MLB Player News

Otto (lat) has been shut down for three weeks and may wind up on the 60-day injured list, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Otto went down with what was originally referred to as lat tightness in mid-March. His injury is evidently much more serious than that, as it's unlikely he's ready for game action until late May.

Hatch was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays on Saturday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Hatch came up short in his bid to make the Opening Day roster. The right-hander struggled in Florida to the tune of a 9.35 ERA and 2.08 WHIP over 8.2 innings of work, and he'll head to Buffalo to begin his journey as an up-and-down option for Toronto in the 2023 campaign.

Pearson was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays on Saturday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pearson will begin the season in Triple-A after forging a 3.24 ERA over six Grapefruit League appearances with a 13:5 K:BB and 1.56 WHIP. The talented right-hander will head to Buffalo as a relief option, and if he pitches well in that role he could help the Toronto bullpen in the early part of the season.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Saturday that White is dealing with elbow inflammation, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

It was previously known that White was dealing some a shoulder impingement, but the reason for his absence as of late is elbow trouble. The right-hander is now a lock to start the year on the injured list, and he likely won't be ready to make his debut until the middle of April at the earliest.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Saturday that the first opportunity to close a game this season will depend on "what the game dictates," Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Estevez appeared to be the frontrunner for closing duties early in camp, but Nevin has yet to commit to any reliever for that role. Estevez has struggled statistically this spring, though he struck out the side in a scoreless inning during his last appearance and has attributed his troubles in Cactus League play to experimenting with pitch usage. Nevin did say that Estevez "is definitely going to get some big outs late in the game most of the year," so the veteran reliever's poor numbers this spring don't seem to have shaken his manager's confidence. However, Nevin elected for a closer committee after the Angels traded Raisel Iglesias last season, thus it's not certain that he'll name a full-time closer at any point in 2023.

Richards has posted a 14:5 K:BB without allowing a home run over 7.1 innings this spring.

The right-hander's elite changeup looks as baffling as ever, but his lack of even an average fastball has led to some erratic numbers in the majors. Richards posted a 5.34 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 2022 despite a 29.2 percent strikeout rate, thanks in part to a career-worst 12.5 percent walk rate. He'll likely fill a lower-leverage role for Toronto this season.

Lovelady was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Lovelady had an excellent spring, pitching eight innings without allowing an earned run or a walk while striking out 10. Despite the strong showing, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports the Royals want Lovelady to work on building up arm strength after missing most of 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. If the southpaw can continue his strong pitching into the minor-league regular season, it shouldn't be long before he's an option for the major-league roster.

Taylor was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Taylor, Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady all fell short of making the Royals' Opening Day bullpen. After dealing with a back injury for all of 2022, Taylor will be focused on building up arm strength with Omaha to start the year, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Staumont was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Staumont is a surprising omission from the Opening Day roster. He pitched to a 1.13 ERA and 10:5 K:BB across eight innings during Cactus League play, though the walk issues are a carryover from 2022. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports manager Matt Quatraro told Staumont that he needs to work on getting ahead in counts. It's expected he'll be with the big club again at some point in the season, though the Royals boast bullpen depth that has been lacking in recent years.

Patino was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Patino was in the mix for the Rays' fifth starter spot, but his 11.17 ERA and 1.86 WHIP this spring will cause him to open the year in the minors. Patino has struggled to a 5.10 ERA in 114.2 career major-league innings, including an awful 8.10 ERA in six starts last season, but he's still just 23 years old. A strong month in the minors could easily see him return to the majors for the bulk of the year, but for now, it will be Yonny Chirinos or Josh Fleming who opens the year as the Rays' fifth starter.