MLB Player News

Rucker could be squeezed out of the MLB bullpen to begin the regular season, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.

With veteran relievers Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer signed by the Cubs in the offseason, as well as Tyler Duffey on a minor-league deal, Rucker could get squeezed from the Opening Day bullpen and start the year with Triple-A Iowa. Rucker did pitch reasonably well in 2022 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 54.2 innings for Chicago, so he could certainly get extended run in the majors at some point in 2023.

The White Sox designated Sousa for assignment Monday.

Sousa was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for infielder Elvis Andrus, who finalized a one-year, $3 million deal with Chicago on Monday. In his 25 appearances out of the Chicago bullpen in 2022, the left-handed Sousa struggled to an 8.41 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 12:10 K:BB across 20.1 innings. The 27-year-old will hit the waiver wire, and there could be some interest from clubs looking for a southpaw to compete for a bullpen spot.

Palumbo agreed Monday with the Rangers on a minor-league contract, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The left-hander was spotted at camp Monday and is set to begin his second stint with the Texas organization. Texas drafted Palumbo back in 2013, and he spent the first eight professional seasons with the club, seeing big-league action in 2019 and 2020. Injuries have derailed the 28-year-old's career over the past couple of years, however, so the Rangers will likely be counting on him merely to fill some organizational pitching depth at Triple-A Round Rock in 2023.

Bautista (shoulder/knee) said that he expects to throw another bullpen session Tuesday at approximately 75-to-80 percent intensity, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Bautista is gradually building back up from left knee soreness and right shoulder soreness, injuries that both affected him late in the 2022 season. Despite the fact that the Orioles are taking a deliberate approach with him this spring and plan to hold the 27-year-old out of Grapefruit League games until around mid-March, Bautista still appears to be trending toward being ready to go for Opening Day. If Bautista doesn't progress as anticipated and needs to open the season on the injured list, however, manager Brandon Hyde mentioned Cionel Perez and Bryan Baker as candidates to get opportunities early on to close games, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com.

Jansen threw a bullpen session Sunday and was on time in his delivery, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Jansen is one of the slowest pitchers in the league, so he'll have to adjust to the new rule that pitchers must begin their delivery within 15 seconds with the bases empty (20 second with runners on). He had the third slowest tempo (25.6 seconds) between pitches last year.

Kimbrel has no problem being part of a closer committee this season, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Kimbrel's 394 career saves lead all active players and rank seventh all-time, but his drop in performance over the last few seasons means he can no longer walk into a room and automatically inherit the closer title. His 3.70 ERA last season wasn't terrible, but his 27.7 percent strikeout rate represented a career low. The Phillies didn't have a dedicated closer down the stretch last season after Corey Knebel pitched his way out of the role, and they don't intend to anoint Kimbrel or anyone else to the job at the moment. Kimbrel has struggled when pitching in the eighth inning or earlier in the past, though not in large enough samples to be predictive.

Stephenson is dealing with some right arm discomfort to begin spring training, though he was able to throw Saturday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The severity of the issue is unclear, though the fact Stephenson hasn't been shut down from throwing is an encouraging sign. Even if it's a minor injury, the Pirates are likely to exercise caution with the right-hander early in camp.

Duran (hamstring) threw live batting practice Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Duran pulled out of consideration for the World Baseball Classic after he suffered a mild hamstring injury in January, but he's recently been throwing bullpen sessions and is now facing live batters. The 24-year-old was dominant as a rookie last year and recorded eight saves and 18 holds with a 1.86 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89:16 K:BB over 67.2 innings. Duran is likely the Twins' best reliever, but he could open the season splitting save chances with Jorge Lopez.

Gilbreath (elbow) is healthy to begin spring training and threw a bullpen session Sunday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Gilbreath was sidelined down the stretch by a flexor strain in his left elbow last season, but he had a healthy offseason and is good to go for the start of spring training. The 26-year-old had 12 holds with a 4.19 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 49:26 K:BB across 43 innings last year.

White is still limited to long toss and has yet to throw off a mound as he completes his recovery from a right shoulder impingement, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.

The right-hander said earlier in the week that he felt healthy, but the Blue Jays are still bringing White along slowly to begin spring training. "I think it's kind of day to day right now," Jays manager John Schneider said Saturday. "We're seeing how he responds with each distance that he gets back out to. Today was another step in the right direction. We'll probably have more updates in the next few days but, for him, it's a little bit fluid right now to make sure we're checking every box." Assuming White's return to the mound isn't delayed too much, he'll compete with Yusei Kikuchi for the fifth starter spot in Toronto's rotation.