MLB Player News

Erceg (shoulder) allowed no hits or walks across a scoreless inning in Tuesday's exhibition win over Team Cuba. He struck out one.

Erceg made his first appearance of the spring and didn't show any lingering effects from the right shoulder impingement that ended his 2025 season early, an encouraging sign for his health moving forward. The right-hander posted a 2.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 22 holds across 61.1 innings last season, though a diminished 7.0 K/9 and elevated 3.49 FIP are worth noting. Erceg is expected to serve as the primary setup man to Carlos Estevez and could see opportunities in the ninth inning if Estevez falters.

Civale allowed a run on six hits and a walk across 2.2 innings in Tuesday's exhibition win over Team Brazil. He struck out one.

Civale allowed a fair amount of traffic on the basepaths but limited the damage in his first start of the spring. The right-hander's velocity was down a few ticks across the board, though his average fastball sat at just 92.1 mph last season, and it's not uncommon to see diminished velocity in a pitcher's first outing of the spring. If the dip persists over his next few appearances, it could become more notable. After splitting time between the Brewers, White Sox and Cubs with a combined 4.85 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 23 regular-season appearances (18 starts) and 102 innings in 2025, Civale signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Athletics on Feb. 10 and is expected to slot into the middle of their rotation.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz confirmed Wednesday that Wells will be used as a reliever at the beginning of the season, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias said as camp opened that Wells would be built up as a starting pitcher, but since then the club tipped its hand in regards to Wells' role by using the righty in one-inning stints. Wells has looked sharp in Grapefruit League action, yielding just one hit with a 5:0 K:BB over three scoreless frames. He could be ticketed for a high-leverage bullpen role from the right side while Andrew Kittredge (shoulder) is out.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Wednesday that Kittredge is battling right shoulder inflammation and is "a low probability" to be ready for Opening Day, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Kittredge struggled in his lone Grapefruit League appearance last week and now it's clear why he hasn't pitched since. While he appears to have avoided structural damage in his shoulder, it's unclear at this point how long the setup man might be shelved.

Nittoli underwent an MRI on his right elbow Tuesday after feeling pain during his most recent Grapefruit League appearance, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

The results of the imaging are not in yet. Nittoli is in Red Sox camp as a non-roster invitee and has been roughed up for four runs over 2.2 innings in his three spring training outings. Even if the MRI is clean, Nittoli will be ticketed for Triple-A Worcester.

Holliday (hand) will begin swinging a bat Thursday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Holliday has been restricted to one-handed swings to protect his surgically repaired right hand, but he's now been cleared to resume swinging with both hands. He also began throwing last week. Holliday will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, but all signs point to a brief absence as long as his recovery continues at its current trajectory.

Bautista (shoulder) threw a baseball Tuesday for the first time since undergoing surgery last August, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The right-hander made 25 throws on flat ground from about 45 feet, clearing his first major hurdle. He said afterward that his arm feels good and that he's still hoping to pitch later this season. Bautista will be cutting it close to return in 2026, as the procedure to repair a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff typically carries a 12-month recovery timetable.

Narvaez (back) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, Chris Henrique of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

As expected, Narvaez will slot back in behind the plate after taking a day off to recover from a bout of back spasms. The Red Sox recently revealed that Narvaez played hurt for essentially the entire 2025 season before undergoing surgery in October to clean up his left knee. The 27-year-old is 5-for-10 with two RBI so far this spring.

Barr has been sidelined this spring due to a stress fracture of the ulna bone in his right arm, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Barr, the 149th overall pick of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, will see a delayed start to the first full season of his minor-league career as a result.

Jimenez will miss three to four weeks because of a fractured right ring finger, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Jimenez was acquired from Detroit last July for Chris Paddack. He hit just .250 with a .773 OPS in 48 games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League but batted .269 with a .982 OPS for Single-A Fort Myers in 23 games after the trade. He'll likely have a delayed start to the minor-league season, but he is worth tracking due to his strong play after joining the Twins organization.