MLB Player News

The Marlins optioned Fulton to Double-A Pensacola on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Fulton missed all of 2024 while recovering from his second career Tommy John surgery. His return to a competitive setting yielded promising results, as he'll finish the spring with two strikeouts over three scoreless innings. Once he proves he can remain both effective and healthy for an extended period of time, he could receive his first promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville.

The Marlins optioned Mazur to Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Upon joining the Marlins organization at last year's trade deadline, Mazur registered a 5.21 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 38 innings over eight starts at Jacksonville. He showed signs of improvement during Grapefruit League play, giving up one run in five frames while striking out three, but the Marlins will need to see more from him in the minors before giving him a spot in their big-league rotation.

Lugo gave up one run in 2.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks in Friday's spring start. He has a 8.22 ERA with a 9:3 K:BB ratio over 7.2 innings this spring.

Lugo improved after giving up three runs in each of his first three spring starts as his five strikeouts showed he's nearly in regular-season form. However, spring stats hardly matter for the veteran who is locked in as the No. 2 starter for the Royals. Lugo won 16 games with a 3.00 ERA over a league-high 33 starts last season. A 21.7 percent strikeout rate left something to be desired, but Lugo provided so much volume with a surprising 206.2 innings that he accumulated 181 punchouts.

Alcantara said Saturday that the team hasn't told him he will be under any inning restrictions this season, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Alcantara's comments directly contradict a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN.com that states the 29-year-old righty will be on an innings limit early in the year. Amid all the uncertainty, the truth is more likely to come from the man himself, though he doesn't have full say over his deployment. It would make some sense for Alcantara to gradually build up his workload during the season after missing all of 2024 following Tommy John surgery.

The Guardians optioned Espino (shoulder) to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.

Espino underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder capsule and rotator cuff in March of 2024. He's not expected to be game-ready until July, but he has recently extended his throwing distance to 120 feet, and once he's fully healthy he'll work out of Columbus' rotation.

Thorpe (elbow) will begin throwing live batting practice Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe has been throwing bullpen sessions since mid-February, and he has now officially been cleared to face live hitters. The plan is for him to throw several rounds of live BP before getting into a routine of throwing every five days. Assuming all goes well, he'll then begin a rehab assignment with one of the White Sox's minor-league affiliates.

Matthews (hip) is expected to throw a bullpen session Sunday, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Matthews left Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees due to what appeared to be an ankle injury but turned out to be a hip strain. The injury doesn't appear to be serious, and how he responds to Sunday's bullpen session will determine his availability for the rest of spring training. Matthews spent most of the 2024 regular season in the minors, but he did make nine major-league starts for the Twins and posted a 1-4 record with a 6.69 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 43:11 K:BB across 37.2 innings.

The Angels optioned Dana to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Dana was wildly inconsistent across his three Cactus League outings. He surrendered three earned runs over 1.2 innings in his spring debut before tossing three scoreless frames in his second start. He then struggled again in his most recent outing, giving up seven runs in one inning while striking out two and walking four. The 21-year-old prospect will look to find his footing in Triple-A to begin the year and attempt to return to the Angels' rotation at some point this summer.

The Angels optioned Aldegheri to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Aldegheri made just one appearance this spring, giving up two home runs and striking out three batters in his lone inning of work. He turned in a 4.85 ERA and 1.92 WHIP across 13 innings with the Angels last season, but he'll head back to the minors to begin 2025 and will likely need to demonstrate success over an extended period of time before getting the call back to Anaheim.

The Tigers placed Gipson-Long (elbow/hip) on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gipson-Long underwent Tommy John surgery in April followed by another surgery on his hip in July. He's begun throwing bullpen sessions since the start of spring training, though his return from the injured list likely won't come until closer to the All-Star break.