MLB Player News
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Pete Hansen SP | STL
Cardinals' Pete Hansen: Resuming mound work
Hansen (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Monday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Hansen has been slowed in Cardinals camp by left shoulder stiffness, so Monday's bullpen session is a significant step. The southpaw could still get a late start to the season, and when he is ready to pitch in games he'll likely be assigned to Triple-A Memphis. Hansen posted a 3.93 ERA and 123:37 K:BB over 137.1 innings with Double-A Springfield in 2025.
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Luis Severino SP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Severino: Scoreless outing in spring debut
Severino allowed a hit and a walk across two scoreless innings in Sunday's Cactus League loss to the Guardians. He struck out three.
Severino made his spring debut Sunday and delivered a solid outing, striking out three Guardians while touching 97.8 mph on his fastball across two scoreless frames. The right-hander will aim to improve in 2026 after posting a 4.54 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with a career-low 6.9 K/9 over 29 starts and 162.2 innings in his first season with the Athletics last year.
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Kai-Wei Teng RP | HOU
Astros' Kai-Wei Teng: Competing for bullpen spot
Teng has impressed the Astros' staff early in spring, giving him a chance to make the Opening Day roster, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Per Rome, Houston has been impressed by Teng's ability to record swinging strikes "with multiple breaking balls". The right-hander was traded to the Astros in late January after posting a 6.37 ERA across 29.2 innings with San Francisco last year. Teng's ability to provide multiple innings out of the bullpen is certainly viewed as an asset, as Houston plans to open the season with a six-man rotation. Their middle relief depth has already been tested, as Enyel De Los Santos (knee) has yet to resume throwing, opening the door for Teng to claim a roster spot.
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JR Ritchie SP | ATL
Braves' JR Ritchie: Sharp in spring debut
Ritchie tossed two scoreless, no-hit innings in Atlanta's Grapefruit League game against the Twins on Sunday, walking one and striking out one.
The 22-year-old right-hander tossed 19 of 32 pitches for strikes in his spring debut. Ritchie is knocking on the door of the majors after posting a 3.02 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 61:27 K:BB through 11 starts and 59.2 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett last season, and while Atlanta doesn't want to rush him, he could be an injury or two away from getting thrust into the rotation.
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Bryce Elder SP | ATL
Braves' Bryce Elder: Could be part of six-man rotation
Elder appears likely to get a start or two early in the season with Atlanta playing 13 consecutive days to begin its schedule, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Elder is battling Joey Wentz for the fifth starter role, but that competition will probably extend into the regular season with the team having to give serious thought to deploying a six-man rotation for the first couple weeks. Elder made 28 starts for Atlanta in 2025, posting a 5.30 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 131:51 K:BB in 156.1 innings.
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Joey Wentz SP | ATL
Braves' Joey Wentz: Likely to begin season in rotation
Wentz appears likely to get a start or two early in the season with Atlanta playing 13 consecutive days to begin its schedule, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Wentz is battling Bryce Elder for the fifth starter role, but that competition will probably extend into the regular season with the team having to give serious thought to deploying a six-man rotation for the first couple weeks. Wentz produced a 4.92 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 64:23 K:BB in 64 innings over 14 appearances (13 starts) for Atlanta in 2025.
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Chris Sale SP | ATL
Braves' Chris Sale: Humming to begin spring
Sale topped out at 96 mph with his fastball in his first game action of the spring Sunday, allowing two hits and striking out three over two scoreless innings against the Twins, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The veteran southpaw tossed 37 pitches and fired first-pitch strikes to all eight batters he faced, and Sale even had to make a tough defensive play on a Trevor Larnach chopper. After he missed significant time last summer due to a rib fracture, it was a very encouraging performance from Sale to begin his spring. In two seasons with Atlanta, he's averaged 151.2 innings with a 2.46 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 11.6 K/9.
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Michael Burrows SP | HOU
Astros' Mike Burrows: Sharp in spring debut
Burrows pitched two innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Cardinals, allowing no runs on one hit and a walk while striking out two.
It was an encouraging Astros debut for Burrows, who got the start against a St. Louis lineup that featured some projected Opening Day starters. Burrows, who joined Houston via trade in December, is coming off a solid rookie season with the Pirates, where he posted a 3.94 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP and 9.1 K/9 across 96 innings. The right-hander is expected to slot into the middle of a new-look Astros' rotation.
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Jared Jones SP | PIT
Pirates' Jared Jones: Should be game-ready by late May
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Monday that Jones (elbow) should be ready for game action when he's eligible to return from the 60-day injured list in late May, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
It's not clear whether that means he will be ready to pitch for the Pirates at that point or ready to pitch on a rehab assignment. Jones underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last May and is "coming out really good" following a live batting practice session Friday, per Tomczyk. The 24-year-old made 22 starts for the Pirates in 2024, posting a 4.14 ERA and 132:39 K:BB across 121.2 frames.
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Kyle Bradish SP | BAL
Orioles' Kyle Bradish: Mixed results in spring debut
Bradish allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in two innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Detroit. He struck out two.
Following a clean first inning, Bradish struggled in the second frame while yielding a pair of runs. The 29-year-old right-hander threw 22 of his 35 pitches for strikes, and his sinker topped out at 95.8 mph. The Orioles are expected to have some form of limitations in place for Bradish in 2026 -- Tommy John surgery has held the righty to 14 starts since 2024 -- and Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com also notes that Bradish is prioritizing his health as opposed to increasing his velocity. Baltimore's plans for his workload could become clearer as spring training progresses.