MLB Player News

Sisk is dealing with an illness that has been going around the Royals' clubhouse, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Sisk was originally expected to pitch in the Royals' Cactus League game versus the Rangers on Friday, but his illness kept him out of action. The 27-year-old southpaw was added to the 40-man roster in November after posting a 1.56 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 57.2 innings at Triple-A Omaha, and he'll make his spring debut once he's feeling better.

Phillips (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

It will be his first this spring, as Phillips is still working his way back from a right shoulder injury that kept him out of last year's World Series. While he has already been ruled out for the Dodgers' two-game series in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18-19, it's not clear whether he might have a chance to be ready for the team's domestic opener March 27.

Holmes will be on the mound for the Mets' Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the Astros, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 31-year-old right-hander hasn't started a big-league game since 2018, making 195 relief appearances over the last three seasons while serving primarily as a closer for the Yankees, but Holmes is attempting to convert to the rotation this season after signing a three-year, $38 million deal with the Mets in December. It's not clear what kind of workload he'll handle in his spring debut, but Holmes projects to slot third in the Mets' rotation to begin the campaign behind Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea.

Marsh (shoulder) is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

Marsh first experienced tightness in his right shoulder during his offseason throwing program and has been brought along slowly early in camp. Returning to mound work Friday offers him time to ramp up ahead of Opening Day, although he probably can't afford any setbacks. Marsh is competing for the final spot in the Royals' rotation.

Swanson (forearm) threw 10 pitches off a mound Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Swanson is a little behind at the beginning of camp due to right forearm fatigue. He was never totally shut down though, and now that he's progressed to mound work, he could build up quickly. Swanson is on track to be ready for Opening Day, and while he's coming off a rough 2024 campaign, the right-hander is out of minor-league options and should have a spot in the Blue Jays' big-league bullpen.

Romero (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Romero closed the 2024 season on the injured list due to right forearm inflammation, but he began a throwing program in late October and appears to be facing no limitations in spring training. The 28-year-old southpaw should remain a key setup option in front of closer Ryan Helsley in 2025 after logging a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB while gathering 30 holds, seven wins and one save over 59 innings a season ago.

Helsley appeared to make use of a cutter as part of his arsenal while throwing his first live batting practice of the spring Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Helsley already looks to be fully ramped up in the early stages of the spring; the hard-throwing righty uncorked fastballs clocked at 98 mph for his first three pitches of Thursday's session. He also utilized his curveball and slider as part of his core three-pitch mix and complemented those offerings with a cutter, a pitch he's thrown just six total times during his six-year MLB career, per FanGraphs.com. Helsley will likely continue to experiment with his cutter throughout the spring before determining if he can command the pitch well enough to make it a consistent part of his repertoire heading into the regular season. Whether or not he ultimately expands his arsenal, Hesley shapes up as an upper-tier fantasy closer, coming off a brilliant 2024 season in which he recorded an MLB-leading 49 saves to go with seven wins and a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 21.1 K-BB%).

Vodnik is a candidate for saves in the Rockies' bullpen to begin the season, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Vodnik tied for second on the team with nine saves in 2024, though both his surface and peripheral stats left plenty to be desired. He had a 1.48 WHIP primarily due to an 11.6 percent walk rate and paired that with a modest 20.3 percent strikeout rate. Seth Halvorsen and Tyler Kinley are the other primary candidates for save chances.

Halvorsen is among the candidates to open the season as the Rockies' closer, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Halvorsen made his big-league debut in 2024 after striking out 56 batters across 44.1 innings combined between Double and Triple-A. He converted two saves and two holds across 12 appearances with the Rockies, while also maintaining an impressive 13:2 K:BB. Tyler Kinley could get the first save chances due to his veteran status, but his inconsistent track record should keep the door open for Halvorsen and/or others.

The Blue Jays signed Yarbrough to a minor-league contract Thursday with an invite to spring training, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Yarbrough made his first appearances with the Blue Jays in August after being dealt by the Dodgers in late July. With Toronto, he recorded a 2.01 ERA across 31.1 innings in 12 games. The southpaw was used out of the bullpen in all 12 of his appearances and will presumably fill a piggyback or long-relief role if he gets onto the MLB roster this year.