MLB Player News

Duffey has been sidelined since Feb. 26 after having surgery to remove a cancerous mole from his back, MLB.com reports. He started light baseball activity Wednesday.

A suspicious mole on Duffey's back was diagnosed as melanoma during an exam early in spring training. Duffey hopes to pitch in games by the end of spring training, but it appears likely he'll begin the season on the injured list. He signed a minor-league deal with the Royals and is attempting to win a spot in the major-league bullpen this spring.

Criswell allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Wednesday's spring start against Minnesota.

The Red Sox cited Criswell as a potential starter in the wake of Lucas Giolito's elbow injury, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. The right-hander made his first spring start Wednesday and threw a pair of 1-2-3 innings before sputtering in the third. Criswell's not overpowering -- his fastball topped out at 89.3 mph Wednesday -- but the Red Sox will need length and possibly a sixth starter early when the team plays 23 games in the first 25 days of the season.

Anderson has been impressive in camp so far and could make a push for an MLB bullpen spot, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Anderson, who spent the last two seasons pitching in Japan, has logged three scoreless innings with four strikeouts so far in Grapefruit League play, touching 97 mph with his fastball. While it's no guarantee that he breaks camp with the big-league club, Anderson could be first in line for a call up when a need arises. The righty most recently appeared in the majors back in 2021, logging 22 innings for the Rangers and posting a solid 3.27 ERA.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Wednesday that Bolton recently experienced some discomfort in his ankle and had his throwing schedule adjusted as a result, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The injury likely explains why Bolton has been limited to just two appearances in Cactus League play thus far, and none since Feb. 29. Bolton possesses a spot on the Mariners' 40-man roster, but since he has a limited track record in the majors and has two minor-league options remaining, he'll most likely begin the season at Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners scratched Krehbiel from his scheduled relief appearance in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Royals due to a neck strain, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Krehbiel has been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and is looking to win a spot in the Mariners' Opening Day bullpen. Even though the injury is believed to be only a minor concern, it further hurts Krehbiel's bid for a roster spot.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Wednesday that Tarnok is currently shut down after having a setback with his surgically repaired right hip, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Tarnok had surgery last August and entered camp behind schedule. He has yet to appear in a Cactus League game, and now that he's experienced a setback, Tarnok looks like a virtual lock to begin the season on the injured list. Once healthy, Tarnok could be a candidate to join the Oakland rotation.

McMillon (forearm) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

McMillon will likely cover an inning Wednesday in what will mark his spring debut. The hard-throwing righty has been eased along during spring training while he works his way back from a forearm strain, but assuming he escapes Wednesday's outing free of setbacks, he should be on track to win a spot in the Royals' Opening Day bullpen. McMillon was impressive over a small sample of big-league action in 2023, striking out eight and allowing one earned run on one hit and no walks over four innings.

Kahnle (shoulder) acknowledged Wednesday that he's unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Kahnle ended last season on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, and he's behind schedule this spring after the injury took a little longer than expected to clear up. The reliever is throwing pain-free bullpen sessions and looks to be on track to make a Grapefruit League appearance or two later this month, but he won't quite be ready for Opening Day. Kahnle held a nifty 2.66 ERA and 48:19 K:BB over 40.2 innings in 2023. If healthy, Kahnle should be a key setup man again for the Yankees in 2024.

Adcock (undisclosed) gave up an earned run on one hit over one inning of relief Tuesday in the Mariners' 10-9 Cactus League loss to the Rangers.

The one-inning outing marked Adcock's spring debut, after the Mariners had elected to take things slowly in camp with the right-hander while he managed an unspecified health concern. Adcock reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023, working 15.2 innings out of the Seattle bullpen while pitching to a 3.45 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB.

Angels manager Ron Washington said Wednesday that Stephenson (shoulder) will have time to get the appearances he needs in order to be ready for Opening Day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The right-hander is working his way back from a sore pitching shoulder, but it sounds like he'll be part of the Halos' Opening Day bullpen. Stephenson will throw a bullpen session Wednesday and, assuming that goes off without a hitch, he will throw off the mound again this weekend. If healthy, Stephenson is slated for setup duties ahead of closer Carlos Estevez.