MLB Player News

Sewald has fired two scoreless innings during which he's allowed one hit and recorded two strikeouts across two Cactus League appearances.

Sewald hasn't failed to throw a strike yet, finding the zone on all 11 of his pitches over his pair of appearances. The hard-throwing right-hander, who underwent heel and elbow procedures this offseason, is slated to see a fair amount of ninth-inning work this year after recording a career-high 20 saves in 25 chances in 2022, but Andres Munoz (foot) and Diego Castillo should also log an allotment of high-leverage opportunities.

Speier has a 4.76 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 8:0 K:BB across 5.2 innings over six Cactus League appearances.

Speier's slightly elevated ERA is almost exclusively the byproduct of having allowed two earned runs on three hits across one inning against the Angels on Monday, as he's been highly effective otherwise. Speier has given up just an earned run on two hits over 4.2 frames in his other five Cactus League outings, a caliber of performance similar to that which produced the 2.00 ERA and 1.15 WHIP he generated in 27 innings over 24 appearances for the Royals between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Gott has a 2-0 record, 6.35 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 5.2 innings over six Cactus League appearances.

Gott has actually been much more effective than his ERA and WHIP would indicate, as the bloated figures are essentially the byproduct of one poor outing against the Guardians on Feb. 28. The veteran right-hander allowed four earned runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning, but he has otherwise fired five scoreless frames during which he's conceded four hits while recording three strikeouts. Gott is expected to be a key middle-innings asset for manager Scott Servais after posting 11 holds alongside a 4.14 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 45 appearances for the Brewers in 2022.

With Hayden Wesneski likely closing in on the fifth spot in the rotation, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Assad will probably begin the season in the bullpen.

Assad has looked sharp this spring in limited work, but Wesneski has also turned heads, and the latter seems to have the inside track on a rotation spot. That will likely push Assad into a long-relief role, though he certainly could start at some point this year. The righty made his MLB debut last season and held his own across nine appearances (eight starts), registering a 3.11 ERA.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday that Baumann will be used as a traditional reliever moving forward, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Baumann had been in competition for a rotation spot, but he has struggled significantly with five walks and eight earned runs allowed across eight frames this spring. He worked in relief in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays and turned in a clean inning with one strikeout. Baumann should not be expected to work in a high-leverage role to begin the season.

Diaz underwent successful surgery to repair his patellar tendon Thursday.

Diaz tore his tendon during a celebration on the field after Puerto Rico's victory over the Dominican Republic in Wednesday's World Baseball Classic matchup. He is expected to begin a rehab program in a week, but he is a long shot to pitch at any point in 2023.

Brentz (elbow) signed a two-year deal with the Royals on Thursday.

Brentz underwent Tommy John surgery in the middle of July, so he's likely to miss the entire 2023 season. Prior to going down with the arm issue in 2022, he made only a few appearances with the Royals and allowed 14 earned runs across 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts and 10 walks.

Giles will hold a showcase for teams Friday at Arizona State University, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Giles did the same thing in early February and nothing came of it, but maybe he's throwing with more juice here in mid-March. The 32-year-old right-hander has logged only eight major-league innings since the beginning of the 2020 season because of various upper and lower arm injuries, though he's said to be fully healthy now.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that Strahm would be stretched into a multi-inning reliever, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Strahm initially figured to slide into a setup role after he signed with the Phillies during the offseason, but now he appears in line to give the team multiple innings out of the bullpen. He has experience as a starter, making up to 16 starts for the Padres in 2019, so he's certainly up to the task of going multiple innings in relief. It now is just a matter of getting him re-acclimated to doing so.

Melancon was diagnosed with a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder Thursday and will begin the season on the injured list, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The news keeps getting worse regarding Melancon's shoulder. He will receive a PRP injection Thursday and is expected to miss the first few months of the season. Expect Andrew Chafin and Kevin Ginkel to pick up an increased share of save opportunities while Melancon is out.