MLB Player News

The Astros informed Mushinski on Wednesday that he'll be included on the Opening Day roster, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Mushinski is likely to be one of three lefties in the Houston bullpen along with closer Josh Hader and middle reliever Bennett Sousa. The 28-year-old southpaw owns a 4.91 ERA over 22 career big-league frames, but Mushinski looked sharper during Grapefruit League play this spring, tossing nine scoreless innings while striking out 10 and working around five hits and five walks.

Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Blanco will open the season in the Astros' rotation, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Espada gave Blanco the good news in the dugout Tuesday after the pitcher fanned 10 over 4.1 innings in an exhibition start against Triple-A Sugar Land. While Blanco is in line to receive at least a couple starts, his hold on a rotation spot is tenuous with Justin Verlander (shoulder) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) on the mend.

Durate will travel with the Twins for their opening series at Kansas City and is likely to be added to the active roster with Josh Staumont suffering a knee injury, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Duarte is not on the 40-man roster, so the Twins will need to make a move to add him to the active roster. Duarte has had a good spring with a 2.92 ERA and a 12:0 K:BB ratio in 12.1 innings. He'd likely be used in low-leverage situations initially.

Zuniga earned the final bullpen spot on the Angels' roster, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Zuniga gave up seven earned runs over 9.2 innings during Cactus League play, but he will remain in the majors to begin his first season with the Angels. The right-hander spent most of last season with the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, accumulating a 7.63 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across 30.2 frames. His command issues will almost certainly cause him to pitch exclusively in low-leverage situations.

Martin (groin) struck out one over a scoreless inning in Tuesday's exhibition game against Texas.

Martin wrestled with a groin injury and made just his third appearance of spring training, with all coming within the last week. The Red Sox are comfortable with him being ready for Opening Day despite having worked just 2.1 innings, per Drew Davison of MLB.com. He's expected to be the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.

Miller recorded a 2.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 6.2 innings this spring and is set for an Opening Day bullpen role in Detroit.

Miller didn't see a ton of work this spring, though he was effective. The veteran righty joined the Tigers on a one-year, $3 million contract in December, and he should slot into a fairly high-leverage role. While Alex Lange is set to close games for now, he struggled with command in 2023, meaning that Miller could emerge as an option for saves at some point if he pitches well. At the very least, he should be a decent source of holds and solid ratios.

Jansen struck out one over a scoreless inning in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Rangers.

Jansen, who was bothered by back issues this spring, made just four appearances with the final 12 days of spring training. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the pitcher is ready to go for the regular season, per Drew Davison of MLB.com.

Chafin recorded a 5.06 ERA across 5.1 innings this spring and is set for an Opening Day bullpen role in Detroit.

The veteran lefty didn't need a ton of work in spring training, and despite so-so results, he'll slot into a high-leverage role for the Tigers. Chafin struggled a bit last year, posting a 4.73 ERA across 63 games for the Diamondbacks and Brewers, though he was better in 2022, when he recorded a 2.83 ERA across 64 games with this same Detroit squad. His ability to pitch frequently and not wear down has served him well across a 10-year MLB career, and he should once again see plenty of work in 2024.

Soriano earned a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster as a reliever, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander stretched out as a starter during spring training but will end up working out of the bullpen with Robert Stephenson (shoulder) likely unavailable. Soriano should continue to stay relatively stretched out and could serve as a spot starter if/when the Angels deal with rotation injuries. The 25-year-old made 38 appearances as a reliever in his first taste of the majors last season and posted a 3.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 56:23 K:BB over 42 innings.

Staumont is having his knee evaluated Tuesday after he slipped in the bullpen, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribunereports.

The right-hander is set to make Minnesota's Opening Day roster, but the knee issue could end up sending him to the injured list. Staumont posted a 5.40 ERA in 21 outing for the Royals last season and is likely to fill a low-leverage role for the Twins when healthy.