MLB Player News

Taylor (back) and the Red Sox agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $1.025 million contract to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Though Taylor's availability for the Red Sox's April 7 season opener against the Yankees remains in flux due to a disc issue that dates back to last year, he'll at least be on the books for 2022 now that he's come to terms with Boston. He was a key lefty reliever for the Red Sox in 2021, finishing with a 3.40 ERA (2.83 FIP) across 47.2 innings spanning 61 appearances.

Hearn allowed one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Monday's spring training game against the Guardians.

Hearn had an unremarkable introduction to the Rangers' starting rotation in 2021, but the lefty is penciled in as a starter this season. He looked good during his first Cactus League start Monday, but given Hearn posted a 5.82 ERA in 11 starts last season, he needs more than two good spring innings to spark interest.

Patino was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Red Sox after his arm didn't feel right Monday, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

On the one hand, any arm injury has the potential to be problematic for a pitcher. On the other, "not feeling right" is about as vague and mild as you can get. Patino will throw batting practice Wednesday, so the Rays don't appear to be significantly concerned at this point, but it's possible he winds up getting shut down if his arm continues to feel off following that session.

Poche (elbow) threw live batting practice Monday, the Tampa Tribune reports.

The 28-year-old hasn't pitched in a competitive setting since the 2019 postseason after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in July 2020. When he was last healthy during his rookie season in the majors, Poche was one of the top strikeout artists among relievers, whiffing 34.8 percent of the batters he faced. He'll likely need to work his way back at Triple-A to begin the season.

Rogers said he felt great physically after his first spring outing Sunday, where he struck out all three batters he faced, The Athletic reports. It was his first outing since last July when he landed on the injured list with a left middle finger sprain.

Rogers returned to his elite reliever form last season, showing his 2020 decline was more cosmetic than any loss of skills (his 4.05 ERA in 2020 was driven by a poor .404 BAPIP). However, his season was cut short in July by a season-ending left middle finger sprain. With the departure of Alex Colome, Rogers should emerge as Minnesota's primary closer, but his upside for saves may be limited given that manager Rocco Baldelli has ignored traditional closer patterns.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said De Leon suffered a right shoulder injury during Monday's spring game against the Tigers and is being evaluated by the medical staff, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

De Leon was down in some pain after spiking a pitch during Monday's appearances, and the specifics of the injury remain uncertain. The 29-year-old is in camp as a non-roster invitee after posting a 8.35 ERA over 18.1 innings for Cincinnati last year.

The Mariners assigned Weigel to their minor-league camp Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Though his resume includes four big-league relief appearances, Weigel never looked like a good bet to make the Mariners' Opening Day bullpen after signing with the team on a minor-league deal late in the offseason. His lack of a 40-man roster spot means that he'll have to impress at Triple-A Tacoma before warranting consideration for a possible promotion to the big club.

De Leon tossed just two pitches Monday in his Grapefruit League appearance against the Tigers before departing with an apparent right arm injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Blue Jays will likely send De Leon in for X-rays and possibly an MRI before providing a diagnosis of his injury, but he looked to be in considerable pain while bouncing a pitch to home plate during Monday's appearance. De Leon is attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and is hoping to win a spot in Toronto's Opening Day bullpen.

Kowar allowed a run of three hits and struck out four over two innings in Sunday's 11-10 win over the Diamondbacks.

The decrease in walks is the most encouraging takeaway here -- Kowar issued 20 free passes in 30.1 major-league innings last season. He struggled to an 11.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with the Royals last season, but he posted a strong 3.46 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 80.2 innings with Triple-A Omaha. Kowar is competing for a back-end spot in the rotation during spring training, though he may begin the year in Omaha if the Royals opt to carry five starters early on.

Criswell is dealing with shoulder inflammation and has been shut down, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Criswell made his major-league debut last season, giving up three runs in 1.1 innings in his lone appearance. His delayed spring will likely take him out of the running for an Opening Day roster spot, though it didn't appear as if he was likely to win one even if healthy.