MLB Player News

Eovaldi allowed one run on three hits while striking out three over three innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Guardians.

Eovaldi threw an efficient 31 pitches and came away pleased with the effort after an uneven first Cactus League start. "I felt much better this time around than the last outing," Eovaldi told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. "I felt like my command was a lot better and I liked the shapes of my pitches." Eovaldi felt like he rushed pitches during his first outing.

Williams struck out three over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Rangers.

Williams faced the minimum six batters and never fell behind any hitter more than 1-0. He threw 26 strikes among his 34 offerings and consistently hit 96 and 97 mph with his four-seamer. The right-hander missed the first half of 2024 due to elbow discomfort and told Steve Stockmar of MLB.com that he's been doing physical therapy three times per week with exercises designed to strengthen the elbow.

Feigl signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Friday.

The 34-year-old southpaw made his MLB debut with the Pirates last season, although it didn't go well, as he surrendered six earned runs in just 1.2 innings in his lone appearance. Pittsburgh designated him for assignment after that appearance, and he finished his season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he turned in a 4.05 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 60 frames. He'll provide bullpen depth at Triple-A St. Paul in 2025.

Espino (shoulder) extended his throwing distance to 120 feet Wednesday.

Espino still has a long way to go in his rehab after undergoing two shoulder procedures in the past 21 months. He hasn't yet been completely ruled out for 2025, but he won't have the chance to make any appearances until late in the year.

Valera (knee) began taking batting practice this week.

After several weeks of throwing and running, Valera cleared a major hurdle by participating in batting practice. He is recovering from surgery to repair his right patellar tendon, and barring any setbacks, he should be cleared to begin defensive drills in early March.

Mills (elbow) tossed 1.2 innings Tuesday in the Red Sox's 6-1 loss to Atlanta in Grapefruit League play, giving up one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Mills didn't pitch in either of the past two seasons after suffering from elbow soreness during spring training in 2023 and requiring Tommy John surgery later that summer. After a lengthy recovery, Mills seems to be healthy again, but he'll face an uphill battle to win a spot in Boston's Opening Day bullpen while he attends camp as a non-roster invitee.

Chapman hit 101 mph in his spring training debut Wednesday, but he also walked two batters and only threw 11 strikes among his 23 pitches, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Chapman has slimmed down from 250 pounds to 230 pounds this spring.

The early velocity is nice, and Chapman being wild is nothing new no matter what time of the season (39 walks in 61.2 innings last season). Chapman, Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten are competing for the closer's job, with Garrett Whitlock available for multi-inning saves.

Witt said early in spring training that it was an offseason focus to get more efficient with his base stealing, and he remarked that he "shouldn't be getting thrown out the way [he was]" since he's one of the fastest players in MLB, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old finished second in AL MVP voting last year after he posted a .332/.389/.588 slash line with 32 homers, 31 steals, 109 RBI and 125 runs in 161 regular-season games, with the only real knock against him being that he was caught stealing 12 times. Witt also led the majors by being caught stealing 15 times in 2023, but that was accompanied by 49 successful thefts. The shortstop is already one of the top fantasy producers in the sport, and improving efficiency on the basepaths would only further boost his value.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Thorpe (elbow) "continues to progress," Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe has not yet been cleared to throw breaking balls during his bullpen sessions, however, and will need to show he can do that before facing hitters and pitching in a Cactus League game. The right-hander had surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow last September and experienced a pair of setbacks after that during the offseason. Thorpe is not expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Yoshida (shoulder) received clearance Wednesday to participate in live batting practice, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Yoshida has been eased into workouts this spring as he comes back from last October's surgery to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder. The hope remains that he will be ready in time for Opening Day, and his clearance to take live BP in late February aligns with that timeline. Yoshida will likely be ready to serve as a designated hitter in Grapefruit League games before long, but the Red Sox will want him to show he can handle playing the outfield before they deem him ready for Opening Day.