MLB Player News

Albers agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Drayer notes that Albers was present Monday at the organization's big-league camp, so he looks as though he'll have a chance to compete for a spot in the Opening Day rotation or in the bullpen as a long man. The 36-year-old lefty made five appearances (three starts) for Minnesota in 2021, turning in a 7.58 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 12:9 K:BB across 19 frames.

Cavalli gave up one hit and struck out six over three scoreless innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The 23-year-old right-hander entered the game in the seventh inning and wasn't facing any of Houston's big-league bats, but it was still a very impressive performance from Cavalli. After scuffling a bit over six starts at Triple-A Rochester at the end of last season, the Nationals' top prospect is expected to return to that level to kick off 2022, but if he keeps dealing this spring there's a chance he could break camp in the big-league rotation as a fill-in for Stephen Strasburg (neck). Even if the club resists the urge to start his service-time clock right away, a major-league debut at some point this season for Cavalli seems almost assured.

Roby (elbow) resumed facing hitters during the Rangers' fall instructional camp and is expected to enter the 2022 minor-league season with no restrictions, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

A 2020 draft pick who made his professional debut in 2021, Roby submitted a 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 35:7 K:BB across 22 innings in his first six starts with Low-A Down East before he was shut down in mid-June with a right elbow strain. He was fortunate to avoid Tommy John surgery, and after treating the injury with extended rest and recovery, Roby looked dominant once again in his limited action in instructional ball, most notably tossing an immaculate inning during one of his appearances. The Rangers may send him back to Down East to begin the 2022 campaign, but if he's able to immediately pick up where he left off last year, a promotion to High-A Hickory could come quickly.

Houck allowed one run on one hit and three walks while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Sunday's spring-training game against the Orioles.

Houck allowed a home run to the second batter he faced, Ramon Urias, then walked three and could not get out of the third inning as planned. He described it to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com as knocking off the rust. "You can throw as many (live batting practices) and bullpens as you want but getting in the game situation is definitely a little bit different. First one's out of the way. I felt good. Mixed in all the pitches." Houck, who pitched as both a reliever and starter in 2021, received the news that he will open the season in the starting rotation. The right-hander will likely pitch the third game of the season, April 10, in primetime against the Yankees.

Gallen (shoulder) will throw a live batting-practice session Monday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Gallen continues to make progress from offseason shoulder issues, but the right-hander is unlikely to be part of the rotation's first turn to start the season. It's uncertain when Gallen will make his first Cactus League start, and he may not build up enough pitches to be ready the first week of the season. The Diamondbacks start integrating their rotation locks beginning Tuesday when Madison Bumgarner pitches.

Springs (knee) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Monday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Springs has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, but his ability to face hitters at this stage in camp seemingly hints that he has a shot at being ready for Opening Day after tearing the ACL in his right knee July 31 of last year and undergoing surgery just over two weeks later. Before getting hurt, Springs had been a key piece out of the Tampa Bay bullpen, tossing 44.2 innings over 43 appearances while submitting a 3.43 and 63:14 K:BB and picking up 10 holds, five wins and two saves. If he gets a clean bill of healthy ahead of the start of the season, Springs will likely slot in as a setup man for Tampa Bay.

Severino pitched two innings in the Yankees' Grapefruit League loss to Detroit on Sunday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out one.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently proclaimed Severino to be the "most ready" pitcher in camp for the team this spring, but the right-hander appeared rusty in his first Grapefruit League outing of 2022. He allowed a pair of runs in the first inning and served up a long ball to Robbie Grossman for two more runs in the second. Despite the rough start, it was promising to see Severino on the mound after he was limited to just six relief innings after completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery last season. He figures to slot into the middle of New York's rotation and would be a valuable fantasy asset if he's able to recover the form that led to a 3.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 220:46 K:BB across 191.1 innings in his last healthy campaign, but there is plenty of risk given the fact that he's made only seven regular-season appearances over the past two seasons.

Detmers threw two innings in the Angels' 7-3 Cactus League win Sunday, allowing one hit while striking out five.

Detmers flashed the big strikeout potential that helped accelerate his path to the majors last season, as he punched out five of the seven batters he faced. The southpaw whiffed 108 batters in only 62 innings in the minors in 2021 but was not quite as effective after being called up by Los Angeles, striking out 19 in 20.2 frames in the majors. Detmers is the leading candidate to fill the final spot in the team's six-man rotation for the coming campaign, and he could emerge as a viable fantasy asset if he's able to come anywhere close to the strikeout prowess he displayed in the minors.

Irvin allowed an earned run on five hits and a walk over two innings in a Cactus League tie with the Guardians on Sunday. He struck out one.

The veteran scuffled to a 10-15 mark last season after a solid start, dropping eight of his last 12 decisions but still posting a serviceable 4.24 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Irvin did pitch to some contact Sunday as his final line indicates, but he was pleased with his use of a cutter he rolled out for the first time in game action after learning it by watching YouTube videos of the Brewers' Corbin Burnes, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Irvin also adjusted the grip on his slider this offseason and worked on explosiveness, which seemed to pay dividends Sunday when his fastball hit as high as 94 mph after averaging 90.8 mph in 2021.

Flexen started the Mariners' Cactus League loss to the Angels on Sunday and allowed an earned run on two hits over three innings. He struck out four.

Flexen was one of the several pleasant surprises for the Mariners last season, posting a 14-6 record, 3.61 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 31 starts. The right-hander enters 2022 with a solid grip on the No. 4 spot in the rotation, and he made a strong impression on manager Scott Servais in his first spring action while liberally incorporating the cutter he found plenty of success with a year ago, Jesse Borek of MLB.com reports. "All of his pitchers were working, and he had really good command," Servais said.