MLB Player News

Adams pitched 4.2 innings this spring, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out six.

Adams was characteristically wild in exhibition play, walking three and hitting one batter. His wildness last year was largely balanced by a 13.0 K/9 and .154 BAA. He's expected to fill a late-inning role again this season, though he's likely to find himself under plenty of stress if he isn't able to straighten out his control issues.

Sborz is one of several relievers that will pitch in high-leverage situations, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers are preparing for Opening Day in Toronto on Friday and are bringing 10 bullpen arms. That includes several long relievers, whose job it will be to bridge the game from starters who had a shorter-than-normal training camp to high-leverage relief crew. That should include Sborz, Joe Barlow, Matt Bush, Greg Holland and Brett Martin. Sborz logged 63 appearances in 2021, posting a 3.97 ERA and 1.42 WHIP one one save over 59 innings. Texas manager Chris Woodward has not named a closer, but Barlow, Bush and Holland are viewed as the frontrunners.

Ortega is among multiple Angels relievers competing for spots at the back end of the bullpen, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Ortega has only 9.1 innings of major-league experience, and he wasn't overly impressive in posting a 4.82 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 4:2 K:BB in those frames last season. However, the right-hander put together a strong spring, holding opponents scoreless and giving up just three hits over six innings. He struck out only two batters but has shown the ability to rack up whiffs over larger sample sizes in the minors.

Warren is among several Angels relievers vying to make the Opening Day roster, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The Angels have multiple bullpen arms competing for a few roster spots, and Warren figures to be among the leaders of that group. The right-hander helped his case with a strong spring, allowing just one run over 6.2 innings and posting a 5:3 K:BB. Warren logged 20.1 relief innings as a rookie last season, impressing with a 1.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB.

Johnson allowed one run (on a solo homer) over 3.1 innings this spring, and he racked up an 8:0 K:BB.

The right-handed reliever gave up only one hit aside from the long ball, and he whiffed eight of the 12 batters he faced. Johnson established himself as one of the Padres' top bullpen arms with a solid 2021 campaign during which he posted a 3.22 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 across 58.2 frames. Robert Suarez is the most likely candidate to get save opportunities for the team early this season, but Johnson could enter consideration for the role if Suarez struggles.

White was placed on the 7-day injured list Tuesday and will undergo Tommy John surgery.

White had a strong 2021 campaign in which he progressed from Low-A to Triple-A, but he'll be forced to miss the entire 2022 season following his procedure. He made nine appearances at Triple-A Durham last year, posting a 1.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 9.2 innings, and he'll attempt to build upon his success at some point in 2023.

The Mets signed Curtiss (elbow) to a one-year contract Wednesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Curtiss will miss the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September, but his contract with the Mets contains a team option for the 2023 campaign. He made 41 appearances (three starts) with the Marlins and Brewers last year prior to undergoing his procedure, and he recorded a 3.45 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 44.1 innings. The Mets will monitor his rehab over the months to come before deciding whether to exercise his option early next offseason.

Hearn will start the Rangers' fourth game of the season Monday versus the Rockies in Texas.

Though Hearn won't be used in the Rangers' season-opening series this weekend, those invested in the lefty in deeper mixed leagues or AL-only formats may have been reluctant to use him anyway in a road matchup against a loaded Toronto offense. Instead, Hearn gets a more favorable draw to begin the 2022 campaign, as he'll line up for a two-start week. After drawing the Rockies in the Rangers' home opener, Hearn is projected to make his second start April 17 against the Angels in Arlington.

Padres manager Bob Melvin indicated recently that he's pleased with Knehr's work this spring, per Bill Center of FriarWire. "I like Knehr's stuff. He throws strikes, has a good breaking ball. He's got late movement to it. He's got a lot of confidence in what he is doing now based on the fact that he was in the big leagues last year. I like his progress," Melvin stated.

Knehr got into one Cactus League game this spring, allowing one run (on a solo homer) over two innings while striking out three. However, he also worked on his pitching on the back fields and evidently impressed his manager. Knehr posted a 4.97 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 20:20 K:BB across 29 innings for San Diego last season, and it's not clear if he'll have a spot on on the 2022 Opening Day roster.

VerHagen will begin the season as a member of the Cardinals' bullpen, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

VerHagen and Jake Woodford were both in contention for the fifth starter's role, but the two will instead head to the bullpen as multi-inning options after manager Oliver Marmol announced Wednesday that Jordan Hicks secured the final opening in the rotation. The 31-year-old right-hander has previously seen big-league action in parts of six seasons with Detroit from 2014 through 2019, but he spent the past two years in with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan, where he was one of the top starters in Nippon Professional Baseball. He returned stateside this winter on a two-year, $5.5 million deal with St. Louis and looked to have an inside track on a starting role, but a 10.13 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over his eight innings during the Grapefruit League slate prompted the Cardinals to go in a different direction.