MLB Player News

Pannone was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his left forearm Saturday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old suffered the injury last weekend and will be shut down from throwing for at least one month. Pannone could miss the first couple months of the season before taking the mound for Triple-A Nashville.

Hoffman gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Saturday's split-squad game against the Tigers.

Signed in the offseason to be the Blue Jays' new closer, Hoffman has looked the part so far in camp, posting a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless frames, and Jace Jung's single on Saturday was the first baserunner the right-hander had allowed. Hoffman recorded a career-high 10 saves last season for the Phillies, but he should smash that mark in 2025.

Kinley has not allowed a run and has a 6:1 K:BB across four innings of Cactus League action.

Kinley is among the top candidates to begin the season as Colorado's closer, and he's performed very well to begin spring training. He earned a career-high 12 saves with the Rockies in 2024, though that was paired with an ugly 6.19 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Iglesias gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Atlanta's closer has been sharp in camp, posting a 0.00 ERA and 3:1 K:BB in his three innings so far. Iglesias has produced 67 saves along with a 2.30 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 9.79 K/9 over the last two seasons, and the 35-year-old is entrenched in his ninth-inning role heading into Opening Day.

Sands threw a perfect inning in Saturday's Grapefruit League win over Boston, striking out three without allowing a baserunner. He's given up three runs in 2.2 innings this spring with four strikeouts and two walks.

Sands emerged as a solid relief arm in 2024. His average fastball velocity jumped from 93.6 mph in 2023 to 95.5 mph last season, and his control improved as well. He'll be used in a high-leverage role again and could be a sneaky source of holds after recording only six in 62 appearances last year.

Estevez (back) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Tuesday before potentially making his Cactus League debut Friday against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander has been brought along slowly during the first half of camp due to lower-back tightness, but he's now ramping up his throwing program and is on the cusp of game action. Assuming everything goes well this week, Estevez should be able to make a few spring appearances and be ready for Opening Day. After recording 57 saves over the prior two seasons between the Angels and Phillies, Estevez is expected to begin the season as the Royals' closer.

Duran's fastball velocity has been down this spring, but he says it's by design, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I focus more on my mechanics and my pitches' movement," Duran said this week. "I don't need to throw really hard right now. Maybe in the [regular season] I throw harder, or maybe not."

Duran "only" reached 100.8 mph with his fastball Saturday while tossing a scoreless inning against the Red Sox and striking out one. That's in contrast to the 102.5 mph he hit in his first spring outing of 2023, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. The decline doesn't appear to be a major concern, as his fastball is still elite and he could just be easing into spring training as a more established veteran. Duran is set to return as Minnesota's closer, but manager Rocco Baldelli often deploys his bullpen without regard for the save statistic, meaning Griffin Jax and others will get save chances if matchups call for Duran to be used earlier in the game.

The Rangers optioned Pennington to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Pennington was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with lefty Jacob Latz and righty Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 26-year-old Pennington reached the majors for the first time in 2024 and made 16 appearances between the Royals and Rangers while turning in a 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 18 innings.

The Rangers optioned Latz to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Latz was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with left-hander Walter Pennington and right-hander Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 28-year-old Latz made 46 relief appearances for Texas in 2024, logging a 3.71 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 43.2 innings.

The Mets reassigned Waddell to minor-league camp Sunday.

Waddell joined the Mets on a minor-league deal in December following a three-year stint overseas that featured stints stops with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization and Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Though New York's rotation depth has already taken a couple of notable hits this spring due to injuries to Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat), Waddell didn't impress enough over his two Grapefruit League outings (5.40 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and 1:2 K:BB in 3.1 innings) to make a compelling case for an Opening Day gig. Waddell will slot into the rotation at Triple-A Syracuse.