MLB Player News

Funderburk looks set to begin the season in the Minnesota bullpen with injuries to Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) and Jhoan Duran (oblique), Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Funderburk and Steven Okert will be the primary lefties in the Minnesota bullpen with Theilbar sidelined. Funderburk had a 2.60 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 75:21 K:BB across 37 appearances (two starts) at Triple-A last season. He then had a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings with the Twins. He had the best strikeout rate of his career last season at Triple-A (13.0 K/9) with a strong walk rate. He could stick in the major-league bullpen if he has a strong start to the season.

The Twins reassigned Balazovic to minor-league camp Monday.

Once of the Twins' more promising starting pitching prospects, Balazovic made the full-time move to the bullpen in 2023. Though he reached the big leagues for the first time last season, Balazovic struggled to distinguish himself, posting a 4.44 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 17:12 K:BB in 24.1 innings. Balazovic will remain in the Twins organization for 2024 despite being outrighted shortly before spring training, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot will work against him in his efforts to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen.

The Rays reassigned Uceta to minor-league camp Monday.

Uceta made 25 appearances at the big-league level over the past three seasons, but he never had much of a shot at winning a spot in the Rays' Opening Day bullpen after joining the club on a minor-league deal over the winter. He's expected to begin the campaign at Triple-A Durham.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Jansen (back) will make an appearance Tuesday against the Rays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Jansen was scratched from a scheduled outing Monday with lower-back tightness, but he'll wind up being pushed back just one day. Cora noted that the closer is "running out of time" in order to be ready for Opening Day and can't afford any more hiccups. Jansen has been limited to just one appearance this spring, having previously dealt with a lat issue. After Tuesday's outing, Jansen is scheduled to pitch Thursday, Sunday and once more after that as he aims to be ready for the March 28 opener in Seattle, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

The White Sox announced Monday that Crochet will start the team's season opener March 28 versus the Tigers in Chicago.

A converted reliever who has yet to make a big-league start and is just under two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Crochet is a bold choice for the Opening Day starting nod. The White Sox's decision to go with Crochet for the season opener speaks to the organization's lack of attractive alternatives, though the 24-year-old lefty at least brings some upside to the table. After struggling with his control late last season when he rejoined the White Sox bullpen following his recovery from elbow surgery, Crochet has looked far sharper this spring, striking out 12 and walking none while working around seven hits across nine scoreless frames. Fantasy managers shouldn't jump to any grand conclusions based on the spring numbers, but the improved results along with the White Sox's commitment to him in a starting role are enough to put Crochet on the radar as a late-round target in fantasy drafts.

Stewart and Griffin Jax are viewed as the most likely candidates to handle save situations for the Twins in the first few weeks of the season after president of baseball operations Derek Falvey announced Monday that Jhoan Duran (oblique) will begin the campaign on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Falvey didn't comment specifically on the Twins' plans at closer sans Duran, but Stewart and Jax represent the team's top-performing bullpen arms from 2023 that were retained heading into 2024. Though he spent considerable time on the shelf while tending to a sore elbow, Stewart was dominant when he was available last season, pitching to an 0.65 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 39:11 K:BB in 27.2 innings. Jax's numbers (3.86 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 68:19 K:BB in 65.1 innings) weren't quite as impressive in comparison, but he has multiple seasons under his belt as a reliable relief arm for Minnesota in addition to possessing a much stronger track record on the health front. That might be enough to give Jax the early edge on save chances over Stewart, who still profiles as a decent late-round dart in mixed leagues and AL-only leagues in any case.

Jax and Brock Stewart are likely to fill in at closer for the Twins while Jhoan Duran (oblique) is sidelined, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Jax has turned into a weapon out of the Twins' bullpen over the last two seasons, posting a 3.60 ERA and 146:39 K:BB over 137.2 innings, collecting five saves along the way. He's also been dominant this spring, yielding just two hits and no runs with a 10:0 K:BB over six frames. Both Jax and Stewart are worthy short-term fantasy darts, though it's possible manager Rocco Baldelli won't settle on one guy.

Blanco appears likely to be included in the Astros' Opening Day rotation after Jose Urquidy was diagnosed Monday with a right forearm muscle strain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Along with Justin Verlander (shoulder), Urquidy is set to begin the season on the injured list, and the Astros had already entered the spring without two other starters in Lance McCullers (forearm) and Luis Garcia (elbow), both of whom are facing longer-term recoveries from their surgeries. Urquidy's absence in particular should open up a back-end rotation spot for Blanco, whose primary competition for the role now looks to be Brandon Bielak. Given his past experience working out of the bullpen and underwhelming numbers as a starter at the big-league level, Bielak might be a better fit as a multi-inning reliever, while Blanco is less of a known commodity after seeing his first extended action in the big leagues in 2023. He submitted a 4.50 ERA and 52:28 K:BB over 52 innings across 17 outings (seven starts) with Houston last season, but Blanco has pitched more effectively this spring. Blanco has thus far tossed 11.2 scoreless frames in Grapefruit League play, striking out 13 while allowing four hits and four walks.

Weiss (shoulder) will begin the season on the injured list, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Weiss is continuing to go through his throwing progression, but he hasn't made an appearance this spring while recovering from a teres major strain, and it's not clear how long he might be on the shelf. The reliever was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox last month.

Canterino will begin the season on the injured list at Triple-A St. Paul with a right subscapularis strain, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Canterino was sent to minor-league camp a week ago and now is hurt. It's not clear how long he might be sidelined. Injuries are unfortunately nothing new for Canterino, who missed all of the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery.