MLB Player News

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.

Tate is expected to miss a couple days of workouts while he contends with a sore throat, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

At this stage, the minor illness isn't expected to affect Tate's availability for the start of the regular season. Tate is viewed as a possible candidate for saves out of the Baltimore bullpen in 2022, though Cole Sulser and Tanner Scott look to be better bets at the moment to see the bulk of the work in save situations.

Romano (ankle) is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Sunday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Romano recently suffered a mild ankle sprain when he slipped while walking his dog, but he missed only a day of workouts before he was able to get back on the mound Friday. After completing a bullpen session without incident, Romano will face hitters Sunday, which seemingly clears up any concern about his availability for Opening Day. Manager Charlie Montoyo has yet to formally name a closer ahead of Opening Day, but Romano looks like the best bet for saves out of the Toronto bullpen after posting a 2.14 ERA while converting 23 of his 24 save chances in 2021.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Sunday that Borucki (hamstring) continues to work out and throw and could be cleared for Opening Day, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

On Saturday, Borucki was sent in for an MRI, which confirmed that he was dealing with right hamstring tightness but no other damage. Since Borucki hasn't been shut down from throwing, he'll have a shot at being ready for the team's April 8 season opener versus the Rangers, though the lefty would likely need to make an appearance at some point over the Blue Jays' remaining three exhibition games to avoid the injured list.

The Twins reassigned Smeltzer to minor-league camp Sunday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Smeltzer's long-shot bid for the Twins' Opening Day roster likely ended when Minnesota signed Chris Archer last week to fill the fifth and final spot in its rotation. The 26-year-old lefty is expected to head to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the upcoming campaign and will remain on hand as organizational starting depth for Minnesota.

The Twins optioned Moran to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Moran missed out on the Twins' Opening Day roster after he was hit hard in spring training, giving up seven runs on nine hits and seven walks over eight innings in Grapefruit League play. He'll fill a spot in the St. Paul bullpen to begin the upcoming campaign.

Barnes' fastball reached 92-93 mph in Saturday's spring training outing against the Pirates, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Barnes averaged 95.8 mph on his four-seamer in 2021 and touched 96 and 97 at times. He was an All-Star closer over the first half of the season. This spring, however, the velocity has been inconsistent and down. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits while striking out one Saturday in his fourth Grapefruit League outing. He's scheduled to make two more appearances, and Boston manager Alex Cora hopes to see an uptick in velocity before Thursday's Opening Day. Cora has yet to name a closer and said that reliever will be revealed the first time the Red Sox are in a save situation during the regular season. Hansel Robles and Garrett Whitlock are perceived to be potential closers if Barnes isn't finishing games.

The Athletics acquired Martinez and infielder Euribiel Angeles on Sunday in exchange for pitchers Sean Manaea and Aaron Holiday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 19-year-old Angeles is viewed as the better of the two prospects heading to Oakland, though Martinez is closer to reaching the big leagues after San Diego added him to its 40-man roster over the winter. Oakland is expected to continue developing Martinez as a starter after he produced a 3.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 122:41 K:BB in 125 innings between stops at Triple-A El Paso and Double-A San Antonio. While Martinez will most likely open the upcoming season at Triple-A Las Vegas with his new organization, the fact that the Athletics have now shipped out Manaea and lost James Kaprielian (shoulder) and Brent Honeywell (elbow) to injuries this spring could give the 25-year-old right-hander and outside shot to crack Oakland's Opening Day rotation.

Manager Dusty Baker confirmed Sunday that Abreu has made the Astros' Opening Day roster, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker said that Abreu and Ronel Blanco secured the final two spots in the Astros' season-opening bullpen after Brandon Bielak and Seth Martinez were optioned to Sugar Land, while non-roster invitees Adam Morgan and Zac Rosscup were informed they wouldn't make the club. Abreu, who owns a 4.69 ERA and 11.3 K-BB% across 42 career big-league appearances, is expected to fill a low-leverage role out of the Houston bullpen.

Astros manager Dusty Baker confirmed Sunday that Blanco's contract will be selected from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker said that Blanco and Bryan Abreu secured the final two spots in the Astros' season-opening bullpen after Brandon Bielak and Seth Martinez were optioned to Sugar Land, while non-roster invitees Adam Morgan and Zac Rosscup were informed they wouldn't make the club. The 28-year-old Blanco will hit the big leagues for the first time in his career, coming off a 2021 campaign in which he posted a 3.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 57:16 K:BB in 45 innings for Sugar Land.