MLB Player News

Lorenzen signed a one-year $4.5 million contract with the Rangers on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

After throwing multiple auditions in front of MLB scouts during the offseason, Lorenzen will finally land with the Rangers just eight days before Opening Day. The 32-year-old right-hander turned in a 4.18 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 153 frames between Detroit and Philadelphia last season, and he'll provide depth to a Rangers rotation that will be without Max Scherzer (back), Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) for the first several months of the year. It's unclear whether or not Lorenzen will be ready for the beginning of the season, but his offseason throwing sessions may have prepared him enough to start right away for Texas.

The Royals optioned Lynch to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Lynch had been making a strong case to open the season in Kansas City's rotation by posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 13 innings of spring ball. However, the 27-year-old left-hander will return to Omaha to begin the new campaign. Lynch allowed seven earned runs over 20 innings in Triple-A last season, and he could find himself back in Kansas City if he performs similarly in the minors.

The Guardians' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate placed Campbell (elbow) on its full-season injured list.

Since being selected by the Guardians with the 37th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, Campbell has yet to make his professional debut. He looks like he'll have to wait until at least the 2025 season to do so, as the Guardians are already discounting the possibility of the right-hander toeing the rubber in 2024. Campbell underwent ulnar nerve decompression surgery on his right elbow on May 23, 2023 and had been expected to pitch in 2024, but he may have suffered a setback at some point over the last few months.

Soroka will start the White Sox's second game of the season against the Tigers, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Entering spring training, it was unclear if Soroka would win a rotation spot. However, with Dylan Cease traded away and Brad Keller set to start the year in the minors, Soroka will pitch toward the top of the rotation to begin the regular season. He's battled a number of significant injuries across the last several years, though he did manage to log 32.1 innings in the majors in 2023. Still only 26, Soroka has also had an impressive spring, allowing only two earned runs across 13 innings while maintaining a 17:5 K:BB.

Baz (elbow/oblique) threw 25 pitches off a mound Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Baz is closing in on a return from Tommy John surgery, but an oblique injury more recently slowed him. It appears that he's nearing a full recovery from the latter issue, which should allow him to attack the final stage of his rehab from the elbow injury. The Rays are expected to be cautious with Baz, and he's projected to return in late spring or early summer.

Springs (elbow) has thrown off a mound twice in the last week, Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times reports.

Springs underwent Tommy John surgery in April, and his recent throwing sessions mark his first off a mound while recovering. It's a positive step, but he's still not expected to return until sometime in July.

Mize has pitched well this spring but is still competing for a rotation spot to begin the season, Matthew Ritchie of MLB.com reports.

Mize, the former No. 1 overall pick, seems likely to snag a rotation spot if he's fully healthy in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. However, the Tigers are being cautious with him, which could explain why they're not trying to put too much on the righty's plate. Reese Olson and Matt Manning are also in the mix for Detroit's final two rotation spots, with Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty all locked in as starters.

Kirby has an 8.31 ERA and 1.73 WHIP over 8.2 innings across three Cactus League starts.

The right-hander is expected to slot into the No. 2 role in the rotation this year despite the rough spring. Kirby showed some signs of progress in his most recent start Saturday against the Reds, allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk over five innings while recording three strikeouts. Kirby had allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk over eight innings over his first two starts, albeit with five strikeouts. Kirby is slated for one more Cactus League start to work out any kinks before a projected regular-season debut against the Red Sox on March 29.

Lyles could be trailing Alec Marsh in the fifth starter competition for the Royals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Not only has Marsh out-pitched Lyles by a wide margin, but the latter has also been plagued by a lower-back issue this spring that has limited him to just five innings. Lyles will make another start Thursday, but he might not be stretched out sufficiently enough to open the year in the rotation. The Royals could opt to put Lyles on the injured list to begin the season, allowing him to build up his stamina while giving Marsh a shot in the rotation to see what he can do.

Gausman (shoulder) felt good after a 36-pitch simulated game Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.careports.

The right-hander continues to ramp up his workload after a bout of shoulder fatigue slowed him down in early March. The next step for Gausman is to get into a game, with the goal being to progress to 60-to-65 pitches across three innings early next week. The 33-year-old won't be ready for Opening Day, but at this rate he should be able to join Toronto's rotation within the first couple weeks of the season.