MLB Player News

The Royals recalled Spence from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Spence gave up eight earned runs over seven innings during spring training but looked much better during his first start at Triple-A, tossing five shutout innings while allowing four hits and no walks. Now back in the big leagues, the 27-year-old righty will presumably work in a long-relief role, replacing Luinder Avila.

Rodon (elbow/hamstring) threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rodon felt normal soreness after his previous bullpen session this past weekend, but it seems he got through Thursday's workout with no hiccups. The Yankees will wait to see how the southpaw bounces back before determining the next step, but Rodon should be nearing a rehab assignment. He's coming back from offseason elbow surgery, and he's also dealt with some hamstring tightness of late.

Cole (elbow) will face hitters at High-A Hudson Valley on Sunday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

It could be the final step for Cole before he's cleared to begin a rehab assignment, though the Yankees have yet to confirm as much. Making his way back from Tommy John surgery, Cole made a couple Grapefruit League appearances, but he will still require several rehab starts before rejoining the Yankees' rotation. The former Cy Young winner is expected to make his season debut sometime in May.

Falter (elbow) began playing catch Monday, MLB.com reports.

Falter was placed on the injured list Friday due to left elbow inflammation, specifically valgus extension overload that causes pain when extending the elbow. After receiving an injection, the southpaw began playing catch, with a bullpen session likely next in his rehab progression, though there is no clear timeline. Prior to landing on the injured list, Falter had been working out of the bullpen for the Royals and allowed five runs across 3.1 innings to begin the regular season.

The Astros are expected to add France to their active roster prior to Friday's game in Seattle, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

France was removed from the Astros' 40-man roster prior to spring training but has found his way back onto it by tossing 5.1 scoreless innings with an 8:1 K:BB at Triple-A Sugar Land. The right-hander will provide the Houston bullpen with some length.

Klassen is slated to start Saturday's game against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Summoned from Triple-A Salt Lake last weekend to make his MLB debut, Klassen faltered in his first start with the Angels, failing to escape the third inning while yielding two earned runs on three hits and five walks. Though the 24-year-old righty's control left much to be desired, he displayed lively stuff, recording four punchouts while finishing with a strong 30.1 percent called-strike-plus-whiff rate. With Ryan Johnson (illness) recently joining Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) and Alek Manoah (finger) on the injured list, Klassen will get at least one more chance to prove that he's worthy of a spot in the big-league rotation.

Sandoval (elbow) allowed three unearned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Sandoval made his first appearance in a game that counts since June 2024. He was victimized by shaky defense, including his own, in the first inning, when all three runs scored. Results, however, were less important than the left-hander getting in the work. Sandoval threw 63 pitches (35 strikes) and got four up-and-downs. He's expected to make several outings while on rehab before the Red Sox decide where Sandoval best fits in with the pitching staff.

Ober (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Tigers on Wednesday.

Ober came up an out short of a quality start, but this was still his best outing of the season. The 30-year-old had gone just four innings in each of his first two games. Ober threw 64 of 99 pitches for strikes Wednesday and limited the damage to the sixth inning. He has a 5.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7:4 K:BB through 13.2 innings so far. Ober's lack of strikeouts is a concern, especially after he posted a career-worst 7.4 K/9 during the 2025 regular season. He's averaging just 89.1 mph on his four-seam fastball this year, down from 90.3 mph last year, so his strikeout numbers are unlikely to rebound if the velocity remains down. Ober is tentatively projected to make his next start at home versus the Red Sox.

Valdez (1-1) allowed eight runs on 10 hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over five-plus innings to take the loss versus the Twins on Wednesday.

Valdez gave up six runs in the first inning, and the Tigers weren't able to recover from that. He had posted quality starts in his first two outings this season, but he fell far short of that threshold Wednesday. Valdez now has a 4.76 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through 17 innings over three starts. The veteran southpaw will want to bounce back in his next outing -- he allowed at least four runs in eight of his last 10 regular-season starts in 2025, so this poor outing could snowball. He is tentatively lined up for a home start versus Royals early next week.

Severino allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out seven over five innings to take a no-decision Wednesday versus the Yankees.

It was another shaky performance for Severino, who has walked at least three batters in all three of his starts so far. He threw 54 of 100 pitches for strikes Wednesday and at least appears to be fully stretched out, but he'll need to improve his control to work as a true innings-eater at the head of the Athletics' rotation. Through 13.1 innings, he has a 5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 17:13 K:BB. Severino has benefited from not allowing a home run yet, but he's put too much traffic on the basepaths to avoid trouble. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Rangers.