MLB Player News

Crawford will be delayed out of the gate this year after being slowed in camp by a bout with mono, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Per the report, he has looked very good in bullpen sessions this spring and already showed the arm strength that led the Giants to select him with the 30th overall pick in last year's draft. The team hasn't decided whether or not he will be sent out as a two-way player, but director of player development Kyle Haines reiterated that Crawford's arm is what got him selected so high. Given that Crawford, a 6-foot-4 southpaw with an upper-90s fastball, had Tommy John surgery in October of 2021, he wouldn't have pushed for a full season's worth of innings this year even if he had avoided mono.

Cyr was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Cyr was solid in the majors last season with Oakland and Philadelphia, allowing four earned runs over 13.1 frames while striking out 16 batters. He got roughed up a bit during spring training and will head to Triple-A with a solid shot at getting called up mid-season.

Curry was optioned to Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians on Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Curry held a 5.14 ERA through 14 innings this spring in the Cactus League after posting a 5.79 ERA over his first 9.1 major-league frames in 2022. The 24-year-old right-hander will serve as organizational relief depth for Cleveland leading into the 2023 campaign.

Ortega was reassigned to the Twins' minor-league camp Thursday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Ortega split time last season between the Angels and their Triple-A affiliate, racking up 33 strikeouts in 34 major-league innings alongside a 3.71 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. His spring numbers were solid too, so he will return to Triple-A and likely be one of the top candidates to be called up should the Twins need more depth in their bullpen.

Pallante allowed a walk and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Marlins.

Pallante has a 4:2 K:BB over three scoreless innings for the Cardinals in spring training. The reliever is still considered part of the core of the bullpen, per John Denton of MLB.com. Pallante had a just alright showing for Italy at the World Baseball Classic, allowing two runs on three hits, six walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over four innings across three appearances. He's unlikely to be in the conversation for saves with Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos around, but Pallante could be a steady source of holds if he can maintain a high-leverage role.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Thursday that Junis will be a swingman out of the bullpen rather than a starter to begin 2023, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Junis was in competition for a starting spot, but with the Giants' starters at full health, there was no room for him in the rotation. Webeck adds that Kapler is considering Junis in a piggyback role early on, typically in a pairing with Alex Wood. The choppy schedule early in the season means the Giants won't necessarily need a fifth starter until their first home series of the year, so going with pitching tandems could help ease all of the pitchers into the season. Junis' appeal in fantasy is limited in a bullpen role, but he could vulture some wins away from starters if he's able to regularly get two or three innings in a bulk-relief assignment. He's pitched to a 5.19 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB across 8.2 innings over four Cactus League appearances.

Floro gave up two hits and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 32-year-old had a couple shaky outings early in March but has settled down nicely since, and Floro now sports an 8:2 K:BB through 8.1 spring frames. The Marlins will deploy a closer committee to begin the season with four high-leverage arms in the mix, but Floro still seems like the team's top option from the right side ahead of Matt Barnes.

Barnes walked one and struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The right-hander was the first reliever in the game for the Marlins after Trevor Rogers hit the showers, which in the spring is a spot generally reserved for high-leverage options. Barnes' 6:4 K:BB through 4.2 innings in camp isn't exactly sharp, however, and it's an ominous sign for a pitcher who's posted a walk rate above 11.0 percent in four of the last five seasons. Miami isn't expected to go into 2023 with a set closer, instead mixing and matching among four different late-inning arms, but Dylan Floro still seems to be ahead of Barnes in the pecking order from the right side.

Hernandez has covered five innings without allowing an earned run over three Cactus League appearances.

Hernandez has also posted a 6:1 K:BB with just three hits allowed. His workload hasn't been that heavy in the spring, but he's performed well in the limited sample. The 26-year-old right-hander looks set to fill a bullpen role as a multi-inning option this season. He struggled to a 7.39 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over 56 innings last season, but if he carries over his improved control from the spring to the regular season, he should at least enjoy a little more job security.

Barlow has allowed one earned run on six hits and a walk while striking out eight over eight innings during spring training.

Barlow is doing well in Cactus League play, and he should be at the head of a closer committee once the regular season starts. He matched his career high in innings pitched with 74.1 last season while posting a 2.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 24 saves, six holds and a 7-4 record. Barlow has been known to work more than just the ninth inning, and the presence of lefty Aroldis Chapman on the roster could make this a matchup-based approach. In any case, if Barlow continues to pitch well, he'll be considered for the most important moments in games.