MLB Player News

Peguero (elbow) has struck out two while allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk over two innings through his first two Cactus League appearances.

Peguero concluded the 2023 season on the Brewers' 15-day injured list with a right elbow effusion but doesn't seem to be facing any restrictions in spring training. The 26-year-old righty is expected to fill a middle-innings role out of the Milwaukee bullpen this season after logging a 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 54:26 K:BB in 61.1 frames in 2023 while collecting four wins, one save and 21 holds.

Bukauskas (finger) has struck out six while allowing one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings through his first two appearances of the Cactus League.

Bukauskas closed the 2023 season on the Brewers' 15-day injured list due to a right ring finger tendon injury, but he doesn't seem to be facing any restrictions thus far in camp. The 27-year-old right-hander is expected to fill a middle-relief role in the Milwaukee bullpen in 2024.

Peralta (personal) made his Cactus League debut in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Angels, pitching an inning out of the bullpen while giving up an earned run on two hits and one walk.

Peralta was charged with a blown save in his spring debut, but the Padres are still counting on the 32-year-old lefty to be a key part of their late-inning ranks in 2024. He was a late arrival to spring training while he dealt with visa issues, but Peralta should have plenty of time to get fully ramped up before Opening Day.

Wieck (elbow) struck out one and walked one over a scoreless inning of relief Wednesday in the Cubs' 6-1 win over the Brewers in Cactus League play.

The appearance marked Wieck's spring debut and his first outing at any level since the 2021 season. The 32-year-old lefty reliever's 2021 campaign was cut short due to surgery to address an irregular heartbeat, but after getting a clean bill of health for spring training in 2022, he quickly developed an elbow strain that required Tommy John surgery months later. Wieck has made a full recovery from the procedure and will enter the 2024 campaign on the second season of the two-year minor-league deal he inked in January 2023. Though he holds a 3.77 ERA over 65 career relief appearances in the majors with the Padres and Cubs from 2018 through 2021, Wieck will likely need to string together several quality appearances at Triple-A Iowa to begin the 2024 campaign before he gets a look in the Chicago bullpen.

Nance (shoulder) is scheduled to make his fourth appearance of the Cactus League in Sunday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Through three outings, Nance -- who is attending camp as a non-roster invitee -- has struck out a batter while giving up one earned run on two hits and no walks over three innings. Nance finished the 2023 season on the Marlins' 60-day injured list after developing a shoulder issue in September, but he looks like he'll enter the 2024 campaign with a clean bill of health. The right-hander is competing for a spot in the Padres' Opening Day bullpen but is more likely to begin the season at Triple-A El Paso.

Bernardino allowed one hit over one scoreless inning in Saturday's spring game against Washington.

Bernardino, who was making his Grapefruit League debut, gave up a double to the first batter he faced then calmly got out of the inning unscathed. The left-hander bounced between Boston and Triple-A Worcester upon being claimed off waivers from Seattle in April, but he held down a steady job in the bullpen and thrived from June through the end of the season. That included several outings as an opener. In all, Bernardino logged 55 appearances -- tied for second-most behind Josh Winckowski -- and recorded a 3.20 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 50.2 innings. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but 2023 was a breakout season for the reliever, who appears to have a lock on a bullpen spot.

Jackson (elbow/appendix) has made two appearances for the Athletics thus far during Cactus League play, covering two scoreless innings and striking out a batter while giving up one hit and one walk.

When healthy, Jackson was one of the Athletics' top relievers last season, but he didn't make any appearances after May 16 due to a right flexor tendon strain. He began a minor-league rehab assignment in late July, but he ultimately wasn't activated from the 60-day injured list after he required an emergency appendectomy. Jackson appears to have made a full recovery from the appendectomy and should be in good shape to make the Athletics' Opening Day roster, but it's unclear if he'll be a part of Oakland's unsettled closing situation.

Manaea gave up three runs on seven hits over 2.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. He struck out three without walking a batter and threw a wild pitch.

The veteran lefty got in plenty of work in his first game action of the spring, tossing 41 of 56 pitches for strikes, but the results were something of a mixed bag. Manaea did at least keep the ball in the park, although Jazz Chisholm, Avisail Garcia and Jon Berti all laced doubles off him. Manaea is locked into a rotation spot for the Mets this season after making only 10 starts for the Giants in 2023 among his 37 appearances, but New York is counting on him to show the form he flashed in the second half for San Francisco -- over his final 51.2 innings last year, he posted a 2.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 48:15 K:BB.

Brieske has adjusted the grip on his slider over the offseason to give the pitch more spin, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Brieske said his previous slider acted more like a cutter at times, but he's adjusted his grip to hold the ball deeper in his hand and develop more spin. In his first spring appearance, the average spin rate of the pitch sat at 2,399 rpm, up 200 revolutions from last season, while the slider's speed was down a few ticks. He followed that performance with two more scoreless innings Saturday. Brieske had some success in a bullpen role last year, posting a 3.60 ERA across 35 innings, and he could take a step forward if his new slider is effective.

Beck (arm) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander is scheduled to undergo vascular surgery Monday to address the aneurysm in his upper right arm, and he'll be sidelined for at least the first two months of the regular season. Beck remains without an official timeline for his return, but more information is expected to be available following his procedure.