MLB Player News

Crochet exited Thursday's Cactus League contest against the Reds with an apparent injury, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Crochet faced only two batters before suffering the apparent injury and leaving with an athletic trainer. The exact nature of the issue is currently unknown, though he reportedly showed some discomfort in his arm prior to exiting. Crochet was expected to serve as a key part of the team's bullpen in 2022, but his start to the campaign may now be delayed.

Hearn allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out one over four innings in Thursday's spring training start against the Dodgers.

Hearn had traffic on the bases in each inning but limited the damage. Texas manager Chris Woodward talked about the young lefty's maturity with Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. "He's able to deal with adversity much better," the manager said. "He's able to execute better, just in a much better place." In three Cactus League starts. Hearn has allowed two runs on nine hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 8.2 innings. With five spring training games remaining, there's one more potential start for Hearn, or the team could hold him back to follow Opening Day starter Jon Gray in the rotation. If that's the case he'll pitch Saturday, April 8, against the Blue Jays.

Lange appears on track to make the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Lange made his MLB debut last season and pitched in 36 games for Detroit, recording a respectable 4.04 ERA to go with 39 strikeouts across 35.2 innings. The 26-year-old has minor-league options remaining, though it seems like he's secured his spot in the bullpen for now. Lange will probably work in front of the likes of Michael Fulmer and Gregory Soto, with the latter likely to gobble up most of the team's saves.

Vest could earn a spot in the Tigers' bullpen to begin the season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Vest made his MLB debut last season and pitched in 32 games for Seattle, so he has experience at the top level. He may end up shuttling between Triple-A and the majors ultimately, so his fantasy value is limited unless he's able to secure a more reliable role in Detroit.

De Leon (shoulder) was reassigned to minor-league spring training Thursday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

De Leon sustained a shoulder injury during his appearance in a spring game March 21, but he isn't dealing with any structural damage. It's not yet clear whether he'll be ready for the start of the minor-league season, but he should now report to Triple-A Buffalo.

Rodriguez (neck) retired both of the batters he faced Thursday in the Yankees' 5-3 loss to the Phillies in Grapefruit League play.

Rodriguez was making just his second appearance of the spring after he was idle for nearly a week due to a sore neck. The Yankees kept Rodriguez out in part because he had shown diminished velocity in his March 24 outing, but his fastball was touching 93 miles per hour Thursday, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. That's only one tick below his average velocity from the 2021 season, so Rodriguez is seemingly healthy and ready to go for Opening Day.

Suero signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Wednesday.

Suero will join a new organization for the first time in his career after his 12-year run in the Nationals system came to an end in November, when he was non-tendered by Washington. The 30-year-old righty has made 185 relief appearances over parts of four seasons in the majors, but after submitting an ugly 6.33 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 42.2 innings with Washington in 2021, Suero will likely head to Triple-A Salt Lake to open the 2022 campaign.

Hernandez allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and struck out four in 2.2 innings during a loss to the Giants on Wednesday.

Hernandez has gotten rocked through two spring starts, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) over 4.2 innings. That's not great for the 25-year-old, who is far from assured a spot in the rotation given the Royals' mix of established veterans and prospects competing for starting roles. Hernandez would likely need to show some improvement in his next spring start to get an edge over Jackson Kowar, though both of them could be ticketed to the bullpen or Triple-A Omaha if the Royals employ a five-man rotation. Hernandez started 11 of his 24 outings last season, posting a 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 74:41 K:BB through 85.2 innings.

Zimmermann allowed one unearned run on one hit and struck out two over three innings in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Rays. He posted zero walks.

Zimmermann has logged five innings across two spring starts, with Wednesday's being the far better of the two after his first one was delayed by a stomach bug. Manager Brandon Hyde designated John Means, Jordan Lyles and Tyler Wells as part of the Orioles' rotation to begin the 2022 campaign, leaving Zimmermann and a handful of other pitchers to compete for two spots. The 27-year-old southpaw posted a 5.04 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 56:22 K:BB across 64.1 innings in 14 appearances (13 starts) last season. At least initially, he may need to work with a piggyback reliever until he can get more fully stretched out after a condensed spring training.

The Athletics plan to have Puk open the season as a member of their bullpen, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Durability concerns have been the main reason why Puk has yet to make an MLB start, but after reporting to spring training healthy, he was expected to compete for a back-end spot in the Oakland rotation. At some point during the spring, the Athletics scrapped those plans, as all four of Puk's appearances to date have come as a reliever. He's tossed exactly two frames in each of his last three Cactus League appearances, a usage pattern that could signal that the Athletics envision him serving as a multi-inning fireman out of the bullpen. Though that role likely wouldn't put Puk in the mix for consistent save chances, he could have some fantasy value in deeper leagues as a ratio stabilizer if he can find a way to keep his walks in check. He hasn't shown the ability to do that so far in spring training, as he's issued six free passes over 6.2 innings.