MLB Player News
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Elvis Peguero RP | CHW
Orioles' Elvis Peguero: Signs two-year MiLB deal with O's
The Orioles signed Peguero (elbow) to a two-year, minor-league contract Tuesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Peguero ended last season on the injured list with the White Sox due to a right elbow strain. The fact that he signed a two-year deal suggests he might have needed surgery, though that hasn't been confirmed. Peguero holds a career 4.26 ERA over parts of five major-league seasons.
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Matt Gage RP | SF
Giants' Matt Gage: Earns hold in exhibition
Gage picked up a hold in Monday's 10-2 exhibition victory over Sultanes de Monterrey, throwing one scoreless inning.
Gage forced two groundouts and a flyout in San Francisco's penultimate spring game, throwing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes. The left-hander is in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster ahead of Wednesday's game against the Yankees. Over seven Cactus League outings, he allowed two earned runs on three hits, including one home run, while striking out nine in 6.1 innings.
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Tristan Beck RP | SF
Giants' Tristan Beck: Picks up win in exhibition
Beck picked up the win in Monday's 10-2 exhibition victory over Sultanes de Monterrey, striking out two across one scoreless inning.
Beck entered in the third inning and threw nine of his 13 pitches for strikes in San Francisco's penultimate spring game. The right-hander is a candidate to begin the season in the bullpen, and the Giants have one more exhibition game against the Sultanes before Wednesday's Opening Day matchup against the Yankees. Beck appeared in 31 outings (one start) last season, recording a 4.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 41:16 K:BB while allowing seven long balls across 56.2 innings.
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Reynaldo Lopez RP | ATL
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Velocity up after mechanical tweak
Lopez's velocity returned in a bullpen session Tuesday following a mechanical adjustment, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Lopez pointed to mechanical problems as the reason he averaged just 89.2 mph with his four-seamer in his final Grapefruit League start against the Twins. It appears he's fixed the issue and regained some pep on the fastball, though it's unclear just how much harder Lopez was throwing in Tuesday's bullpen session. The righty averaged 95.5 mph with his four-seamer during his last full season in 2024, and it would be a big ask for him to get back to that level after shoulder surgery. Lopez is scheduled to make his season debut Saturday against the Royals, and fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his radar-gun readings in that outing.
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Joel Payamps RP | ATL
Braves' Joel Payamps: Appears ticketed for middle relief
Payamps gave up a hit over two scoreless innings of relief in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates. He struck out two without walking a batter.
The right-hander has had a strong spring, posting a 0.00 ERA and 7:1 K:BB over 6.2 innings. Payamps fell apart in 2025 for the Brewers before getting waived late in the season and winding up in Atlanta, but over the two prior seasons he'd recorded a 2.78 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 9.4 K/9 in 129.2 innings. He'll try to regain that form while beginning the 2026 campaign in a middle-relief role for Atlanta.
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Victor Vodnik RP | COL
Rockies' Victor Vodnik: Favorite to close for Rockies
Vodnik struck out the only batter he faced to notch a save in Monday's exhibition game against the Tigers.
Vodnik struggled in Cactus League action, coughing up eight runs on 11 hits with a 5:5 K:BB over 4.2 innings. However, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer indicated Monday that Vodnik could be first in line to serve as closer, noting of the 26-year-old's save that "we're gonna see a lot of that this year late in the game," per Steve Stockmar of MLB.com. Juan Mejia also looms as a late-inning option for Colorado, but 2025 saves leader Seth Halvorsen is not expected to make the Opening Day roster. Vodnik notched 10 saves for the Rockies last season, posting a 3.02 ERA and 49:26 K:BB over 50.2 frames along the way. While Vodnik looks like the favorite to close games in Colorado, it's a bullpen situation fantasy managers should probably avoid.
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Nick Martinez RP | TB
Rays' Nick Martinez: Pushed back with hamstring issue
Martinez's season debut will be pushed back to March 30 in Milwaukee due to a minor hamstring injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
He had been slated to start Saturday in St. Louis but instead till get a couple extra days of rest. It's unclear how long Martinez's hamstring has been bothering him, but it could partly explain why he was lit up for 18 runs over 7.2 innings in his final two Grapefruit League starts.