MLB Player News

The Royals reassigned Fernandez to minor-league camp Monday.

Fernandez was among the six Royals who were sent to minor-league camp Monday in the latest round of roster cuts. The 28-year-old reliever made 50 appearances at the big-league level between stops with the Cardinals and Pirates from 2019 through 2022, but he spent the entire 2023 season in the minors before linking up with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball in 2024. Now back stateside with the Royals organization, Fernandez is likely to serve as depth arm at Triple-A Omaha for much of the 2025 campaign.

The Orioles reassigned Coleman to minor-league camp Monday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Coleman has seen big-league action in each of the past four seasons, accruing a 3.84 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 93.2 innings between stops with the Royals and Astros. The right-hander made all but one of his 37 appearances at the Triple-A level as a member of the Houston organization in 2024 and will likely spend the majority of the 2025 campaign with the Orioles' top affiliate in Norfolk.

The Athletics reassigned Bowden to minor-league camp Monday.

The 30-year-old Bowden previously made 39 big-league appearances with the Rockies in 2021, but he'll likely need an extended run of strong performances at Triple-A Las Vegas before getting another look in the majors with the Athletics. The left-hander spent the entire 2024 season at the Triple-A level in the Atlanta organization, compiling a 4.03 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 29 innings with Gwinnett.

The Orioles optioned Strowd to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Strowd yielded two unearned runs but walked five in 3.1 innings during Grapefruit League play. The right-handed reliever has yet to see any action in the big leagues but was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason.

The Orioles optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Norfolk on Monday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Gonzalez, 33, has yet to see any action at the major-league level but was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster earlier this offseason. The left-handed reliever had an impressive 71:12 K:BB over 60 innings with Norfolk last season.

The Royals optioned Cerantola to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Cerantola joined the Royals' 40-man roster over the winter and has tossed two scoreless frames during Cactus League play, but he never really had a shot to break camp with the big club. The righty reliever will likely debut at some point in 2025 and could eventually be a late-inning option for Kansas City if he can throw enough strikes.

The Blue Jays agreed to a one-year contract with Tate on Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Tate was claimed off waivers by Toronto last September before being non-tendered in November. However, he's now found his way back into the organization on a major-league deal. Tate holds a career 4.09 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 170:65 K:BB over 215.2 innings covering parts of four seasons at the big-league level.

Swanson (forearm/elbow) will meet with Dr. Keith Meister in Texas on Thursday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Swanson has been slowed by forearm and elbow issues this spring. Blue Jays manager John Schneider referred to Swanson's arm issues as "a little bit of a recurring theme," and the goal with Thursday's exam is to "nail down exactly what's going on." More clarity on Swanson's situation is anticipated after Thursday's meeting, but the reliever is expected to begin the season on the injured list regardless of what comes out of the exam.

Wesneski has allowed one earned run across 6.1 innings while maintaining an 11:3 K:BB in the Grapefruit League this spring.

Wesneski is a top candidate to begin the season in the Astros' rotation with both Luis Garcia (elbow) and Lance McCullers (forearm) set to begin the season on the injured list. According to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, Wesneski has prepped for the role by adding a curveball to his arsenal. The results this spring have been strong, highlighted by his outing Saturday when he struck out five and walked one across 2.1 frames.

Blanco is prioritizing an attack of the strike zone this season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Blanco had one of the biggest breakout performances in 2024, but he struggled to consistently find the strike zone, as his 10.1 percent walk rate in the regular season was the highest mark of any qualified starter. He escaped relatively unscathed thanks to a .187 BABIP with runners on base and .160 with runners in scoring position, both of which are unlikely to repeat in 2025. As a result, he plans to be less precise with his pitches in hopes of finding the strike zone more consistently.