MLB Player News

Estevez (back) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Tuesday before potentially making his Cactus League debut Friday against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander has been brought along slowly during the first half of camp due to lower-back tightness, but he's now ramping up his throwing program and is on the cusp of game action. Assuming everything goes well this week, Estevez should be able to make a few spring appearances and be ready for Opening Day. After recording 57 saves over the prior two seasons between the Angels and Phillies, Estevez is expected to begin the season as the Royals' closer.

Duran's fastball velocity has been down this spring, but he says it's by design, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I focus more on my mechanics and my pitches' movement," Duran said this week. "I don't need to throw really hard right now. Maybe in the [regular season] I throw harder, or maybe not."

Duran "only" reached 100.8 mph with his fastball Saturday while tossing a scoreless inning against the Red Sox and striking out one. That's in contrast to the 102.5 mph he hit in his first spring outing of 2023, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. The decline doesn't appear to be a major concern, as his fastball is still elite and he could just be easing into spring training as a more established veteran. Duran is set to return as Minnesota's closer, but manager Rocco Baldelli often deploys his bullpen without regard for the save statistic, meaning Griffin Jax and others will get save chances if matchups call for Duran to be used earlier in the game.

The Rangers optioned Pennington to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Pennington was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with lefty Jacob Latz and righty Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 26-year-old Pennington reached the majors for the first time in 2024 and made 16 appearances between the Royals and Rangers while turning in a 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 18 innings.

The Rangers optioned Latz to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Latz was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with left-hander Walter Pennington and right-hander Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 28-year-old Latz made 46 relief appearances for Texas in 2024, logging a 3.71 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 43.2 innings.

Denoyer (elbow) reported to Baltimore's big-league camp and will be an available option out of the bullpen for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The Orioles have another split-squad contest against the Phillies on Sunday, so Denoyer was summoned from minor-league camp to provide insurance out of the bullpen for the home game against the Twins. Though Denoyer is not scheduled to pitch Sunday, the fact that he's joining the big club for the day is an indication that he's healthy again after missing the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. Denoyer is expected to open the upcoming campaign at Triple-A Norfolk.

Mattison (elbow) was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 25-year-old didn't see action in spring games while working through his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Mattison last pitched at the Double-A level in 2023 and had a 1.62 ERA over 33.1 innings, and he could be ready for action with Toledo at some point this summer.

The Tigers reassigned Vanasco (hip) to minor-league camp Sunday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Vanasco is still recovering from offseason surgery to address a labrum tear in his right hip, so he could be a candidate to open the 2025 season on the injured list at Triple-A Toledo. The 26-year-old right-hander was outrighted off Detroit's 40-man roster in November and re-signed with the organization on a minor-league deal.

Francis pitched 2.2 innings in a Grapefruit League contest against the Phillies on Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four batters.

Francis made two previous appearances this spring, but this was his first start after the initial scheduled one was rained out. Spring training has not been kind to Francis through 6.2 innings of work, as he sports an ugly 12.15 ERA. He's allowed 11 hits, including three home runs, and five walks while striking out seven. Francis gave up a ton of hard contact versus Philadelphia, including a third-inning homer to Alec Bohm. Francis is currently slots in at the back end of Toronto's starting rotation.

Cano picked up a hold in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, allowing one walk in a scoreless inning.

The 31-year-old right-hander is off a solid start this spring, carrying a 3.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP with one strikeout over three frames. Closer Felix Bautista (elbow) will have his workload managed to begin the season, which could lead to the occasional save chance for Cano in the early going. However, Cano has converted just 13 of his 22 career save opportunities, so it wouldn't be surprising to see manager Brandon Hyde turn to Seranthony Dominguez more frequently for ninth-inning work on days where Bautista is unavailable.

Bernardino threw one scoreless inning against the Rays in Wednesday's spring game, during which he allowed one run while striking out a batter.

Bernardino ended the 2024 regular season on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow soreness. He was able to recover from the injury over the offseason and has not allowed a run across three spring training appearances. Bernardino will look to get his ERA and WHIP numbers back down to where they were in 2023 (3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP across 50.2 innings).