MLB Player News

Eovaldi allowed two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over two innings in Friday's spring opener against the Royals. He also hit a batter.

Eovaldi used his entire repertoire over the two innings, and he broke out a new two-seamer, although it was not identified as such in the Statcast box score. "I've been working on that two-seam runner," he told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. "It wasn't as great today. In the offseason, the TrackMan results were awesome." The right-hander said he felt like he was rushing all his pitches down the mound and plans to work on slowing down his mechanics in subsequent outings.

McKenzie will start Saturday's spring opener against the Reds, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports.

It will be a big moment for McKenzie, who teased the Guardians with a strong 2022 before injuries, including an elbow issue, limited him to four starts the following season. He was able to avoid Tommy John surgery but spent the second half of 2024 in the minors. Reports on his bullpen and live BP sessions on the back fields track his fastball velocity up to 95 mph, which is higher than the 92.5 mph he posted during the healthy 2022 campaign. The right-hander is one of several starters competing for a job behind ace Tanner Bibee.

Suarez is scheduled to start Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Pirates.

Suarez made 24 starts among his 32 appearances last season, pitching to a respectable 3.70 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 133.2 total innings for Baltimore. He struggled to a 6.20 ERA in September and was left off the wild-card roster, but the 35-year-old righty will have a chance to return to the rotation mix in his second season back in the majors following an extended stint overseas between Japan and Korea. While lacking in terms of strikeouts, Suarez will be a streaming candidate against lesser opponents if he's making regular starts for the Orioles, which doesn't seem far fetched given the question marks on the starting staff.

Cameron is a candidate to make the Royals' Opening Day rotation with a strong spring, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Cameron entered camp as a long shot to make the Opening Day roster, primarily due to the amount of talent the Royals already have in their big-league rotation. However, with Alec Marsh (shoulder) and Kyle Wright (shoulder/hamstring) both dealing with injuries, the competition for the fifth starter job has thinned out, opening the door for Cameron. The 25-year-old southpaw only reached Triple-A in July of last season, but he turned in a 2.32 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 62:11 K:BB in 54.1 innings over nine starts at Omaha -- good enough land a spot on Kansas City's 40-man roster this winter. He showed no signs of slowing down during his spring training debut, throwing two scoreless innings against the Rangers on Friday.

Brubaker tweaked his side while attempting to avoid a comebacker during an appearance Friday versus the Rays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The comebacker struck Brubaker in the lower back, but it's the pitcher's side that is the bigger issue. He is receiving treatment, but there is no word yet on how much time he might miss. Brubaker missed all of 2023 and was limited to just eight rehab appearances in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and later an oblique injury.

Hurd will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow next week, Geoff Pontes of Baseball America reports.

Hurd was a third-round pick of the Yankees in 2024 and has yet to make his professional debut. That debut will now have to wait until 2026 following surgery to repair his UCL and also remove a bone chip.

Hampton underwent Tommy John surgery Friday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Hampton had traveled back to New York to have his right elbow examined and got the worst possible news. If there's a silver lining, it's that having the operation now will give him a chance to return for the start of the 2026 season, or at least early on in the campaign.

Brubaker departed a Grapefruit League appearance against the Rays on Friday after being hit in the lower back by a comebacker, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

He tossed a scoreless fourth inning and returned for the top of the fifth when leadoff hitter Kameron Misner drilled one right back up the middle. Brubaker was in clear pain but was able to walk off the field under his own power. The right-hander missed all of 2023 and was limited to just eight rehab appearances in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and later an oblique injury, so he can ill afford to miss much time in camp if he wants to secure a spot on the 26-man roster.

Crawford (knee) threw a bullpen session Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Crawford has been eased into things early on in Red Sox camp as he tries to get past patellar tendon soreness, and it's a good sign that he's been cleared for mound work. The right-hander should have enough time to ramp up before Opening Day as he looks to lock down a rotation spot.

The White Sox are considering using Clevinger (neck) in a late-inning relief role, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It's just one of the roles the team is mulling, as it first wants to see what Clevinger looks like in camp after the hurler was inked to a minor-league contract Thursday. More than 90 percent of Clevinger's 156 career appearances in the majors have come as a starter, but he's had injury difficulties in recent years -- including being limited to just four starts in 2024 due to neck and elbow issues -- so it's possible a bullpen role gives him a better chance to stay healthy. The White Sox do have an opening at closer, should he prove to be effective in relief. The 34-year-old had neck surgery last July and it's not clear whether he'll have any restrictions this spring.