MLB Player News

Romano is one of several Angels relievers who could factor into the closer mix during the early part of the regular season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Robert Stephenson (shoulder) had at one point been considered a favorite for save opportunities, but he recently had a setback and is likely to open the campaign on the injured list. Ben Joyce (shoulder) probably has the most closer-like stuff of anyone in the team's bullpen, but he's also expected to begin on the IL. That leaves a trio of veteran relievers -- Romano, Kirby Yates and Drew Pomeranz -- in the running for early save opportunities. Yates may be the slight favorite for the closer role, but manager Kurt Suzuki said Monday that the team hasn't yet made a decision in that regard and also indicated that the Angels may "just use the three high-leverage guys and mix and match." Romano has 133 career regular-season saves and has looked good this spring with four scoreless innings and a 3:0 K:BB over four outings, but he is coming off a disastrous 2025 campaign during which he posted an 8.23 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 42.2 innings spanning 49 regular-season appearances with Philadelphia. The right-hander's velocity has also been down about 1.5 mph this spring, and he's stated that he'd like to work his way back up to his usual velocity before the start of the campaign.

Gomez allowed three runs on two hits and one walk in one inning during Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He struck out one.

After representing Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Gomez has since reported back to Rays camp to continue battling for an Opening Day roster spot. However, the 26-year-old right-hander may be falling behind in the competition, posting a 5.14 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 6:5 K:BB over seven Grapefruit League frames so far. Tampa Bay is likely to carry multiple bulk relievers to begin the new year, with Shane McClanahan and Steven Matz under workload restrictions early on. Ian Seymour and Joe Boyle would be the more obvious choices to make the team if not for the fact Gomez is out of minor-league options.

Waguespack was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The Brewers signed Waguespack to a minor-league deal over the offseason and offered him an invitation to big-league camp, but he was unable to stand out enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot. He'll report to minor-league camp and projects to begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Nashville.

Ort was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday.

Ort lost his spot on the club's 40-man roster earlier this spring, and after surrendering four runs over 4.2 innings of work while with the big-league club, he'll report to minor-league camp. He's logged plenty of major-league experience during his career, including 46.0 innings a season ago with Houston, so he figures to be a candidate for a promotion at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Hanifee has a 7.71 ERA and 1.93 WHIP across five Grapefruit League appearances.

Counting his appearance Monday against the Phillies, Hanifee has now allowed a run in four of his five appearances this spring. The righty was a fairly dependable reliever for the Tigers last year, posting a 3.00 ERA across 60 regular-season innings, though he only struck out 40 batters. The lack of true swing-and-miss stuff likely limits Hanifee to a middle-relief role if he's able to make the Opening Day roster, and his fantasy impact figures to be limited in that capacity.

Irvin was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Irvin signed a minor-league pact with the Dodgers in February and was invited to major-league spring training, but he struggled across four appearances. The 32-year-old posted a 9.00 ERA and 1.75 WHIP with four strikeouts across eight innings. Irvin will report to minor-league camp and appears set to begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The White Sox reassigned Miller to minor-league camp Monday.

Miller signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox back in January after spending the entire 2025 season at Triple-A Iowa in the Cubs' organization. Miller has appeared in 74 career games at the big-league level, logging a 3.87 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 72:28 K:BB across 93 innings.

Kerkering (hamstring) is slated to make an appearance Tuesday in a minor-league game on the back fields of camp, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Kerkering is no worse for the wear after tossing a live batting practice session over the weekend, so he'll be available to pitch for the first time in spring training, albeit in a controlled setting. The hard-throwing right-hander has been slowed by a Grade 1 right hamstring strain throughout the spring, but he should be able to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season if he's able to get a couple of appearances under his belt during the final week of camp.

The White Sox placed Alberto on waivers Monday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Alberto was a Rule 5 selection over the winter, so any team that puts a claim in for the 24-year-old right-hander would have to carry him on its major-league roster throughout the season. In the likelier event that Alberto clears waivers, the White Sox would have to offer him back to the Rays, the team he originally signed with back in 2019. Alberto has yet to pitch above the High-A level and didn't look big-league ready during spring training, as he yielded 10 runs (eight earned) on 12 hits and four walks while striking out seven over 6.2 innings across his seven Cactus League appearances.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that as long as Brazoban finishes spring training healthy, he'll be part of the Mets' Opening Day roster, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Brazoban has minor-league options left, which led DiComo to wonder earlier Monday if Brazoban might not make the team's Opening Day roster. The 36-year-old Brazoban didn't make his MLB debut until 2022 at 32 years old. He pitched in 52 regular-season games for the Mets last season, recording a 3.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 57:27 K:BB across 63 innings.