MLB Player News

Rangers general manager Chris Young said that Bradford has been scratched from his scheduled Cactus League start Wednesday against the Reds due to left elbow soreness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports. Bradford will be shut down for four or five days before resuming his throwing program.

An elbow injury at this stage of spring training puts Bradford at risk of not being ready for Opening Day, but the Rangers will wait and see how the southpaw responds to a few days of rest before determining his next steps. On a positive note, Young relayed that Bradford underwent an MRI on his elbow, which came back clean. If healthy, Bradford would seemingly have the inside track on a spot at the back end of the Texas rotation to open the season. However, if Bradford requires a stint on the injured list, the door would be open for either Kumar Rocker or Dane Dunning to break camp in a starting role.

Brash (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

It will be the reliever's first time facing hitters since he underwent an internal brace procedure on his right elbow last May. The Mariners have said Brash could make his season debut by the third week of April in a best-case scenario, but closer to the beginning of May is probably a more realistic target.

The Rangers signed Strickland to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Strickland had a respectable 2024 campaign with the Angels, finishing with a 3.31 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 57:24 K:BB over 73.1 innings. The 36-year-old has some past history with manager Bruce Bochy, as the two were both with the Giants for the first five years of Strickland's career. He'll compete for a role in middle relief but might not have enough time to work his way onto the Opening Day roster.

Kittredge (knee) said Wednesday that his timetable for a return is between June and the All-Star break, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The veteran right-hander added that he is optimistic he can make it back on the earlier side of that timetable. Kittredge's knee had begun nagging him during live bullpens this spring, which ultimately led to left knee debridement surgery last Friday. Baltimore signed Kittredge to a one-year, $10 million contract in January, and he will likely pitch important innings for the team down the stretch, if healthy.

Chapman's spring struggles along with those of Liam Hendriks leave Boston's closer role unsettled, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports.

Chapman has a 4.91 ERA with six walks through 3.2 spring innings, which is better than Hendriks, who has a 13.50 ERA and 11 hits allowed over four innings. Manager Alex Cora acknowledged both pitchers have been knocked around but is taking an optimistic view that both are "going to be OK." If neither Chapman nor Hendriks improve over the last two weeks of the Grapefruit League, then Justin Slaten, unaccustomed to the mental aspects of closing, might sneak in to take on the ninth-inning role.

Boston manager Alex Cora is not panicked by Hendriks' spring results thus far, Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reports. "The velo's good, he's just got to execute," Cora said Monday. "I think it's too early to be worried about that. As long as he's healthy, we're going to keep running him out there."

Hendriks was most recently tagged for two runs on three hits over one inning Sunday, the third consecutive outing in which the Red Sox's potential closer has given up runs. The manager pointed to Hendrik's velocity, which was at 91 mph early in camp before increasing to 96 mph in Grapefruit League games. Cora takes an optimistic tack, while others, like one rival scout told McAdam, see Hendriks has been missing location over the middle of the plate. There's still time for Hendriks (13.50 ERA, 11 hits, four spring innings) to stabilize, but at this point in the Grapefruit League, Boston's closer situation remains unsettled. Aroldis Chapman (4.91 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 3.2 spring innings) and Justin Slaten (no earned runs, three innings) are also in the mix.

The Blue Jays optioned Robertson to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Robertson struck out a pair in a scoreless inning in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday versus the Twins but was then cut from big-league camp after the contest. The 26-year-old will begin the season at Buffalo but should get an opportunity in the Blue Jays' bullpen eventually.

Green struck out one in a perfect inning during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

The right-hander has been nearly untouchable so far this spring, allowing zero runs or hits over four innings with a 4:1 K:BB. Green recorded a career-high 17 saves in 2024, but the January signing of Jeff Hoffman to be the Blue Jays' closer bumped everyone else in the bullpen down a rung. Green has experience in a setup role as well, producing 10 wins and 19 holds for the Yankees over 67 regular-season appearances in 2021.

The White Sox Sox" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="CHW">White Sox optioned White to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

A late entry into the competition for a spot on the White Sox's Opening Day pitching staff after he was claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Feb. 17, White made just one appearance in Cactus League play before getting sent back to minor-league camp. Though White has made all five of his career appearances in the majors as a reliever, he worked as a swingman at Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization in 2024 and could get a look in the Charlotte rotation to begin the upcoming season.

Uceta threw 1.2 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday and now has a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through four Grapefruit League appearances.

The right-hander struck out the side in his spring debut back on Feb. 25. Overall, he has held opponents to a .143 BAA during this year's exhibition slate. Uceta had one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball in the second half last year at nearly 40 percent, and he looks like the top candidate for saves in Tampa Bay behind primary closer Pete Fairbanks entering the 2025 regular season.