MLB Player News

Hanifee will be included on the Tigers' Opening Day roster, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

He ultimately got the call over Jason Foley, who was surprisingly optioned to Triple-A Toledo earlier Wednesday. Hanifee spun 10.2 scoreless innings this spring with a 9:3 K:BB and held a 1.84 ERA and 23:6 K:BB across 29.1 regular-season frames with the Tigers last season. He's better at getting groundballs than strikeouts and will likely serve in middle relief.

The Rays recalled Misner from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Misner had been on track to begin the season in the minors after being optioned to Triple-A last Wednesday, but a spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster opened up for him after Richie Palacios suffered a fractured ring finger that will send him to the injured list. With Christopher Morel, Jonny DeLuca and Josh Lowe seemingly locked in as the Rays' preferred starting outfield trio against right-handed pitching, the lefty-hitting Misner likely won't be in line for many at-bats to begin the season.

The Rays recalled Bigge from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Bigge was optioned to Triple-A last week, but a spot on the Opening Day roster opened back up for him after the Rays placed Shane McClanahan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list. McClanahan's injury clears room in the rotation for Drew Rasmussen, while Bigge will fill the final opening in the Tampa Bay bullpen. Bigge impressed in his first taste of the big leagues in 2024 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB across 17.1 innings between stops with the Cubs and Rays, but he may have to settle for low-leverage relief work to begin the upcoming season.

The Rays placed Palacios (finger) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Palacios had been on track to begin the season in a utility role with the Rays, but his bid for the Opening Day roster ended late last week when he was diagnosed with a small fracture in his right ring finger. His IL placement is retroactive to Monday, so Palacios will be eligible for activation ahead of the Rays' third series of the season, which begins April 4 in Texas. Tampa Bay recalled Kameron Misner from Triple-A Durham to provide some extra coverage in the outfield while Palacios is on the shelf.

The Rays placed McClanahan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

McClanahan is without an official timeline to make his season debut while he recovers from a nerve-related triceps injury, but since he's yet to resume a throwing program, he's expected to miss beyond the minimum 15 days. The southpaw's injury clears the way for both Zack Littell and Drew Rasmussen to hold down spots at the back end of the rotation to begin the season.

The Angels signed Toussaint to a minor-league contract March 21.

Toussaint split last season between the the majors with the White Sox and Triple-A Charlotte, holding a 7.43 ERA in 11 relief appearances at the big-league level. The 28-year-old was with the Angels for part of the 2022 campaign and will give them swingman depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Scherzer (thumb) is "still going in the right direction," and the team expects him to be ready to start Saturday against the Orioles, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer dealt with a nagging right thumb injury this spring, but he's been trending in a positive direction of late and is in line to take his first turn in Toronto's rotation. He threw 62 pitches in his final Grapefruit League start, so Scherzer should be capable of throwing 80 or so Saturday as long as the thumb issue doesn't flare up again.

Moore has been assigned to Double-A Rocket City to begin the season, MLB.com reports.

Moore had an opportunity early on in Angels camp to win the starting second-base job, but he struggled in Cactus League play, collecting a .616 OPS and 32.7 percent strikeout rate. The top prospect also struck out at nearly a 30 percent rate in his 23 games with Rocket City last season, so he still has work to do in the minors even while he was productive in 2024 with a .984 OPS over two levels. The Angels don't have many roadblocks at second base and are typically aggressive in promoting their prospects, so Moore still has a good chance to make an impact at the big-league level in 2025 if he can get off to a nice start at Rocket City.

The Tigers optioned Foley to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Foley allowed five runs over 7.1 innings during Grapefruit League play but also had a 10:0 K:BB. The 29-year-old led the Tigers with 28 saves last season and had seemed to be firmly in the picture to close heading into 2025, but Detroit will give him time in the minors first to sharpen up. Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton, Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest are among the candidates to see save chances for the Tigers in what looks like a murky situation for fantasy.

Kurtz will begin the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, MLB.com reports.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Kurtz impressed in spring training with the Athletics, putting up a .973 OPS with two home runs and a 5:7 K:BB. He finished his brief, 12-game pro debut at Double-A Midland and will move up a level to begin the 2025 campaign. Kurtz will be just a step away from the big leagues and has a good chance to make his major-league debut at some point this season.