MLB Player News

Ragans allowed one hit and struck out six over three scoreless innings in Thursday's Cactus League win over the Cubs. He did not issue a walk.

The lefty was able to exact a measure of revenge against a Cubs team that rocked him for seven runs over 2.1 innings back on March 1. Ragans noted after the game he was hitting his spots and keeping hitters off balance Thursday after execution was an issue his last time out, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Ragans, the presumptive Opening Day starter for Kansas City, also mentioned that his goal this year is to be unpredictable to lefties to combat his rather surprising reverse splits from a season ago.

Long, who was hit by a line drive in his left hand during Monday's spring game, threw a bullpen session Thursday despite some swelling, MLB.com reports.

Long had test results that showed he didn't suffer any broken bones after he reached to grab a liner and it deflected off his pitching hand. It's possible his next appearance this spring gets delayed, however, so he could fall behind for being ready for Opening Day.

Kerkering threw a clean inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, striking out two while picking up a hold.

Kerkering now holds a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while fanning three over three innings during spring training so far. The 23-year-old right-hander showed plenty of promise out of Philadelphia's bullpen in his first full season in the major leagues, featuring a 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 74:14 K:BB across 63 regular-season frames a year ago. Kerkering is slated to start 2025 in a setup role behind presumed closer Jordan Romano, but it's not out of the question that the former sees some ninth-inning work at some point later in the season.

Alvarado fired a scoreless inning in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Tampa Bay, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three.

Alvarado has looked sharp in the Grapefruit League thus far, tossing three scoreless innings with seven punchouts. The hard-throwing left-hander is one of several Phillies arms competing for saves chances in 2025, and his results are worth noting due to Matt Strahm having yielded six runs in 1.2 innings this spring. Jordan Romano still appears to be first in line when it comes to ninth-inning work, but Alvarado is at least working to entrench himself as a high-leverage option and perhaps even leapfrog Strahm as Philadelphia's top lefty reliever.

Reid-Foley cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse.

The Mets placed Reid-Foley on waivers Tuesday in an effort to create space on their 40-man roster, and he'll officially stick with the organization after the other 29 clubs passed on the opportunity to claim him. The 29-year-old righty posted a 1.66 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 21.2 innings last year before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in June. A similar start in Triple-A could earn him a spot back in New York's bullpen.

Estevez (back) said he threw his "best bullpen" yet in Thursday's session and is scheduled for another Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Estevez has been dealing with mild lower-back tightness, which has prevented him from making a spring training appearance. The expected primary closer for the Royals still has some work to do before he can take the mound in a live game.

Marsh (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Sunday will be the first time Marsh has gone up against a live opponent since arriving at camp with tightness in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old has been able to throw multiple bullpen sessions with no issues, so if his shoulder holds up after a few rounds of live BP, he may be cleared to appear in games before the end of spring training.

The Astros list Santa (undisclosed) on the roster for their March 14 Spring Breakout game against Nationals prospects, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.

Santa seems to be healthy again after he finished the 2024 season on Double-A Corpus Christi's injured list. The 21-year-old righty turned in an 8.69 ERA and 2.14 WHIP while striking out 16 and walking 16 over 19.2 innings for Corpus Christi before being shut down in late August.

Blalock could make Colorado's Opening Day roster as a starter or long reliever, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Blalock made his big-league debut with the Brewers and Rockies in 2024, throwing 30.2 innings, primarily as a starter. He struggled to a 5.87 ERA and 1.79 WHIP paired with a 20:20 K:BB. However, Blalock has impressed this spring, allowing only two earned runs with a 10:1 K:BB across nine frames. Saunders notes that Blalock's most likely role is in long relief, though he'd be an option for the rotation if Austin Gomber (shoulder) remains sidelined.

The Padres reassigned Wendelken to minor-league camp Thursday.

Wendelken had made 144 big-league appearances over stops with the Athletics and Diamondbacks from 2016 through 2022 before heading overseas and spending the last two seasons in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The 31-year-old right-hander returned stateside and inked a minor-league deal with the Padres over the winter, and after giving up five earned runs in 1.2 innings over his two Cactus League appearances, he was unable to win a spot in San Diego's Opening Day bullpen. Unless the Padres allow him to enter free agency, Wendelken will likely begin the upcoming season at Triple-A El Paso.