MLB Player News

Paplham has been diagnosed with facial fractures after being struck by a line drive in Sunday's Cactus League game versus the Dodgers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Paplham has been discharged from the hospital but is still going through concussion protocols. It's not clear at this point how long he might be sidelined. Once healthy, Paplham should join the bullpen either at Double-A San Antonio or Triple-A El Paso.

Silseth (elbow) allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out one batter over 1.1 innings Sunday in a Cactus League contest against Cleveland.

Silseth ended last season on the minor-league injured list and underwent right elbow surgery in early August. He struggled in his first game action this spring, giving up a Steven Kwan solo homer on the first pitch he threw and allowing the following four batters to reach base (though one was due to an Angels error). Silseth was pulled after recording just one out, but under spring training rules, he was allowed to come back out for the next frame and looked much better, retiring the side in order. Still, it wasn't a promising beginning to the exhibition slate for the right-hander, who is competing for a rotation spot this spring. If Silseth is unable to win that battle, he could end up in the big-league bullpen or at Triple-A to begin the campaign.

Bautista (elbow) will throw one more live batting practice session this week before getting into a spring training game, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bautista threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Sunday and will throw to hitters again either Wednesday or Thursday. The next step could be his Grapefruit League debut, perhaps in the first week of March. He still has to hit these checkpoints, but Bautista's recovery appears on track for him to be Baltimore's closer at the start of the season.

Manaea has been diagnosed with a right oblique strain and is expected to begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Manaea will be shut down for a couple weeks before being re-evaluated, but even in a best-case scenario he will not have time to be built back up for Opening Day. It's another blow to the Mets' starting pitching depth after it was revealed last week that Frankie Montas has a right lat strain. The club has been planning to deploy a six-man rotation early in the season, but it might now have to rethink that strategy.

Francis, whose scheduled start Monday against the Tigers was rained out, will follow Max Scherzer in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Jays will still get Francis the same amount of work, he'll just be pitching a day later and coming in after Scherzer. Francis would seem to be locked in as Toronto's fifth starter in 2025 following a surprise 2024 season in which he logged a 2.92 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 77 innings over 13 starts after moving from the bullpen to the rotation.

Ort (oblique) is doing some throwing in the batting cage off a screen, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Ort is being eased back into a throwing program as he comes back from left oblique soreness. The Astros expect the reliever to have plenty of time to get ramped up for Opening Day as long as he continues to progress. Ort posted a 2.55 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 26:4 K:BB across 24.2 regular-season frames for Houston in 2024.

Dubin is headed back to Houston to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubin tried playing catch Sunday after being shut down for a while and the shoulder did not respond well. It sounds like he could be headed for a long-term absence, but more will be known once the test results are in. Dubin held a 4.17 ERA and 49:26 K:BB over 45.1 innings for Houston in 2024.

Whitlock threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday following a week of downtime, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

As part of the rehab plan this offseason to bring Whitlock back from an internal brace procedure, the Red Sox introduced the concept of what was coined a "de-load" week. The right-hander would throw normal bullpens, then get a week off. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said this most recent de-load was the last one. If healthy, Whitlock should serve in a high-leverage bullpen role, including save opportunities.

Bradford allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against the Cubs.

Bradford, who could land in the rotation or the bullpen, submitted evidence during his Cactus League debut of his worthiness to be a starter in the regular season. Sixteen of his 24 pitches were strikes, which impressed manager Bruce Bochy. "Outstanding, wasn't he?" Bochy told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports. "Really nice job, throwing his strikes, Cody was Cody today. Good day for him." The left-hander pitched well in 2024 when healthy, posting a 3.54 ERA over 14 outings (13 starts).

Martinez allowed two hits and struck out three over two innings in Sunday's spring game against the Giants.

Martinez struck out three in the first inning, using his changeup, a backdoor cutter and a fastball up an away to induce the Ks, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Of his 35 pitches, 26 were strikes, including all 14 thrown during the first inning. "I felt good, really good," Martinez said. "I did a really good job of just attacking the zone and challenging hitters early and often." Martinez has filled a variety of pitching roles in the past, but Reds manager Terry Francona confirmed the right-hander is viewed as a starter by the organization.