MLB Player News

Kittredge underwent an MRI on his left knee Wednesday and will receive multiple opinions, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kittredge developed soreness in the knee over the weekend and it has continued to linger. The veteran reliever has made one appearance this spring and should have time to prep for Opening Day if he receives good news on the knee, but until then his status is in question.

Topa was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League appearance against the Orioles with an apparent injury, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Topa threw only seven pitches in the outing, and he surrendered a solo home run while showing diminished velocity. The reliever made just three appearances for the Twins in 2024 while dealing with knee and elbow problems. His status should be updated by the club in the near future.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy mentioned Church when asked recently about potential candidates at closer, Jack Magruder of MLB.com reports.

The top two candidates to close for Texas look to be Chris Martin and Robert Garcia, but Bochy's willingness to throw Church's name into the mix is notable. The skipper said he sees Church as being a closer "sometime down the road here" and "it could be when we break camp." Church missed much of the 2024 season with a right shoulder strain, but he's healthy now and has been clocked in the upper 90s this spring, having allowed two runs with a 5:1 K:BB in three Cactus League innings.

Canterino is out indefinitely after suffering a right shoulder injury which an MRI showed to be a strain, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Canterino hasn't pitched in any of the previous two seasons, as he was sidelined for all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery and then suffered a rotator cuff strain last spring. The Twins had planned to move him to the bullpen to reduce the workload on his arm and shoulder, but it sounds like this could be another significant setback.

Stewart (shoulder) is scheduled to appear in relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Stewart finished the 2024 season on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last August, but he seems to be trending toward being ready for Opening Day. He'll make his spring debut Wednesday, and if all goes smoothly in his subsequent Grapefruit League appearances, he'll likely break camp as a member of the Minnesota bullpen. Stewart turned in a 5.17 ERA and 1.47 WHIP while striking out 20 batters over 15.2 innings across his 16 appearances last season before being shelved with the injury.

Kittredge (knee) remains unsure of a timeline for his return to action, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Kittredge reported left knee soreness over the weekend and the discomfort is lingering. The veteran right-hander said that he is waiting for a small amount of inflammation to go down before he resumes activity, at which point a return timetable could come into focus. Signed to a one-year, $10 million contract in January, Kittredge is expected to be in the mix for the occasional save chance early on while closer Felix Bautista (elbow) is eased back into regular action for Baltimore.

Balazovic, who pitched a scoreless frame in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, now has a 1.80 ERA across five innings this spring.

Balazovic has made three appearances in the Grapefruit League, with two of them covering multiple innings, and he's pitched well so far. The 26-year-old came up as a starter in Minnesota's farm system and had some prospect buzz, but he never really made his mark with the Twins. After spending the end of the 2024 season as a member of Doosan Bears in the KBO, Balazovic will now attempt to crack Detroit's Opening Day bullpen, though he'll likely begin the year in the minors with a chance to get called up down the road.

The Angels reassigned Caceres (lat) to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Caceres was attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and has yet to make any appearances in the Cactus League while he continues to work his way back from the lat surgery he underwent last March, so he never seemed to have a legitimate chance to win a spot in the Angels' Opening Day bullpen. If healthy, Caceres will likely begin the season at Triple-A Salt Lake.

Fitts could open the season in the Red Sox' rotation if Brayan Bello (shoulder) needs a stint on the injured list, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Bello is not expected to miss much time, if any, but Boston might elect to play things safely as he comes back from a shoulder issue. Fitts posted a 1.74 ERA in four starts with the Red Sox last season, although that came with just a 9:7 K:BB over 20.2 innings. However, the 25-year-old has shown more bat-missing ability in the minors and is also off to a strong start this spring, fanning five over four scoreless frames. Quinn Priester is the other potential option to fill in for Bello.

Clase is scheduled to make his first Cactus League appearance Monday versus the Mariners, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Clase's delayed addition to the Guardians' spring pitching schedule isn't due to an injury; instead, the coaching staff is likely prioritizing getting innings for rotation candidates as well as pitchers who are competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Despite coming off a rough postseason in which he converted two of three save chances and gave up eight earned runs over eight innings, Clase is locked in as Cleveland's closer and is solidified as an upper-tier fantasy option coming off three straight seasons of least 40 saves. For what he lacks his elite strikeout stuff (career 24.8 K%), Clase makes up for it by limiting walks (career 4.8 BB%) and leaning heavily on his cutter and slider to induce plenty of weak contact (career 60.7 percent groundball rate).