MLB Player News

Tate (illness) looks be the leading candidate to take over Baltimore's closer role after the Orioles traded Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser to Miami on Sunday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Tate will likely miss the next couple days of workouts while he contends with a sore throat, but he's expected to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Baltimore's bullpen is in flux after the trade, but Tate appears to be the most likely candidate for save chances. Of course, the 52-110 Orioles had just 26 saves as a team last season, so save opportunities may not be plentiful. Paul Fry and Jorge Lopez are other candidates to factor into the mix for saves, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.

Pivetta allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings in Sunday's spring start against the Braves.

Pivetta made his final Grapefruit League start and is in position to pitch the second game of the season, Saturday, April 9, against the Yankees. He had a lot of traffic, including a hit batsman, but he was touched only by Matt Olson's first-inning solo home run. The right-hander finished spring training with eight runs allowed (six earned) on 15 hits and six walks while punching out 22 batters over 15.2 innings.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora believes the team discovered a mechanical flaw in Barnes' delivery may that may be the cause of a drop in velocity, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Barnes' four-seamer has been sitting in the 92-93 mph range compared to the 96-97 range in which it usually lives. "I think it's something about his leg kick," Cora said. "Last year, he was a lot tighter. Now, he's loose. If you want to use a reference, it's like a figure skater. When you're open, it slows you down. When you're closed, you're actually faster, quicker." Barnes will work on his mechanics and is slated for two more Grapefruit League appearances. If the velocity comes back by eliminating the flaw, Barnes should be considered a prime candidate to close for Boston.

The Athletics optioned Martinez to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

Oakland formally sent Martinez to the minors after he was one of two prospects acquired from the Padres earlier Sunday in the deal that sent Sean Manaea to San Diego. Though he won't immediately step into the big-league rotation as a replacement for Manaea, Martinez should have a good chance to make his MLB debut later in 2022, given his status as an advanced minor-league arm who's on the 40-man roster of a rebuilding organization. After a second-half promotion from Double-A San Antonio last season, Martinez delivered a 5.28 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 44.1 innings with El Paso in his first exposure to the Triple-A level.

Hernandez will start the Royals' fourth game of the season April 11 versus the Guardians, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Despite a tough pair of appearances so far in spring training, Hernandez is set to begin the year in the rotation. The 25-year-old showed promise in 85.2 innings last season, logging a 6-2 record, 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 74:41 K:BB across 24 appearances (11 starts). Rogers adds the Royals plans are to roll with a five-man rotation with multiple pitchers stretched out in bullpen roles. Hernandez starting the season in the rotation is encouraging, but he'll have to perform to keep that job.

Stephan is on the Guardians' 28-man Opening Day roster, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Stephan pitched to a reasonable 4.41 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 75:31 K:BB in 63.1 innings as a rookie last season. He went 3-1 with one save and three holds in a mainly low-leverage role. The hard-throwing righty will need to trim back on walks (4.4 BB/9) and homers (2.1 HR/9), as those high rates led to a 5.48 FIP last season. He should see most of his appearances in middle relief to begin 2022.

Hentges will begin the 2022 season in the bullpen, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Not surprisingly, Hentges is on the outside looking in for a spot in the rotation. The southpaw struggled with a 6.68 ERA and 1.78 WHIP across 30 appearances last season, but he was more effective in relief than he was in his 12 starts. The 25-year-old should see mostly multi-inning assignments, and he could function as a piggyback to starters as they build up their pitch counts early in the season.

Morgan will begin 2022 as a reliever, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Morgan worked as a starter in 2021, posting a 5.34 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 81:22 K:BB across 89.1 innings in 18 starts. With the Guardians' rotation at full health to begin the season, he'll have to settle for multi-inning assignments out of the bullpen. He could vulture a win here or there as the starters get stretched out, but the 25-year-old right-hander will need to make some improvements from his rookie season to earn interest in fantasy.

The Royals optioned Zerpa to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Zerpa was summoned from the minors to make a spot start for the Royals late in the 2021 season, and though he acquitted himself well by striking out four while allowing two unearned runs in five innings in a Sept. 30 loss to Cleveland, he never looked like a serious threat to win a spot on Kansas City's Opening Day roster. Instead, Zerpa will return to the Double-A level in search of better results after he submitted a 5.96 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 45.1 innings for Northwest Arkansas in 2021.

The Yankees acquired Castro from the Mets on Sunday in exchange for Joely Rodriguez, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The two New York teams are flipping relievers in the deal, with Castro providing the Yankees with another potential setup option while Zack Britton (elbow) remains on track to miss most, if not all, of the 2022 season. Castro likely won't rank high in the pecking order for saves with his new team, but he proved to be a serviceable arm for the Mets in 2021, finishing with a 3.45 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and nine holds over 70.1 innings.