MLB Player News

Hicks was credited with his first save since June 13, 2019 in a Grapefruit League win over the Mets on Wednesday, with his velocity topping out at 100.4 mph, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Hicks worked around a leadoff walk, cruising through the next three batters in the ninth inning and lowering his spring ERA to 3.38 through four appearances. The hard-throwing right-hander has now worked an inning in back-to-back outings, but president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed Wednesday the team wants "to be smart" with respect to how quickly Hicks is thrown back into high-leverage situations once the regular season begins.

Anderson (elbow) has a partial tear of his elbow ligament and is likely to remain out beyond the All-Star break, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Anderson has been battling an elbow issue since March 17 and showed decreased velocity in his latest spring training appearance. Surgery has not been recommended, leaving open the possibility that he could return at some point late in the season. The injury removes Anderson from the Rays' closer picture, leaving Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks as the most likely pitchers to account for saves.

Yates underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Yates had already been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to an elbow injury, and the 34-year-old officially underwent his second Tommy John surgery of his career Wednesday. Yates will face a lengthy recovery timetable but could be back on the mound at some point in 2022. Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis are the leading candidates to take over as Toronto's closer in 2021.

The Twins reassigned Hamilton to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Hamilton was attending camp as a non-roster invitee after the Twins outrighted him off the 40-man roster in February. He made four appearances out of the White Sox bullpen in 2020, giving up two earned runs over four innings.

Edwards opted out of his minor-league deal and became a free agent Thursday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Edwards made eight relief appearances for Atlanta this spring, posting a 1.08 ERA with eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings. He appeared to be on track to make the Opening Day roster, but he'll now search for another club ahead of the regular season.

Holmes threw a scoreless inning against Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing no hits or walks while striking out one batter.

Holmes, who was taken off the 40-man roster over the winter, has strung together eight scoreless spring outings covering 7.2 innings. The nearly 28-year-old has struggled in the majors, as he owns a 5.91 ERA and 78:59 K:BB in 77.2 innings, but he's finally healthy. Fantasy managers need not pick up Holmes right now, but he looks like a completely different pitcher so far in 2021 and will likely get a chance in the majors at some point this summer.

Thornton gave up three hits and a walk over three scoreless innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Making his first start of the spring, Thornton tossed 47 pitches (31 strikes) and shut down a lineup that featured all of the Yankees' big bats aside from Luke Voit. The right-hander's late start to camp has prevented him from factoring into the rotation mix to begin the regular season, but Thornton could provide valuable innings in long relief behind a potentially shaky starting five aside from Hyun Jin Ryu.

Hernandez has posted a 4.15 ERA and 12:1 K:BB through 8.2 innings over three Grapefruit League starts.

The right-hander often gets overshadowed in a young Marlins rotation, especially with Trevor Rogers teasing a breakout and Sixto Sanchez routinely popping triple digits this spring, but Hernandez is showing that he has some upside of his own. The 25-year-old recorded a 3.16 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 25.2 innings last year while rarely facing a batter for the third time in a game, and he's hoping the addition of a consistent changeup to his arsenal will allow him to take a big step forward in 2021.

Loup is expected to begin the season as part of the Mets' bullpen, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The veteran reliever should be the top southpaw in the 'pen, giving Loup a path to consistent high-leverage work in a division that includes the likes of Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman and Bryce Harper. Loup has been sharp this spring, posting a 3.18 ERA and 9:0 K:BB over 5.2 innings, and he could be poised to top his career high of 13 holds, set back in 2014 with the Blue Jays.

Castro should begin the season as part of the Mets' bullpen, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander has been sharp this spring, allowing only one hit and one walk over 5.1 scoreless innings while striking out seven. Castro's spot in the pecking order isn't yet clear, but things appear wide open after closer Edwin Diaz and eighth-inning man Trevor May, so he could quickly work his way into a setup role if he remains effective.