MLB Player News
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Joe Mantiply RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Joe Mantiply: Inks deal with Toronto
Mantiply signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday that includes an invite to big-league spring training.
The 35-year-old lefty spent the previous six seasons with the Diamondbacks but was released last June. Mantiply then inked a minor-league pact with Toronto in July. He appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen for Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 3.45 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 19:0 K:BB across 15.2 innings but didn't appear in any big-league games for the Blue Jays. Mantiply will compete for one of the final spots in the bullpen ahead of Opening Day.
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Josh Hader RP | HOU
Astros' Josh Hader: Could throw off mound next week
Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Hader (biceps) could throw a bullpen session next week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Hader has been limited to flat-ground work since he came down with left biceps inflammation just before the start of Astros camp. He is not expected to be ready for Opening Day, as Hader needs time to ramp things back up before being game-ready. Hader has not pitched in a game setting since early August of last year, as he missed the final seven-plus weeks of the season with a left shoulder strain. Bryan Abreu is lined up to serve as Houston's closer at the beginning of the season.
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Enyel De Los Santos RP | HOU
Astros' Enyel De Los Santos: Cleared for mound work
De Los Santos (knee) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It will be his first time throwing off the mound since he suffered a right knee strain at the start of Astros camp. De Los Santos should have enough time to prepare for Opening Day if all goes well from here on out. He's slated for a middle-relief role in Houston.
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Nate Pearson RP | HOU
Astros' Nate Pearson: Throwing paused due to sore elbow
Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that the team will "slow down" Pearson's throwing program after the pitcher felt soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow during his last bullpen session, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pearson had arthroscopic surgery in his pitching elbow over the offseason and had been ramping up slowly in Astros camp. It was already likely that Pearson would begin the season on the injured list, and now it should be a given. Houston signed Pearson with the thought that he'd be stretched back out as a starting pitcher, but his health and role are now in question.
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Cody Ponce RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Cody Ponce: Getting stretched out
Ponce allowed one run on four hits over two innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out two without walking a batter.
The right-hander built up to 32 pitches (18 strikes) against a Boston lineup that consisted of prospects and big-league depth players. Ponce has looked good so far this spring as he gets ready to pitch in MLB for the first time since 2021, posting a 4:0 K:BB through his first two appearances and three innings.
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Grant Holmes RP | ATL
Braves' Grant Holmes: Blanks Twins in Sunday's start
Holmes allowed one hit and one walk over 2.2 scoreless innings during Sunday's split-squad game against the Twins. He struck out two.
Facing a good chunk of Minnesota's likely Opening Day lineup, Holmes tossed just 23 of 46 pitches for strikes but escaped jams in the first and third innings. The 29-year-old right-hander worked a career-high 115 innings in 2025 before his season ended in July due to a partial UCL tear in his elbow, but so far in camp it looks like his decision to treat the issue with rest and rehab rather than surgery was the correct one. Through two Grapefruit League appearances, Holmes has thrown 4.2 scoreless frames with a 4:2 K:BB.
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Reynaldo Lopez RP | ATL
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Sharp in second spring outing
Lopez gave up one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings during Atlanta's split-squad game against the Rays on Sunday. He struck out three.
The 32-year-old right-hander fired 27 of 42 pitches for strikes in an impressive outing, although it came against a Tampa Bay lineup that featured only a couple regulars headlined by Yandy Diaz. Lopez made only one start in 2025 before being lost to shoulder surgery, but he's looking healthy so far in camp -- he's tossed five scoreless innings in two Grapefruit League appearances with a 5:2 K:BB. He had trouble maintaining his velocity Sunday, however, and while he topped out at 94.5 mph with his fastball, he was sitting between 89.9 mph to 91.7 mph in his third and final frame. If Lopez's arm holds up, he'll be locked into an Opening Day rotation spot for Atlanta.
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Wander Suero RP | ATH
Athletics' Wander Suero: Delivers two scoreless frames
Suero allowed a hit and no walks across two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League win over the Padres. He struck out one.
Suero entered in the sixth inning and tossed two scoreless frames, with a two-out Clay Dungan single in the seventh inning representing the lone baserunner against him. The veteran right-hander, who relies primarily on a cutter, signed a minor-league deal with the Athletics in November after seeing limited MLB action in recent years, with his last extended stint coming in 2021 with the Nationals. Suero is competing for a spot in the big-league bullpen and has allowed a run on three hits with three strikeouts across four innings in Cactus League play, though he's more likely to open the 2026 season at Triple-A Las Vegas.
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Riley O'Brien RP | STL
Cardinals' Riley O'Brien: On track for spring debut Friday
O'Brien (calf) is tentatively scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Orioles, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The right-hander has been slowed in Cardinals camp by a mild right calf strain. O'Brien got through a live batting practice session Monday with no issues, and as long as he bounces back well, he'll get into game action Friday. The hard-throwing O'Brien is competing to open the season as St. Louis' closer.
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Mike Clevinger RP | PIT
Pirates' Mike Clevinger: Making push for roster spot
Clevinger threw 3.0 scoreless innings while allowing one hit to go along with three strikeouts and two walks in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Clevinger joined the Pirates in February on a non-roster deal, but he appears to have a legitimate chance to make the roster as either the fifth starter or a long reliever. He reports being fully healthy, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and touched 97 mph in his first spring outing Feb. 25. Adding in Monday's outing, Clevinger has thrown five scoreless innings, though he's managed only a 4:4 K:BB.