scoreless frames with a 5:1 K:BB during Grapefruit League play. The 6-foot-8 right-hander excelled at limiting hard contact last season with a 33.7 percent hard-hit rate and two percent barrel rate, but he'll need to find a weapon against left-handed batters after they had a .955 OPS against him in 2024. If Roycroft makes the Opening Day roster, it's likely to be as a middle reliever initially.

Estevez (back) made his first appearance of spring training Friday, giving up one unearned run and two hits over an inning. "I feel great," Estevez told MLB.com. "Everything is going well with my body, and I'm in a good spot. For me, it usually takes me three, maybe four outings to say, 'OK, this is it, this is the point I want to be at.'"

Estevez has been slowed in camp by lower-back tightness, but the Royals say they are confident he'll be ready for Opening Day. He'll make six appearances between major-league and minor-league games barring any setbacks before spring training ends, according to MLB.com. Estevez is expected to be the primary closer for the Royals, with Lucas Erceg also getting some save chances.

Hicks has made three appearances during Cactus League play, recording five strikeouts, a 9.45 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP across 6.2 innings.

Hicks' struggles continued Friday, during which he gave up four earned runs over 2.2 innings in an 11-5 Cactus League loss to Milwaukee. He allowed five hits, including one home run, and one walk while striking out one batter. The right-hander is expected to stick in the Giants' starting rotation after covering 20 starts and nine relief appearances in his first season with San Francisco. In the 2024 campaign, he posted a 4.10 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 96:47 K:BB over 109.2 frames. Landen Roupp, Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong are all competing for the fifth starting spot, which means Hicks could shift to a relief role if his struggles persist into the regular season.