MLB Player News

Murakami went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-4 Cactus League win over the A's.

It was the first Cactus League home run for Murakami, who now owns an even 1.000 OPS through 17 plate appearances with the White Sox this spring after joining the club on a two-year, $34 million contract in December. Back from the World Baseball Classic, Murakami told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, "Compared to when I left Arizona, I feel much better as far as conditioning, as well. I'm seeing the ball better, I'm swinging better, so I'll keep that approach up and try to hit as much as possible." The 26-year-old is slated to open the season as the starting first baseman on the South Side.

Across five appearances for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, Palencia did not allow a hit while logging five scoreless innings and striking out nine.

Palencia closed out Venezuela's win over the United States on Tuesday to win the WBC, and it continued a dominant stretch for the flamethrowing righty throughout the tournament. Following a breakout 2025 campaign in which he recorded a 2.91 ERA, 22 saves and 61 strikeouts across 52.2 innings for the Cubs during the regular season, Palencia has already been named the team's closer heading into 2026 and could be in line for even better production now that his role in the bullpen is secure.

Boyle allowed two runs on two hits and four walks in three innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out six.

Through four Grapefruit League outings (two starts), Boyle now has a 3.72 ERA, a shaky 1.66 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB covering 9.2 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander is in contention for a bullpen spot with the Rays this spring as a long reliever, but he's not in position to begin the year in Tampa Bay's rotation after closing 2025 as a starter. Last year, Boyle recorded a 4.67 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 58:28 K:BB over 52 regular-season frames (nine starts).

Hendriks threw a scoreless inning in Tuesday's Grapefruit loss to Philadelphia with two strikeouts. He reached 93.6 mph with his fastball. "You can't take away the been there, done that," manager Derek Shelton told Jayson Stark of The Athletic. "There are guys who can't do it. And he's done it at a really high level."

Shelton last week said he has no idea who his closer will be, so it's somewhat notable he's praised Hendriks. The veteran reliever has looked healthy this spring but his velocity is down from a 94.9-mph average fastball in 2025 and 95.4 mph in 2023. Still, given the weak competition in Minnesota's bullpen, he could make the Opening Day roster and figure into the save mix. Hendriks has a 3.00 ERA with a 4:3 K:BB in six innings this spring.

Ragans will start for the Royals on Opening Day, March 27 in Atlanta.

It will be the third year in a row that Ragans will start KC's first game of the campaign. The left-hander has had an uneven spring, posting an 8.44 ERA and 1.59 WHIP through four games (three starts), but he's also posted a great 15:3 K:BB across 10.2 innings. Ragans will look to stay healthy this year after managing to make just 13 starts in 2025.

The Royals optioned Rave to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Rave got his first taste of major-league action last season and posted a .196/.283/.307 slash line with four homers, 14 RBI, 18 runs and seven stolen bases over 175 plate appearances. Kansas City revamped its outfield during the offseason, leaving Rave without a spot on the season-opening big-league roster.

Kansas City optioned Misner to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Misner was traded from the Rays to the Royals in November. The speedy outfielder stole 22 bases in 30 attempts with Tampa Bay last season but posted a poor .618 OPS and 31.8 percent strikeout rate. Misner has intriguing speed and power, but his struggles making contact could be an obstacle to him spending much time in the majors.

The Royals optioned Black to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Black joined the Royals in a trade with San Francisco in November. He entered camp slated for a relief role and put up good numbers during Grapefruit League play, pitching eight scoreless innings with an 8:3 K:BB over six appearances. Though he'll begin the campaign in the minors, it seems likely that Black will be up with the big club at some point during the season.

The Royals optioned Bergert to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Bergert came into camp with a chance to win a spot in Kansas City's rotation, but he struggled during spring play, posting a 6.52 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 8:3 K:BB over 9.2 innings spanning four starts. His biggest issue was the long ball, as he allowed five homers. Bergert should get a chance to get back on the right track with Omaha and will likely be a candidate to be called up should the Royals need a rotation replacement at some point during the campaign.

The Red Sox signed Kahnle to a minor-league contract Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Boston is quite familiar with Kahnle, as he's spent about half of his 11-year career with the Yankees. The righty reliever compiled a 4.43 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 50:31 K:BB over 63 innings spanning 63 regular-season appearances with Detroit last year. He was frequently deployed in high-leverage situations and notched nine saves (on 14 chances) and 16 holds. While Kahnle seems set to join the Red Sox in camp as a non-roster invitee, he has a good chance of being part of the big-league bullpen.