MLB Player News

Anderson is a projected member of the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen, per the updated roster projection compiled by Kennedi Landry of MLB.com.

Anderson's thrown a string of zeros all spring, allowing three hits and striking out seven over 6.1 scoreless innings. Of note, the 26-year-old right-hander has not yet walked a batter.

Church is listed as part of the Opening Day bullpen in the updated roster projection compiled by Kennedi Landry of MLB.com.

Church has impressed this spring and put himself in position to make his MLB debut. The right-hander has allowed one run on two hits and three walks while striking out 10 over nine Cactus League innings.

Brentz exited Sunday's spring training game against the Brewers with a trainer, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

It appears that Brentz may have injured his hamstring, and he exited after grimacing in pain. The pitcher had been having a rough spring with six earned runs allowed, eight strikeouts and 11 walks in 4.1 innings entering the outing.

The Royals announced Sunday that Ragans will start their Opening Day game March 28 versus the Twins at Kauffman Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

After being acquired from the Rangers last June, Ragans was a revelation for the Royals upon stepping into the big-league rotation. Over his 12 starts with Kansas City to close out last season, Ragans posted a 2.64 ERA and 89:27 K:BB across 71.2 innings. He's carried that momentum over to the Cactus League this spring, allowing four earned runs over 8.2 innings while striking out 10 and issuing just two walks. Ragans' lack of an established track record makes it tough to bank on him completely repeating his hot run to end the 2023 season, but he should continue to pile up strikeouts even if his ERA takes a dramatic turn for the worse.

Robertson is poised to begin the season in a setup role after Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday there is a "strong possibility" Jose Leclerc will open as the closer, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Robertson was never likely to fully usurp Leclerc from the job during spring training, but there seemed to be a chance Bochy might utilize a committee approach. Robertson will instead begin the campaign in a setup role, which significantly dampens his fantasy outlook. The 38-year-old is still likely to be the next man up and should see occasional save chances even if Leclerc is pitching well.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy indicated Sunday that Leclerc has a "strong possibility" of beginning the season as the club's primary closer, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Bochy said at the start of spring training that "there is no pecking order" for the Texas bullpen, but Leclerc apparently showed enough in camp despite giving up two earned runs over 2.1 frames in his three Cactus League appearances. The 30-year-old posted a 2.68 ERA in 57 appearances last season and tallied just four saves, but he also pitched well in the playoffs while saving another four contests. David Robertson signed with the Rangers in January and could quickly enter the mix for saves should Leclerc struggle early in 2024.

Criswell allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings in Saturday's spring start against the Orioles.

Criswell made his third spring start and faced a Baltimore lineup that featured six projected starters. He allowed a pair of first-inning runs then settled in, retiring the final eight batters faced. Criswell primarily throws a sinker, slider (Statcast identifies it as a sweeper) and cutter. "The slider has some outlier movement," Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. "He has a long history of strike-throwing and induces a lot of weak contact." The soft-tossing right-hander, who is in the mix for a rotation spot, has a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 Grapefruit League innings.

Martin (groin) completed a live batting practice session Saturday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Martin's attempt at a live BP session a week ago ended after two pitches due to groin tightness. The righty setup reliever completed this session and is ready for the next step Tuesday, which will either be another batting practice session or his Grapefruit League debut. Martin estimates he'll need four appearances to be ready for the regular season.

Wingenter (leg) is listed as an available reliever for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Wingenter was removed from his most recent spring appearance Friday against Atlanta after being struck on the leg by a comebacker, but his inclusion on the lineup card two days later implies that he avoided any sort of major injury. The veteran right-hander enters Sunday's contest carrying a 1.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and .125 batting average against through 5.1 innings in Grapefruit League play.

Foley (undisclosed) struck out three and allowed one hit over a scoreless inning of relief Friday in the Tigers' 6-1 win over Atlanta in Grapefruit League play.

Foley was back in action for his fourth appearance of the spring and his first since March 7 after he had been shut down for a brief period with what manager A.J. Hinch termed as "mid-camp fatigue." The right-hander had struggled over his first three outings, but the time off appeared to do him some good, as he looked sharp in his return to the mound Friday. Foley should be positioned to open the upcoming season as one of the top setup options in front of closer Alex Lange.