MLB Player News

The Rays placed McClanahan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

McClanahan is without an official timeline to make his season debut while he recovers from a nerve-related triceps injury, but since he's yet to resume a throwing program, he's expected to miss beyond the minimum 15 days. The southpaw's injury clears the way for both Zack Littell and Drew Rasmussen to hold down spots at the back end of the rotation to begin the season.

The Angels signed Toussaint to a minor-league contract March 21.

Toussaint split last season between the the majors with the White Sox and Triple-A Charlotte, holding a 7.43 ERA in 11 relief appearances at the big-league level. The 28-year-old was with the Angels for part of the 2022 campaign and will give them swingman depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Scherzer (thumb) is "still going in the right direction," and the team expects him to be ready to start Saturday against the Orioles, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer dealt with a nagging right thumb injury this spring, but he's been trending in a positive direction of late and is in line to take his first turn in Toronto's rotation. He threw 62 pitches in his final Grapefruit League start, so Scherzer should be capable of throwing 80 or so Saturday as long as the thumb issue doesn't flare up again.

Ortiz allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over four innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.

This was Ortiz's final outing of the preseason, which was a rocky one for the Guardians' winter acquisition. The right-hander finished with 14 strikeouts and 13 walks over 17.1 innings this spring. Despite his struggles, Ortiz is expected to start the third game of the regular season Sunday against the Royals.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Mahle will likely start the Rangers' third game of the season Saturday against the Red Sox, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The skipper had previously indicated Mahle would start the second game of the regular season. However, Bochy has since changed his tune, and it now sounds as though Jack Leiter will start Friday ahead of Mahle and Jacob deGrom in Games 3 and 4, respectively. Mahle required an MRI on his forearm earlier this spring, but he was able to turn the page in a hurry and convince the team of his readiness for the start of the 2025 campaign.

Garcia met with doctors Tuesday regarding his right elbow and will seek a second opinion, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Garcia was pulled off his throwing program Thursday after reporting soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow. There's no telling how long it will be before he's ready to start up his rehab again, but it's usually not a great sign when a player seeks a second opinion. More details should be available once another doctor takes a look at Garcia.

The Angels selected Johnson's contract Tuesday.

Now that Johnson has officially been added to the Angels' 40-man roster and 26-man active roster, he'll become the first player since Garrett Crochet in 2020 to reach the majors without appearing in a minor-league game. Johnson, 22, is likely to work in middle relief while he familiarizes himself with MLB hitters, but his 10:1 K:BB in 11.1 Cactus League innings is evidence that he has the tools to appear in high-leverage situations down the line. Jose Quijada was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Garabito will be on Texas' Opening Day roster, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Garabito ended the spring with eight runs (seven earned) allowed and 10 strikeouts over 11.1 innings. He'll begin the season with the Rangers despite his shaky performance, likely working in a long-relief role behind an Opening Day rotation that includes unproven young pitchers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.

The Padres returned Nunez to the Orioles on Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The Padres selected Nunez in the Rule 5 Draft back in December, but he wasn't able to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster after surrendering four runs (two earned) on six hits and six walks across five innings in spring training. He'll now return to the Orioles' farm system, losing his 40-man roster spot in the process. Nunez will likely open the 2025 season at High-A Aberdeen or Double-A Chesapeake.

Johnson has secured a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson was the 74th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft and will bypass the minor leagues as he slots into the Los Angeles bullpen. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed five runs with a 10:1 K:BB over 11.1 innings during Cactus League play. Johnson will probably be eased into high-leverage situations, but he certainly has the talent to eventually become a late-inning reliever. The last player to make his major-league debut without having appeared in the minors first was Garrett Crochet.