MLB Player News

The Mariners claimed Martinez off waivers from the Marlins on Sunday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Seattle will be Martinez's fourth team of the offseason after he finished the 2024 campaign with Houston. The 30-year-old made 44 regular-season appearances for the Astros last season and had a 3.59 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 36:18 K:BB across 52.2 innings.

Stephens signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Feb. 24.

Stephens is back with Atlanta after he spent each of the last three seasons with the organization. He made three relief appearances with the big club in 2024 but saw the bulk of his action at Triple-A Gwinnett, with whom he accrued a 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB in 46.2 innings. The 30-year-old will report back to Gwinnett to begin the 2025 campaign.

Megill (undisclosed) made his Cactus League debut in Friday's 9-2 loss to the Giants, striking out a batter and giving up one run on one hit in one inning of relief.

An unspecified injury kept Megill behind schedule compared to the team's other healthy relievers early on in camp, but now that he's made his spring debut, the 31-year-old right-hander looks like he'll be ready to go for the start of the season. He surrendered a solo home run to the first batter he faced (LaMonte Wade) on Friday, but Megill bounced back well, inducing a pair of groundouts before striking out Matt Chapman to close out the third inning. With Milwaukee trading away Devin Williams in the offseason, Megill appears to be the leading candidate to serve as the Brewers' closer in 2025.

Martin (illness) is listed as one of the relievers scheduled to pitch for the Rangers in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The veteran right-hander will be making his spring debut after a bout with the flu earlier in camp put him behind schedule compared to the club's other healthy bullpen options. Martin will likely need only a handful of tuneup outings during the Cactus League to prepare himself for the beginning of the season. He'll be a candidate to factor into the Rangers' unsettled closing picture after he turned in a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 50:3 K:BB in 44.1 innings with Boston in 2024.

Valdez was released by the Mariners on Sunday.

Valdez inked a minor-league deal with Seattle in December but has been cut loose after giving up three earned runs with a 0:4 K:BB in two Cactus League appearances. The 29-year-old pitched in the Mexican Winter League this offseason, which was his first baseball action since parting ways with the Cubs organization after the 2022 season.

The Angels optioned Mederos to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Mederos is entering his third season as a member of the Angels' 40-man roster, but he made just seven total appearances at the big-league level between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns and was facing an uphill battle to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. All seven of his big-league outings have come in relief, but the 23-year-old righty will likely work out of the rotation at Salt Lake to begin the upcoming season.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Kittredge experienced left knee soreness while warming up in the bullpen prior to Saturday's 5-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Kittredge had been scheduled to make a relief appearance Saturday, but the knee issue prompted the Orioles to scrap those plans. Hyde categorized Kittredge's sore knee as a day-to-day concern, so the expectation is that the right-hander will be ready to go for Opening Day. After turning in a 2.80 ERA and collecting 37 holds over 70.2 innings with St. Louis in 2024 before signing a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, Kittredge is primed to handle a key late-inning role for Baltimore.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that he's hopeful that Bautista (elbow) will make his Grapefruit League debut Monday versus the Red Sox, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The Orioles will presumably wait and see how Bautista bounces back from his latest throwing session before locking him into Monday's pitching schedule, but up to this point, the right-hander has seemingly responded well to all of the bullpen and live batting practice sessions he's logged thus far in spring. Assuming he gets the green light to pitch Monday, Bautista will be making his first appearance in a game since August 2023, after he missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Now nearly 17 months removed from the procedure, Bautista should be on track to open the season as the Orioles' closer, provided he makes it through his spring appearances with no complications. Before suffering the elbow injury in 2023, Bautista had been one of baseball's top closers that season, turning in a 1.48 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 110:26 K:BB while notching 33 saves in 39 chances over 61 innings.

Minter (hip) is throwing a live bullpen session Sunday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

It's the first time since undergoing hip surgery in August that Minter is throwing against live hitters. The left-hander joined the Mets on a two-year, $22 million contract in January and is expected to serve as the setup man for closer Edwin Diaz. Minter could be available for Opening Day if he's able to continue progressing in his rehab with no setbacks over the next few weeks.

Martinez allowed one walk and struck out three over two scoreless relief innings in Saturday's spring game against San Diego.

Like in his first spring outing, Martinez cruised during his second Cactus League appearance. He's allowed two hits and a walk with six strikeouts through four innings. Martinez entered after starter Brady Singer, but nothing should be read into that. Martinez is projected for a rotation spot.