MLB Player News

Whitlock threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday following a week of downtime, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

As part of the rehab plan this offseason to bring Whitlock back from an internal brace procedure, the Red Sox introduced the concept of what was coined a "de-load" week. The right-hander would throw normal bullpens, then get a week off. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said this most recent de-load was the last one. If healthy, Whitlock should serve in a high-leverage bullpen role, including save opportunities.

Bradford allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against the Cubs.

Bradford, who could land in the rotation or the bullpen, submitted evidence during his Cactus League debut of his worthiness to be a starter in the regular season. Sixteen of his 24 pitches were strikes, which impressed manager Bruce Bochy. "Outstanding, wasn't he?" Bochy told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports. "Really nice job, throwing his strikes, Cody was Cody today. Good day for him." The left-hander pitched well in 2024 when healthy, posting a 3.54 ERA over 14 outings (13 starts).

Martinez allowed two hits and struck out three over two innings in Sunday's spring game against the Giants.

Martinez struck out three in the first inning, using his changeup, a backdoor cutter and a fastball up an away to induce the Ks, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Of his 35 pitches, 26 were strikes, including all 14 thrown during the first inning. "I felt good, really good," Martinez said. "I did a really good job of just attacking the zone and challenging hitters early and often." Martinez has filled a variety of pitching roles in the past, but Reds manager Terry Francona confirmed the right-hander is viewed as a starter by the organization.

Gott signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Gott missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery as part of the Athletics organization. He'll now return to Seattle, where he spent half of the 2023 campaign, appearing in 30 games with the Mariners and posting a 4.03 ERA over 29 innings. The right-hander's contract includes an invitation to spring training in Arizona, where Gott will look to prove his health.

Paplham took a line drive off the side of the head Sunday versus the Dodgers, forcing him to exit the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Paplham was in the midst of his first appearance of the spring, surrendering two runs on two hits while also hitting a batter before taking a 102.4 mph line drive from Aaron Bracho off the head. The Padres were able to get the final out of the inning on the play. The right-hander was carted off the field, and more information on his status moving forward should be forthcoming.

Crochet allowed no runs on three hits and one walk over 1.2 innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.

The left-hander was on a pitch count for his first spring game, with his departure in the midst of the second inning also being the result of a long wait between his first and second frames, per Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. Crochet had a limited workload last year with the White Sox in his first season as a full-time starter, but he was still one of the top breakout players in MLB with a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209:33 K:BB across 146 innings. The 25-year-old isn't expected to face any workload restrictions in 2025 after being acquired by the Red Sox.

Law figures to be part of the Nationals' high-leverage crew this season, but it's not clear if he'll get a chance to audition for the open closer role.

Speaking to reporters earlier in camp, general manager Mike Rizzo indicated that Law would be a key bullpen piece for Washington, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "We don't have a proven commodity at that position, but if the season started today, we would have a guy that we would say would be our ninth-inning guy," Rizzo said. "I don't know who it is yet. It could be Jose Ferrer. It could be Jorge Lopez. Law could have some leverage innings. And it could come from somebody that we haven't thought about yet." The latter category might also include Lucas Sims, who signed with the team earlier this week. Law has mainly been a middle reliever during a big-league career that stretches back to 2016, but he is coming off one of his best statistical seasons, posting a 2.60 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB over 90 innings with career highs in appearances (75), wins (seven) and holds (17).

Holmes struck out three over three perfect innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 31-year-old right-hander has made only four starts among his 311 career big-league appearances and none since 2018, but Holmes' attempt to win a spot in the Mets' rotation this spring got off to a brilliant start. He fired 26 of 34 pitches for strikes, and per Will Sammon of The Athletic, Holmes worked in seven changeups and a couple cutters, two new pitches that could help expand his arsenal from the sinker/slider/sweeper mix that allowed him to rack up 74 saves over the last three seasons for the Yankees.

Manager Bob Melvin said Sunday that Miller is dealing with some finger numbness, but the issue isn't significant enough to require any medical testing, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-hander is expected to be ready to go within the next few days, but the Giants planned to slow play him early in camp regardless of the injury due to workload concerns. Miller made 73 appearances as a rookie last year and had a 3.88 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 87:38 K:BB across 67.1 innings while recording 14 holds.

The Royals are viewing Bowlan as a reliever, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Two of Bowlan's three big-league appearances to date have come in a starting role, though he's gone a mere 4.2 innings combined in those outings. The right-hander has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors as well, but the Royals appear set to deploy him out of the bullpen when he's with the big-league club. Bowlan has one minor-league option remaining, which gives the team some flexibility in terms of managing a relief corps that is comprised of mostly veteran arms.