MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Jax to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Jax was moved to the bullpen this spring and was competing for a middle-relief role, but he ultimately fell short in his bid for the Opening Day roster. The Twins could consider moving Jax back to a starting role as he heads to St. Paul.

The Royals placed Payamps on the family medical emergency list Thursday.

The move opens up a spot on the 28-man active roster for top prospect Bobby Witt, who will start at third base and bat second in his MLB debut. Payamps, meanwhile, remains without a clear timeline to rejoin the big club while he tends to the family matter. Once activated, Payamps is expected to fill a middle-relief role for Kansas City after he turned in a 3.40 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 6.8 K/9 in 37 appearances between the Blue Jays and Royals in 2021.

The Twins acquired Pagan and starting pitcher Chris Paddack from the Padres on Thursday in exchange for reliever Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

With Rogers moving to San Diego, the Twins will have a void at closer heading into Opening Day, and Pagan could be one of several candidates to vie for saves out of the Minnesota bullpen. Pagan, who is under club control for the next two seasons, is coming off a down 2021 campaign in which he submitted a 4.83 ERA (5.22 FIP) and surrendered a whopping 16 home runs in 63.1 innings. Keeping the ball in the yard has been an ongoing issue for Pagan throughout his career, but he's excelled at making bats miss and limiting free passes, as his lifetime 22.3 K-BB% attests. Even if the Twins aren't inclined to use Pagan in the ninth inning due to his vulnerability to the long ball, he should at least take on a key setup role for his new team.

Sborz is one of several relievers that will pitch in high-leverage situations, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers are preparing for Opening Day in Toronto on Friday and are bringing 10 bullpen arms. That includes several long relievers, whose job it will be to bridge the game from starters who had a shorter-than-normal training camp to high-leverage relief crew. That should include Sborz, Joe Barlow, Matt Bush, Greg Holland and Brett Martin. Sborz logged 63 appearances in 2021, posting a 3.97 ERA and 1.42 WHIP one one save over 59 innings. Texas manager Chris Woodward has not named a closer, but Barlow, Bush and Holland are viewed as the frontrunners.

Ortega is among multiple Angels relievers competing for spots at the back end of the bullpen, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Ortega has only 9.1 innings of major-league experience, and he wasn't overly impressive in posting a 4.82 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 4:2 K:BB in those frames last season. However, the right-hander put together a strong spring, holding opponents scoreless and giving up just three hits over six innings. He struck out only two batters but has shown the ability to rack up whiffs over larger sample sizes in the minors.

Warren is among several Angels relievers vying to make the Opening Day roster, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The Angels have multiple bullpen arms competing for a few roster spots, and Warren figures to be among the leaders of that group. The right-hander helped his case with a strong spring, allowing just one run over 6.2 innings and posting a 5:3 K:BB. Warren logged 20.1 relief innings as a rookie last season, impressing with a 1.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB.

White was placed on the 7-day injured list Tuesday and will undergo Tommy John surgery.

White had a strong 2021 campaign in which he progressed from Low-A to Triple-A, but he'll be forced to miss the entire 2022 season following his procedure. He made nine appearances at Triple-A Durham last year, posting a 1.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 9.2 innings, and he'll attempt to build upon his success at some point in 2023.

Hearn will start the Rangers' fourth game of the season Monday versus the Rockies in Texas.

Though Hearn won't be used in the Rangers' season-opening series this weekend, those invested in the lefty in deeper mixed leagues or AL-only formats may have been reluctant to use him anyway in a road matchup against a loaded Toronto offense. Instead, Hearn gets a more favorable draw to begin the 2022 campaign, as he'll line up for a two-start week. After drawing the Rockies in the Rangers' home opener, Hearn is projected to make his second start April 17 against the Angels in Arlington.

Triple-A Salt Lake placed Soriano (elbow) on its 60-day injured list Tuesday.

Soriano underwent revision Tommy John surgery in June 2021 and is unlikely to pitch this season since the procedure carries a 16-month recovery timetable. The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Pirates and returned to the Angels in mid-November.

Baker will be on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Baker allowed just one run on one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over four innings in spring training. The 27-year-old made his major-league debut with the Blue Jays last season before being claimed by the Orioles on waivers the previous November. His strong spring will allow him to start the season in a low-leverage role out of the bullpen, though the Orioles' lack of relief depth could see him move up the pecking order if he pitches well.