MLB Player News

Brentz has allowed just one hit and one walk with three strikeouts over four innings in four Cactus League games.

Brentz is looking to build off of a solid rookie campaign -- he went 5-2 with two saves, 15 holds, a 3.66 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 76:37 K:BB across 64 innings last season. The southpaw's strong start to the spring should keep him in the mix for high-leverage situations, along with the likes of Scott Barlow, Josh Staumont and Amir Garrett. Brentz isn't likely to see a lot of save chances early on, but he could help in fantasy formats that count holds.

Staumont has allowed five runs on three hits and six walks while striking out three over 3.2 innings in four Cactus League games.

It's too early to worry much about his performance, but it's a little concerning to see him struggle. The right-hander was excellent as part of a closer committee last season, logging five saves, 16 holds, a 2.88 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 72:27 K:BB in 64 appearances. He only allowed 0.8 HR/9 while flexing a 96.6 mph average on his fastball. Staumont enters the season in the mix for high-leverage innings again, though Scott Barlow is expected to get the majority of the save chances at the start of 2022.

Sandlin (shoulder) struck out two in a perfect inning in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Mariners.

Sandlin ended 2021 with a shoulder strain that cost him the final seven weeks of the season. Now healthy, the right-hander should be in contention for a high-leverage bullpen role, though he's unlikely to unseat Emmanuel Clase as closer. Sandlin went 1-1 with five holds, a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 48:17 K:BB across 33.2 innings as a rookie last season.

Akin allowed one run on three hits and a walk and struck out two in three innings versus the Pirates on Thursday.

Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports Akin and Tyler Wells could work as a pitching tandem early in the season as both look to get stretched out after a condensed spring training. Wells is already locked in for the rotation, but Akin would likely have more upside via vultured wins in the early going. Of course, the Orioles aren't expected to be that competitive this season, so any upside is minimal. Akin posted a 6.63 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 82:40 K:BB in 95 innings last season, making 17 of his 24 appearances as a starter. Whether as a starter or a reliever, the southpaw would need to make significant strides to draw much fantasy interest.

Gott has made the Brewers' Opening Day roster, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Gott's last MLB experience came in 2020, when he allowed 13 runs in 11.2 innings of relief. He owns a 5.01 ERA in 140 career innings at the highest level.

Pressly's fastball velocity is roughly three mph lower this spring than his average last season (92.4 vs. 95.4), but he is not concerned, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "Relievers run off adrenaline and there's no adrenaline here," Pressly said earlier this week. "I'm not really worried about velocity. I'd rather be 92, 94 than 97, 98 all over the place."

A lot of pitchers' velocities are down this spring, so this isn't necessarily a major red flag, but it's something to consider when comparing Pressly to other elite closers in drafts. Hector Neris seems like the obvious next man up if Pressly were to suffer an injury or decline in effectiveness.

Crochet is expected to require Tommy John surgery, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Crochet will receive a second opinion before committing to the procedure, but the outlook doesn't look good for the young lefty. If he winds up undergoing the procedure as expected, he'll miss all of this season and a good portion of next year as well. That may also affect his planned transition to a starting role, something the White Sox had been hoping would happen in 2023.

Foster was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Foster threw 39 innings for the White Sox last season but struggled to a 6.00 ERA. He could return when the team needs bullpen depth, but it's no surprise to see him off the roster to start the year.

Treinen's save opportunities appear likely to drop, as Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports the Dodgers acquired Craig Kimbrel in exchange for AJ Pollock on Friday.

Treinen was already looking at less than a true closer's role, with the Dodgers reportedly planning on having no dedicated closer and giving the right-hander frequent high-leverage usage. Bringing in Kimbrel, who ranks ninth all-time in saves and leads all active players, probably means the team intends to go back to a more traditional setup, but not in a way that benefits Treinen. The team has yet to officially announce its ninth-inning plans, and Treinen did sport a better ERA than Kimbrel last year by a margin of 1.99 to 2.26, but the safe bet seems to be that his save chances will drop considerably.

Kimbrel was traded from the White Sox to the Dodgers on Friday in exchange for AJ Pollock, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The presence of Liam Hendriks in Chicago may have made it tough for Kimbrel to add to his 372 career saves, but he should have an easier path to the closer role for his new team. That's not to say it will be completely easy, however, as the Dodgers had talked about using a committee setup and have a strong late-inning option already in Blake Treinen, whose 1.99 ERA last year beat Kimbrel's 2.26 mark. Just how much this deal improves Kimbrel's fantasy value won't become clear until the Dodgers indicate whether he will walk straight into a true closer's role, but almost any situation is better than being stuck behind Hendriks.