MLB Player News

The Royals announced Sunday that Ragans will start their Opening Day game March 28 versus the Twins at Kauffman Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

After being acquired from the Rangers last June, Ragans was a revelation for the Royals upon stepping into the big-league rotation. Over his 12 starts with Kansas City to close out last season, Ragans posted a 2.64 ERA and 89:27 K:BB across 71.2 innings. He's carried that momentum over to the Cactus League this spring, allowing four earned runs over 8.2 innings while striking out 10 and issuing just two walks. Ragans' lack of an established track record makes it tough to bank on him completely repeating his hot run to end the 2023 season, but he should continue to pile up strikeouts even if his ERA takes a dramatic turn for the worse.

The Nationals reassigned Gsellman to minor-league camp Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Gsellman signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals at the end of January. The pitcher left affiliated ball in 2022 to pursue a career in Japan. Overseas, he had a 4.32 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 139.2 innings. When he signed with the Nationals, it was thought the 30-year-old would likely start at Triple-A Rochester.

The Nationals reassigned Perdomo to minor-league camp Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Perdomo signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals in February that included an invitation to spring training. The pitcher spent the 2023 season in Japan, where he had a 2.13 ERA across 50.2 innings as a reliever.

Henderson left Sunday's Spring Breakout game versus Kansas City due to left oblique discomfort, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Henderson began his outing by giving up a solo home run to Royals prospect Trevor Werner. Henderson then faced a second batter but was taken out of the game when the trainer went out to the mound after he threw a pitch.

The Pirates optioned Nicolas to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Nicolas finished last season in the big-league bullpen but is now on the outside looking in for the Opening Day roster. The 25-year-old had a 6.20 ERA over 45 innings at Indianapolis last season, and he'll likely need better results in 2024 to make it back to the majors.

The Cubs optioned Thompson to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.

Thompson was one of five players cut Sunday as the Cubs reduced their group at big-league camp to 42 men with Opening Day about a week and a half away. The right-hander had a decent showing in spring training, but his underwhelming results over a larger sample of work in the big leagues in 2023 (4.71 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 26:19 K:BB in 28.2 innings) likely played a greater part in the Cubs' decision to send him to Triple-A to begin the 2024 campaign.

Robertson is poised to begin the season in a setup role after Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday there is a "strong possibility" Jose Leclerc will open as the closer, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Robertson was never likely to fully usurp Leclerc from the job during spring training, but there seemed to be a chance Bochy might utilize a committee approach. Robertson will instead begin the campaign in a setup role, which significantly dampens his fantasy outlook. The 38-year-old is still likely to be the next man up and should see occasional save chances even if Leclerc is pitching well.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy indicated Sunday that Leclerc has a "strong possibility" of beginning the season as the club's primary closer, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Bochy said at the start of spring training that "there is no pecking order" for the Texas bullpen, but Leclerc apparently showed enough in camp despite giving up two earned runs over 2.1 frames in his three Cactus League appearances. The 30-year-old posted a 2.68 ERA in 57 appearances last season and tallied just four saves, but he also pitched well in the playoffs while saving another four contests. David Robertson signed with the Rangers in January and could quickly enter the mix for saves should Leclerc struggle early in 2024.

Criswell allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings in Saturday's spring start against the Orioles.

Criswell made his third spring start and faced a Baltimore lineup that featured six projected starters. He allowed a pair of first-inning runs then settled in, retiring the final eight batters faced. Criswell primarily throws a sinker, slider (Statcast identifies it as a sweeper) and cutter. "The slider has some outlier movement," Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. "He has a long history of strike-throwing and induces a lot of weak contact." The soft-tossing right-hander, who is in the mix for a rotation spot, has a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 Grapefruit League innings.

Martin (groin) completed a live batting practice session Saturday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Martin's attempt at a live BP session a week ago ended after two pitches due to groin tightness. The righty setup reliever completed this session and is ready for the next step Tuesday, which will either be another batting practice session or his Grapefruit League debut. Martin estimates he'll need four appearances to be ready for the regular season.