MLB Player News

Bradish (elbow) played catch from 90 feet Tuesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

It was revealed last week that Bradish is dealing with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, but he's now played catch a couple times after being given a platelet-rich plasma injection. The right-hander will begin the season on the injured list and it's up in the air as to when he might be game-ready, but the hope is that the rest and rehab route will work.

Lynch (shoulder) said Sunday that he's feeling "probably the best I've felt in two years," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lynch wound up pitching just 52.1 innings in 2023 due to a left shoulder issue which ultimately ended his season in July. He returned to pitching in the Arizona Fall League and also the Dominican Winter League, though, and entered Royals came with no restrictions. Lynch is competing with Jordan Lyles and Alec Marsh for the fifth spot in Kansas City's rotation. Lyles would seem to have a leg up for the job, but Lynch has more upside and could push for the gig with a strong spring.

Gipson-Long was diagnosed with a left groin strain after undergoing an MRI last week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Gipson-Long sustained the injury in a bullpen session last week during the first week of spring training. The 26-year-old is completing daily rehab activities, but the Tigers have yet to offer a timeline for when the right-hander might be ready to make his Grapefruit League debut. Gipson-Long entered camp on the outside looking in for a spot in the Detroit rotation, and the groin injury won't help his case for making the Tigers' Opening Day roster.

Miller added a splitter to his repertoire this offseason, Brandon Gustafson of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Miller picked up some valuable experience last season beginning with his May 2 MLB debut, finishing the 2023 campaign with an 8-7 record, 4.32 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across 25 starts. The right-hander's fastball clocked in at an impressive 95.1 mph as well, and while he primarily relied on his four-seam fastball and a sinker/two-seamer as a rookie, he decided to add the splitter after seeing rotation mates Logan Gilbert and George Kirby enjoy plenty of success with it last season. "I thought it was something that would be really good for how I throw and for what I needed," Miller said. " ... It took me a month or two just to find a grip that I was comfortable with and one that I was able to get consistent shapes with."

Stripling has begun unveiling a new "Deathball" pitch that he worked on this offseason, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander was just acquired from the Giants on Feb. 2 and has already been deploying the pitch in front of his new coaches and teammates. Stripling admits he's still perfecting his use of the offering, which he's primarily used in bullpen sessions thus far and is described as a modified version of a slider that drops straight down late. Stripling plans to use his Cactus League appearances to experiment with it in game situations and decide if he'll be utilizing it in his arsenal when he opens the season as the Athletics' projected No. 3 starter.

The Tigers haven't discussed any specific workload restrictions on Mize for spring training or the regular season as he returns from Tommy John surgery, MLB.com reports.

Mize added that he hopes to throw "as much as they let me" in camp, though the Tigers will certainly take a cautious approach. Even if a specific innings limit isn't announced for the regular season, the team will surely be careful then as well, considering Mize last took an MLB mound in April of 2022. The righty's career high for innings in a season is 150.1, which he recorded back in 2021, and it would be safe to assume that somewhere around that number will end up being his maximum in 2024 if he's able to stay healthy. Mize can be an impact pitcher when on top of his game, but it might take him a little while to shake off some rust, so fantasy managers will need to be patient.

Crawford is working on a split-finger fastball that he feels would complement his existing repertoire, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. "All my stuff is moving glove side, away from righties and into lefties. The splitter would open up the other side of the plate," Crawford said.

Crawford, who was projected as a rotation lock earlier last week by Abraham, got a thumbs-up Saturday from starting catcher Connor Wong, who served as a batter during the pitcher's live BP session. "As a catcher, I see a lot. But the perspective as a hitter is different because you get a real feel for the breaking pitches," Wong said. "Kutter brings so much to the table and it's getting better." The right-hander opened the 2023 season as part of the rotation, then moved to the bullpen before rejoining the starters in early June. Crawford had a 4.20 ERA (3.64 FIP) over 21 starts while limiting opponents to a .226 batting average and .679 OPS after re-entering the rotation.

Sandlin sustained an oblique strain in July last year that cut short his season, but he's fully recovered heading into spring training, Jen McCaffery of The Athletic reports.

The Red Sox acquired Sandlin from the Royals on Saturday, and the organization feels the right-hander is on the rise, per chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. "We've seen the stuff take a pretty big step forward," Breslow said. "It was a combination of raw stuff, projection and a chance to maybe tweak the usage a little bit and improve performance." Sandlin was sharp when healthy in 2023, posting a 3.38 ERA and 33 percent strikeout rate in Low-A before a promotion to High-A. He made two starts for Quad Cities before the oblique injury. Sandlin, who turns 23 on Wednesday, experienced a jump in velocity, going from the low-90s in college to sitting at 95-97 mph during his first professional season. His repertoire also includes a slider, curve and a changeup that some evaluators feel is his best pitch, according to Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe.

The Twins plan to have Varland stretch out as a starting pitcher this spring, although moving him to the bullpen remains an option, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. He's been working on an improved two-seam fastball and slider in the offseason to help him win a spot in the rotation.

Varland's improved velocity turned him into a late-season weapon out of the bullpen last year after working as a starter the first five months. As a reliever he had a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings with a 17:1 K:BB while throwing a fastball that touched triple digits. He'll be in the mix for the final spot in the rotation this spring. If Varland loses out on the fifth starter role to Anthony DeSclafani, it will be interesting to see if the Twins move him to the bullpen or keep him as a starter at Triple-A. He could be an impact fantasy asset as a starting pitcher this season given his improvement last season and if a new pitch can broaden his arsenal.

The Mariners claimed Stoudt off waivers from Cincinnati on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Stoudt had been part of the trade package that sent Luis Castillo from Cincinnati to Seattle in 2022, and Stoudt will now reunite with the organization that drafted him. The 26-year-old righty struggled to find his footing in 2023, allowing 11 earned runs in 10.1 major-league innings while also putting up a 6.23 ERA across 82.1 frames in Triple-A. He'll presumably start the season with Triple-A Tacoma and would need to show significant progress from last year before getting another run in the big leagues. Canaan Smith-Njigba was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.