MLB Player News

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Tate (elbow) threw his first half-mound session of spring training Wednesday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Per Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun, Tate's throwing session consisted of all fastballs, as the Orioles aren't yet comfortable having him put spin on the baseball while he's working back from a right elbow flexor strain. Tate is already expected to be sidelined for the first month of the season, so the Orioles may not be planning on having him throw off a full mound until late in camp or until early April.

Soto (personal) has resolved his visa issue and is scheduled to arrive at the Phillies' spring camp in Florida on Wednesday or Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Because he'll be arriving at camp about three weeks after pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report, Soto isn't expected to be available to pitch for the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic and will instead conduct workouts with the Phillies. It's unclear how much throwing Soto has been able to do on his own while he was waiting for his visa situation to be resolved, so he could be more than a week away from making his spring debut. Fortunately for Soto, because he'll presumably be ticketed for a one-inning relief role, he won't require an extensive ramp-up period and still looks on track to be a part of the Phillies' Opening Day bullpen.

Sborz allowed three runs on one hit and three walks over a third of an inning in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.

Sborz entered in the fourth inning, an indication the Rangers are strongly considering him for a spot on the Opening Day roster. It also doesn't hurt that he's out of minor-league options. The right-hander remained on the 40-man roster over the winter despite his 6.45 ERA last season. The Rangers really like him, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "He's got the arsenal, all the weapons; it's there. He's just lacked the consistency in the strike zone," manager Bruce Bochy said. What the manager sees is a reliever that fanned 101 batters over 81.1 innings (12.9 K/9) in two seasons with the Rangers, but as indicated by Tuesday's performance, command is the issue; Sborz walked 43 batters in that same span. Bochy said the reliever's got the stuff to pitch late in games, especially relevant with Jose Leclerc (neck) working his way back from injury.

Kinley (elbow) has begun throwing from 120 feet, MLB.com reports.

Kinley had season-ending surgery in late June of 2022 and is still recovering. He hopes to throw from a mound at some point in April before progressing to bullpen sessions. Despite the progression, Kinley is not expected back prior to the All-Star break.

Gilbreath (elbow) announced Tuesday that he will undergo Tommy John surgery, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

It was announced late last week that Gilbreath would likely need to undergo the operation, but the southpaw sought a second opinion before announcing the decision. Because of the surgery, he'll miss all of the 2023 season and could miss the start of the 2024 campaign as well. Gilbreath will likely be placed on the 60-day injured list whenever the team needs an opening on the 40-man roster.

Jansen is expected to join Team Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic if the club advances, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Jansen is still in spring training with Boston and just made his spring debut with the Red Sox on Monday. The long-time closer will remain in Florida as an option for the Grapefruit League, but he could be a late-inning option in the WBC if Team Netherlands advances. Jansen is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he recorded 41 saves along with a 3.38 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 64 innings in 65 appearances.

Jameson pitched better during his start Monday after going to his changeup, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports. "Early on in games, I don't want to use it if I don't have to," he said. "I probably should have gone to it a lot earlier than I did."

Jameson was worked over by the Royals in the first couple of innings Monday before manager Torey Lovullo removed him from the game with two outs in the second frame. The manager brought Jameson back in for the third inning, and the right-hander was dialed in with the help of his changeup. Lovullo believes Jameson was sharp but made mistakes on 0-2 pitches that hurt. Jameson pitched well in his first two Cactus League starts and is considered the frontrunner for the final rotation spot.

Leclerc (neck) threw 14 pitches in a scoreless inning in a "B" game Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc allowed a bloop double but nothing else and his neck injury did not hinder him at all in the appearance. The reliever would seem to be ready for a Cactus League appearance next, although that hasn't been confirmed. Leclerc is competing for the Rangers' closer job and, if healthy, might be the favorite to win it.

VerHagen has allowed a walk and struck out two over two Grapefruit League innings.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reports VerHagen mixed his new four-seam fastball in with his usual sinker and slider. A hip injury ended the right-hander's season early in 2022, and his 6.65 ERA, 1.89 WHIP and 18:14 K:BB over 21.2 relief innings weren't great marks when he was healthy. He remains in the mix as a multi-inning relief option who could also serve as a spot starter, though the Cardinals' rotation has enough depth to weather an injury or two before they'd need to turn to someone like VerHagen.

Morgan has allowed three earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four over three innings in three Cactus League games.

Morgan's solid control is nothing new -- he posted a 1.8 BB/9 over 66.2 innings last season. Given the right-hander's solid work as a reliever and the Guardians' stable set of starters, Morgan figures to pitch primarily out of the bullpen in 2023. He also had a 3.38 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 72:13 K:BB with 10 holds last year, so he could work his way into being part of the setup mix, though a multi-inning role is most likely.