MLB Player News

Murphy has been diagnosed with ligament damage in his left elbow, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican says it's a high-grade tear, although a decision on whether Murphy will undergo surgery will be made in the coming days. He had been competing for one of the left-handed spots in Boston's bullpen but now will be sidelined for a significant period of time, whether surgery is ultimately required or not.

Jansen has been scratched from a scheduled appearance again Tuesday due to ongoing back tightness, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

It's the second day in a row that Jansen wasn't able to pitch as scheduled because of a nagging lower-back issue. The hope is that he will be able to make an appearance Wednesday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday of Jansen's Opening Day availability that "we still have time, but we're running out of time." Chris Martin (groin) would be next in line to close if Jansen isn't ready, although he's banged up himself.

Pivetta allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over four-plus innings in Monday's spring start against Minnesota.

Pivetta, whose pitch count reached 79 in his penultimate spring outing, was removed in the fifth inning after the first batter reached on a single. For those calendar watchers, Pivetta's five-day schedule lines up perfectly with Opening Day, March 28, on the road in Seattle. The right-hander has a 5.25 spring ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks over 12 innings.

Alcala looks set to begin the season in the Minnesota bullpen with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique), MLB.com reports. He has a 2.16 ERA this spring with a 10:3 K:BB in 8.1 innings.

Alcala has had a strong spring and looks back to full strength after two injury-plagued seasons. He threw just 17.1 innings last season with an ugly 6.23 ERA and missed more than four months with a stress fracture in his right forearm. He threw just 2.1 innings in 2022 due to an elbow injury that required season-ending arthroscopic debridement surgery. He could become part of the setup mix if his fastball can come close to averaging in the high-90s as it did earlier in his career (97.4 mph average in 2021).

Brebbia (calf) threw one inning in a minor-league game Monday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brebbia is working his way back from a calf injury and had a successful return to game action. He remained non-committal about his status for Opening Day, noting that he typically needs eight-to-10 innings in the exhibition season to get properly stretched out. Monday's outing marked his first game action of the spring, meaning he may need to start the regular season on the injured list.

Buttrey was assigned to minor-league spring training Monday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Buttrey held his own while at big-league camp, surrendering one run on five hits while striking out five over five frames. He'll now set his sights on preparing for the 2024 minor-league campaign and figures to begin the year at Triple-A Tacoma.

Staumont reached 98 mph with his fastball in his last outing Saturday after only reaching 92-93 mph earlier in the spring, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He's given up two earned runs with four strikeouts and five walks in 4.2 innings this spring.

He had an 95.8-mph average fastball last season. Staumont is working his way back after undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in July. He has a minor-league option left, so he may begin the season in Triple-A as he builds back to full speed. It's also possible he begins the season in the majors with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique).

Funderburk looks set to begin the season in the Minnesota bullpen with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique), Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Funderburk and Steven Okert will be the primary lefties in the Minnesota bullpen with Theilbar sidelined. Funderburk had a 2.60 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 75:21 K:BB across 37 appearances (two starts) at Triple-A last season. He then had a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings with the Twins. He had the best strikeout rate of his career last season at Triple-A (13.0 K/9) with a strong walk rate. He could stick in the major-league bullpen if he has a strong start to the season.

The Twins reassigned Balazovic to minor-league camp Monday.

Once of the Twins' more promising starting pitching prospects, Balazovic made the full-time move to the bullpen in 2023. Though he reached the big leagues for the first time last season, Balazovic struggled to distinguish himself, posting a 4.44 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB in 24.1 innings. Balazovic will remain in the Twins organization for 2024 despite being outrighted shortly before spring training, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot will work against him in his efforts to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen.

The Rays reassigned Uceta to minor-league camp Monday.

Uceta made 25 appearances at the big-league level over the past three seasons, but he never had much of a shot at winning a spot in the Rays' Opening Day bullpen after joining the club on a minor-league deal over the winter. He's expected to begin the campaign at Triple-A Durham.