MLB Player News
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Kirby Snead RP | SEA
Mariners' Kirby Snead: Dispatched to minors camp
The Mariners reassigned Snead to minor-league camp Wednesday.
Snead logged 11.2 innings over 15 appearances at the big-league level with Oakland in 2023, but he was never seen as a likely candidate to break camp with a spot in the Seattle bullpen. The 29-year-old southpaw will likely need to string together several quality appearances at Triple-A Tacoma to begin the season before he receives consideration for a promotion to Seattle.
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Cody Poteet RP | BAL
Yankees' Cody Poteet: Could be rotation candidate
Poteet is a candidate to join the Yankees' Opening Day rotation due to Gerrit Cole (elbow) being expected to be sidelined for 1-to-2 months to begin the season, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Luke Weaver (neck) looks to be the top candidate to fill the fifth opening in the rotation in the wake of Cole's injury, provided Weaver can overcome the neck issue that caused him to be scratched from his most recent Grapefruit League start Tuesday. If Weaver isn't able to get fully stretched out for Opening Day, however, Poteet may be next in line to fill the rotation vacancy. Signed to a one-year, $750,000 deal in January, Poteet has impressed through his first three spring outings, striking out seven and walking one over 5.2 scoreless frames while holding opposing hitters to a .158 average. Beyond Weaver and Poteet, Will Warren, Cody Morris and Luis Gil are other candidates for the fifth rotation spot.
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John Brebbia RP | COL
White Sox's John Brebbia: Facing hitters Wednesday
Brebbia (calf) is scheduled to face hitters in live batting practice Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Brebbia has yet to make his Cactus League debut while he works his way back from a right calf strain suffered earlier in camp, but if all goes well Wednesday, he could be integrated into the White Sox's pitching schedule within the next few days. The right-hander is looking on track to be available for Opening Day if he avoids any setbacks in his throwing program, but it's unclear what role he'll hold in the White Sox bullpen. Brebbia was a dependable middle reliever and opener for the Giants over the past two seasons, but he could be a candidate to close games while he's part of a Chicago relief corps that's otherwise lacking in reliable or experienced late-inning options.
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Sean Newcomb RP | CHW
Athletics' Sean Newcomb: Makes spring debut
Newcomb (knee) made his Cactus League debut in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Royals, striking out four over two scoreless innings while working around two hits and one walk.
Newcomb's integration into the spring pitching schedule was delayed while he completed his recovery from the surgery he underwent on his left knee last September, but he looked sharp in his two-inning appearance Sunday. Though Newcomb could be built up for a starting role over the final two weeks of the spring, he still looks set to miss out on a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Even if that's the case, Newcomb could still be included on the Opening Day roster as a long reliever.
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Chris Devenski RP | PIT
Rays' Chris Devenski: Candidate for starting role
Devenski is an option to step in as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Devenski has not started a big-league game since the 2019 season, but September was a renaissance of sorts as he posted a 2.08 ERA and 9:2 K:BB in nine appearances with the Rays down the stretch. Tampa Bay liked what it saw enough to bring the veteran back for 2024, and he has been building up to handle multiple innings this spring. Devenski threw two innings against the Blue Jays on Monday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
Rays' Tyler Alexander: Among candidates for starting role
Alexander is a candidate to open the year as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
A partial lat tear ended Alexander's season in July and the Tigers decided to move on in November. The Rays claimed Alexander off waivers and may need him for important innings right away with Bradley shut down for a couple weeks. Alexander threw over 100 big-league frames for Detroit in 2021 and 2022 and has been building up for a substantial workload this spring. Jacob Lopez, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jacob Waguespack and Chris Devenski were also mentioned as possible replacements in the starting rotation.
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Jacob Waguespack RP | DET
Rays' Jacob Waguespack: Option for rotation
Waguespack is one of the candidates for the Rays' rotation while Taj Bradley (pectoral) is sidelined, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Waguespack signed a minor-league contract with the Rays in January following a two-year stint in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with the Orix Buffaloes. The 30-year-old has experience as a starter and a reliever and holds a 5.40 ERA and 6:1 K:BB over five innings this spring. Waguespack might not be stretched out enough to be used as a traditional starter, but he could perhaps work as an opener or bulk reliever.
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Jacob Lopez SP | ATH
Rays' Jacob Lopez: Candidate for final rotation spot
Lopez is a candidate to open the year as the Rays' No. 5 starter due to Taj Bradley (pectoral) being ruled out for the start of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Naoyuki Uwasawa, Jacob Waguespack, Tyler Alexander and Chris Devenski were also mentioned as potential replacements. The lefty Lopez operated as a starter at Triple-A Durham last season, posting a 2.72 ERA and 87:47 K:BB over 18 starts (79.1 innings) to earn his first MLB looks over the final six weeks. He has allowed one hit and five walks in 3.1 innings so far this spring.
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Alex Wood RP | ATH
Athletics' Alex Wood: Another solid showing Tuesday
Wood allowed two earned runs on four hits over 4.1 innings in the Athletics' Cactus League win over the Mariners on Tuesday. He also hit two batters and recorded five strikeouts.
Wood built on a decent showing in a rain-shortened outing against the Guardians on Thursday, when he allowed two runs on three hits over 2.1 innings with five strikeouts. The left-hander was able to match the latter total Tuesday while upping his workload, and although his control wasn't at its sharpest, Wood appears increasingly ready to open the regular season as the Athletics' No. 4 starter.
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Clayton Beeter RP | WAS
Yankees' Clayton Beeter: Could step into rotation
Beeter is a candidate to claim a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day rotation if Gerrit Cole (elbow) needs to miss time, Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reports.
Beeter has impressed in Grapefruit League play this spring, posting a 2.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB over nine innings across three outings, including two starts. In the right-hander's most recent appearance, he recorded four scoreless frames with four strikeouts against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Cole has already undergone an MRI and is slated for additional testing on his pitching elbow, and manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Monday that the ace is unlikely to be ready for the start of the campaign, per Erik Boland of Newsday. Along with Beeter, fellow youngsters Will Warren and Luis Gil are candidates to fill in for Cole if he does indeed need to miss time, although Warren isn't on the 40-man roster.