MLB Player News

The Rays optioned Kelly to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Kelly had to be kept on the Rays' roster all of last season after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but the club is now able to send him to the minors now that they've retained his rights. The Rays typically have a constant churn among their relievers on the back end of the 40-man roster, and Kelly could be one of several hurlers who gets cycled between the big club and Durham in 2024.

Luetge is set to open the season at Triple-A Worcester after being informed over the weekend that he won't be included on Boston's Opening Day roster, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republic reports.

Fellow non-roster invitee Joely Rodriguez ended up beating out Luetge for the final lefty reliever spot in the Red Sox's Opening Day bullpen. Though Luetge's minor-league deal with Boston contained an upward mobility clause that would allow him to opt out of his contract, the deadline for him to invoke the clause has passed, so he'll report to Worcester. Luetge had most recently spent the 2023 season in Atlanta's organization, logging a 7.24 ERA and 1.76 WHIP over 13.2 innings with the big club.

Burdi has won a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day bullpen, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Burdi's career has been derailed by multiple arm surgeries, but he rediscovered his triple-digits fastball this spring on his way to a 2.45 ERA and 13:4 K:BB over 7.1 innings. The 31-year-old figures to be used in low-leverage spots initially but could work his way into more meaningful situations if he pitches well and stays healthy.

Waguespack threw only two innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, an indication he may be headed for a relief role to begin the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Waguespack is a candidate for the rotation with both Shane Baz (elbow) and Taj Bradley (pectoral) sidelined. However, his workload has decreased as spring has progressed, going from 48 and 53 pitches in his first outings to only 40 on Monday. Waguespack could fill a multi-inning relief role, though Tyler Alexander looks to be lined up for a starting job.

Alexander threw 89 pitches and completed six innings in a minor-league game Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Alexander is competing for the fifth starting job for the Rays to open the season with both Shane Baz (elbow) and Taj Bradley (pectoral) sidelined. In addition to his outing Sunday, Alexander also threw five innings in a March 19 Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. Meanwhile, Jacob Waguespack -- another contender for the rotation -- has worked significantly shorter stints.

Webb is in line to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster after the team sent down Jonathan Heasley on Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Webb had a 4.91 ERA over 7.1 innings across seven Grapefruit League outings. Between the Orioles and the Angels last season, he recorded a 3.69 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 57:30 K:BB across 53.2 innings. The right-handed reliever hasn't been confirmed for the roster just yet -- there's a lot of roster churn just before Opening Day, and it's always possible the Orioles could snag an extra reliever from outside the organization, which could bump Webb off the major-league roster at the last minute.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Swanson (forearm) will likely begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Toronto appears set to head into Opening Day without its top setup man in Swanson and its closer in Jordan Romano, who is unlikely to be available for the first couple weeks of the season while building back up from an elbow injury. Swanson seems to be in a similar spot to Romano in his recovery from a right forearm tightness, as the former has been able to play catch in recent days and is expected to resume throwing off a mound around the middle of the week. If Swanson is able to throw multiple bullpen and live batting practice sessions without issue, he could head out on a brief minor-league rehab assignment before joining the Toronto bullpen when or shortly after he's eligible to come off the IL on April 9. While Swanson and Romano are both temporarily out of the Blue Jays' bullpen mix, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green and Tim Mayza could be candidates to pick up saves.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that it's "reasonable to say" that Romano (elbow) will begin the season on the injured list, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Erik Swanson (forearm) is also expected to be IL-bound, which could leave closing duties, at least initially, to Yimi Garcia or perhaps Chad Green. Romano was slated to play catch over the weekend and the hope is that he'll begin ramping up with mound work next week, so it's possible his stint on the injured list is a relatively short one. For now, though, there is no timetable.

Shaw is expected to be included on the White Sox's Opening Day roster, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Shaw is attending spring training as a non-roster invitee, so the White Sox will still have to clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster before he's officially a part of the Opening Day bullpen. The 36-year-old right-hander is heading into his second season in Chicago after posting a 4.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 40:17 K:BB in 45.2 innings over his 36 appearances. As the most battle-tested reliever in a White Sox bullpen lacking in experienced arms, Shaw could factor into the mix for saves, though younger pitchers such as Michael Kopech and Jordan Leasure boast more powerful arsenals and fit the closer archetype better.

Beeter has been informed that he'll be included on the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Luis Gil has been announced as the Yankees' fifth starter, so Beeter will begin the season in the bullpen as a long man. Beeter has yet to appear in a major-league game, having collected a 3.62 ERA and 165:75 K:BB over 131.2 innings between Double-A Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2023.