MLB Player News

Sborz allowed two runs on a hit and a walk while striking out one over one relief inning during Wednesday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Sborz made his Cactus League debut, and the results were different from the last time he pitched in a competitive environment; the right-hander shut the door on Arizona for the final out of the 2023 World Series. Giving up a two-out, two-run home run to the No. 9 hitter Wednesday wasn't ideal, but it should not prevent Sborz from filling an expected role as part of manager Bruce Bochy's high-leverage bullpen crew. He could see save opportunities for a team with a volatile closer situation.

Bradford allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings during Wednesday's spring start against the Dodgers.

Bradford made his second Cactus League start in a quest to claim the fifth spot in the rotation. To that end, he's reintroduced a curveball to his repertoire to go along with a four-seamer, slider and changeup. "It's just to have something to steal strikes with," Bradford said. "It was a good pitch for me [in college], so I'm trying to get back to basically figuring out how to do that again." Or, if the rotation doesn't work out for Bradford, the lefty could land a bullpen spot. He pitched in both roles in 2023, including five relief appearances during Texas' postseason run, when he allowed one run over 7.2 innings.

Treinen (shoulder) pitched a scoreless inning in a Cactus League game against the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter.

This was a significant outing for Treinen, as he didn't pitch in the majors at all last season and hurled just 3.1 minor-league frames after undergoing shoulder surgery in November 2022. The veteran reliever entered in the sixth inning Tuesday and began his outing by giving up a single to Gavin Sheets but rebounded with a punchout and two infield popouts. Treinen's successful outing further puts him on track to be ready for the Dodgers' opening series in Korea that begins March 20.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Santos (lat) checked out well after playing catch Tuesday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

According to Servais, Santos was throwing hard while playing catch, but he's still not been cleared to advance to mound work as he looks to shake off right lat soreness. Santos could get the green light to throw a bullpen session after he plays catch again later this week.

Stephan will be shut down for three weeks with a deep bone bruise in his right elbow, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Stephan's elbow is structurally sound, but the Guardians will shelve the reliever for a while to let him recover from the bone bruise. Considering that Opening Day is just over four weeks away, Stephan undoubtedly will require a stay on the injured list. The 28-year-old has been a key setup man for Cleveland, posting a 3.73 ERA and 27.5 percent strikeout rate over the last three seasons.

Stephenson has been dealing with right shoulder soreness but will play catch Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stephenson has yet to make a Cactus League appearance, and Fletcher's report helps clarify why the veteran reliever hasn't debuted. It's certainly a good sign that he'll resume throwing Wednesday, but he'll need to check off additional boxes before being cleared for spring games. Assuming he's fully healthy for Opening Day, Stephenson is slated for a setup role with the Angels ahead of closer Carlos Estevez.

Angels manager Ron Washington recently confirmed that Estevez will be the team's closer, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

General manager Perry Minasian said in January following the signing of Robert Stephenson that he still viewed Estevez as the favorite to serve as the club's closer, and Washington has now given his stamp of approval. Estevez had a dominant first half in 2023, which netted him an All-Star nod before he regressed to a 6.59 ERA in the second half. Stephenson -- who signed a three-year, $33 million contract -- will be a threat to overtake Estevez after his dominant run with the Rays last season. Worth noting, though, is that Stephenson is dealing with a bit of shoulder soreness.

The Padres reassigned Carlton (elbow) to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Carlton posted a 4.35 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 20.2 innings out of the San Diego bullpen last season before he was placed on the injured list July 1 with elbow inflammation. He proceeded to miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign before he was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso in the offseason. Though Carlton remains in the organization and had been invited to big-league spring training, he hadn't made any Cactus League appearances, so it's not yet clear if he's overcome the elbow issue. Whenever Carlton is ready to pitch, he'll likely join the El Paso bullpen.

Englert (hip) is scheduled to appear in relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

After he was blasted for nine earned runs in 2.1 innings of long relief July 22 against the Padres, Englert never appeared again for the Tigers last season. He was placed on the injured list two days later with a left hip tightness, and though he was sent out on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo in September, he was ultimately shut down again. Englert appears to be healthy again after having the offseason to recover from the hip issue, but he'll need a strong showing in spring training to secure a spot in the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen. He'll be making his second Grapefruit League appearance Wednesday after he surrendered three earned runs on three hits -- all home runs -- in two innings this past Saturday against the Yankees.

Thompson will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Thompson will be getting the second Tommy John surgery of his career, as he also needed the operation back in high school. He'll miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign and possibly the start of next season as well, since rehab from a second UCL repair is usually more deliberate.