MLB Player News

Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Ort experienced left oblique soreness following a recent bullpen session and won't throw for a few days, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The injury will most likely push Ort's Grapefruit League debut back until at least next week, but Espada hasn't suggested that the Astros are worried about the right-handed reliever's availability for Opening Day. Ort covered 24.2 innings out of the Houston bullpen in 2024, logging a 2.55 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 26:4 K:BB while collecting three holds.

Ottavino agreed Tuesday with the Red Sox on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Ottavino pitched for the Red Sox in 2021 prior to spending the last three seasons with the Mets. The veteran reliever held a 4.34 ERA and 70:23 K:BB over 56 innings for New York in 2024 and did not pitch for them in the playoffs. Ottavino can still get right-handed batters out (.536 OPS in 2024) and miss bats (28.6 percent strikeout rate), giving the 39-year-old a decent chance to crack Boston's Opening Day bullpen.

The Angels outrighted Caceres (lat) to Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

Caceres had been removed from the 40-man roster in order to clear a spot for waiver claim Michael Petersen. The 25-year-old Caceres missed all of last season while recovering from lat surgery and it's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in games.

The Rangers signed Jackson to a one-year, $1.5 million contract Monday.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Jackson, who was drafted by the Rangers and reached the majors for the first time with them. The 33-year-old posted a 5.09 ERA over 52 regular-season appearances with San Francisco and Atlanta in 2024 but did strike out 59 over 53 innings. Jackson should fill a middle relief role.

The Rangers placed Sborz (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Monday.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Luke Jackson, whom the club signed to a one-year deal. Sborz underwent surgery on his right shoulder in mid-November and had already been expected to miss the first couple of months of the 2025 season, so his move to the 60-day IL won't alter his timeline for a return.

The White Sox Sox" data-type="SPORTS_OBJECT_TEAM" data-league-abbreviation="MLB" data-team-abbreviation="CHW">White Sox claimed White off waivers from the Yankees on Monday.

White will join his fourth organization since December after he turned in a 5.64 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 99 innings with Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization last season. The 25-year-old has certainly landed in an organization ripe with opportunity given its lack of talent, but White still seems likely to open the season at Triple-A Charlotte.

The Blue Jays signed Barnes to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Barnes spent the 2024 campaign with the Nationals, holding a 4.36 ERA and 55:20 K:BB over 66 innings. The 34-year-old will compete for a spot in the Toronto bullpen but will likely begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo.

Kowar (elbow) threw a bullpen session Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Kowar will likely open the season on the injured list, but the right-hander looks to be nearing the finish line in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last March. He'll presumably remain limited to throwing bullpen sessions and playing catch in the early weeks of spring training, but he could be ready to face hitters in live batting practice before the end of camp. Kowar has a minor-league option remaining, so the Mariners could choose to send him to Triple-A Tacoma once he's fully recovered from surgery if the big club doesn't have a spot available for him in its bullpen.

Zastryzny signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Monday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training.

After being cast off the Cubs' 40-man roster earlier this month, Zastryzny elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Chicago's Triple-A affiliate. He quickly found work with the Yankees, who will give the 32-year-old lefty a chance to compete for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen this spring. Zastryzny made nine appearances in the majors with the Brewers in 2024, turning in a 1.17 ERA and 0.65 WHIP across 7.2 innings.

Sousa (shoulder) confirmed Sunday that he's fully healthy and has completed his recovery from the season-ending thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in April, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After a strong finish to the 2023 season, Sousa was poised to win a spot in Houston's Opening Day bullpen coming out of last spring training, but he developed shoulder inflammation late in camp and was placed on the injured list. He was then recommended for thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, after Sousa said that he had been dealing with symptoms of the syndrome for years. Though he experienced a complication during the procedure involving a buildup of fluid in his lung that required a hospital stay, Sousa's throwing program was relatively unaffected. He resumed playing catch in early July and stepped back on the mound for a bullpen session by September, so he's not expected to face any restrictions in camp. Sousa faces stiff competition for a spot in the Astros bullpen, however, and the fact that the lefty has a minor-league option remaining could hurt his chances of breaking camp with the big club.