MLB Player News

Aleman underwent a left hip inguinal hernia repair Wednesday and will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks.

Aleman was added to the 40-man roster this offseason but had always been likely to begin the season at Triple-A Columbus. He'll be assigned to Columbus once he's fully recovered, though an initial rehab assignment at a lower-level affiliate is possible. Aleman could be an option for the Guardians bullpen at some point this season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Effross has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Effross suffered the moderate hamstring strain while delivering his one and only pitch during a Grapefruit League appearance earlier this week. The reliever has been given a platelet-rich plasma injection and is looking at an extended absence. Effross has made just 32 appearances over the last two seasons due to injury.

Harvey threw a scoreless inning in his spring debut Tuesday and says he's fully healthy after a back injury prevented him from pitching in the postseason, the Kansas City Star reports. "Last year was tough," Harvey said. "It didn't feel good to rotate, which is kind of the main thing we need to be able to do. We just couldn't get it to ever calm down."

Harvey met with specialists is in the offseason and the back issue was determined just to be tightness. He delayed his normal offseason throwing program by a month to aid his recovery and appears to be back to regular strength. Harvey will be a key setup man ahead of Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estevez this season, assuming he can stay healthy.

They Royals plan to use Erceg in the highest leverage spots in 2025, whether that be the ninth for a save opportunity or in the seventh inning, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Erceg gave up a run with two hits and two strikeouts in one inning during his spring debut Wednesday and reached 98.1 mph with his fastball.

Erceg racked up 11 of Kansas City's 15 saves last season after the team acquired him from Oakland in July and didn't have much competition for the closer role prior to the signing of Carlos Estevez. It appears Erceg will operate as more of a late-inning fireman that receives some save opportunities while Estevez is likely to work the ninth inning with a bit more consistency.

Campbell (elbow) is listed as one of Boston's scheduled pitchers for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Detroit, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Campbell finished the 2024 season on Boston's injured list due to right elbow inflammation and was then outrighted off the 40-man roster in November. After a brief free-agency period, Campbell re-signed with Boston on a minor-league deal and received an invitation to big-league spring training. He'll make his first Grapefruit League appearance Thursday, which indicates that his prior elbow injury is no longer a concern.

Feigl signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Friday.

The 34-year-old southpaw made his MLB debut with the Pirates last season, although it didn't go well, as he surrendered six earned runs in just 1.2 innings in his lone appearance. Pittsburgh designated him for assignment after that appearance, and he finished his season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he turned in a 4.05 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 60 frames. He'll provide bullpen depth at Triple-A St. Paul in 2025.

Mills (elbow) tossed 1.2 innings Tuesday in the Red Sox's 6-1 loss to Atlanta in Grapefruit League play, giving up one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Mills didn't pitch in either of the past two seasons after suffering from elbow soreness during spring training in 2023 and requiring Tommy John surgery later that summer. After a lengthy recovery, Mills seems to be healthy again, but he'll face an uphill battle to win a spot in Boston's Opening Day bullpen while he attends camp as a non-roster invitee.

Chapman hit 101 mph in his spring training debut Wednesday, but he also walked two batters and only threw 11 strikes among his 23 pitches, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. Chapman has slimmed down from 250 pounds to 230 pounds this spring.

The early velocity is nice, and Chapman being wild is nothing new no matter what time of the season (39 walks in 61.2 innings last season). Chapman, Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten are competing for the closer's job, with Garrett Whitlock available for multi-inning saves.

Hendriks touched 96 mph while tossing a scoreless inning Wednesday versus the Rays in his Grapefruit League debut, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

He allowed a one-out single but got a swinging strikeout to strand that runner and end his frame. While adrenaline was surely at play in what was Hendriks' first game appearance since a rehab outing last June, the reliever topping out at 96 mph in late February is a good sign. He averaged less than 93 mph during his rehab assignment last year and was sitting 93-to-94 mph during a recent live batting practice session. Hendriks averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball during his last healthy season in 2022 and there's no guarantee he ever gets back to that level, but the hope is his velocity ticks up as we get closer to Opening Day. The 36-year-old is competing for Boston's closer job.

Soriano tossed two scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter.

Soriano tossed 24 pitches in the outing, 14 of which were sinkers. He maxed out at 98.2 mph with the pitch and induced three groundballs, an area in which he excels -- Soriano ranked in the 97th percentile leaguewide in groundball rate last season. The right-hander is penciled into a slot in the middle of the Angels' starting rotation this season.