MLB Player News

Waites (lat) is scheduled to make his spring debut Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Waites suffered a right lat strain just before the start of spring training, but he's made steady progress over the last several weeks and should be an option for the Giants' bullpen sometime in mid-to-late April. He's already been ruled out for an Opening Day roster spot, but that's only to allow more time for a proper build-up.

Minter gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning during Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

Not that it means much, but Minter did pick up the save. The southpaw will be one of Raisel Iglesias' primary setup men this season and one of the top high-leverage options in the Atlanta bullpen, and in that role in 2022, Minter piled up a league-leading 35 holds with five wins and five saves in addition to his stellar 2.06 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 34.7 percent strikeout rate.

Ferrer was optioned to Triple-A Rochester by the Nationals on Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports.

Ferrer had put together a strong spring and was said to be making a push for the Opening Day roster, but the Nats will give him a little more development time in the minors. The 23-year-old registered an encouraging 2.48 ERA and 78:11 K:BB in 65.1 innings last season between Low-A, High-A and Double-A ball.

Arano (shoulder) is expected to open the season on the Nationals' 60-day injured list, a source tells Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post.

Arano made two appearances in Grapefruit League play before being shut down earlier this month after being diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement. Though the injury typically isn't one that entails a lengthy absence, the Nationals could be inclined to take a more cautious approach with Arano given that he missed time in 2020 and 2022 on account of shoulder concerns. When healthy, Arano is expected to serve as a middle-innings or setup option out of the Washington bullpen.

Stephenson (elbow) is listed as available out of the Pirates' bullpen for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Phillies, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Stephenson has been out all spring with right elbow soreness, but he's been throwing of late with no issues and is now cleared for game action. He'll try to get in a few appearances ahead of Opening Day before serving as a setup man for David Bednar.

Jarvis allowed three runs on five hits while striking out five over 4.2 innings in Monday's spring start against the White Sox.

Jarvis was smooth through three scoreless innings before ceding a three-run home run on a 1-0 changeup to Hanser Alberto in the fourth. This was his third appearance and first as a starter in Cactus League competition. The 2020 first-round draft pick compiled an 8.27 ERA with 27 homers allowed over 106.2 innings at Double-A Amarillo last season, which prompted him to make adjustments to his delivery during the offseason.

Bednar has allowed one run across three innings while striking out five and walking none while pitching for the USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Bednar had struggled a bit in camp with the Pirates, as he served up two homers and walked two across only three innings of Grapefruit League action. However, he's put up significantly better results in the World Baseball Classic, a reassuring sign as Opening Day approaches. Bednar should be Pittsburgh's locked-in closer while also providing plenty of strikeouts with decent ratios.

Kauffmann was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Rockies on Monday.

Kauffmann made 28 starts in the upper minors in 2022, and finished with a 4.96 ERA over 141.2 innings of work for Double-A Harford and Triple-A Albuquerque. The 25-year-old right-hander will be a part of the Isotopes' rotation in Triple-A to begin 2023, and could be called on to make starts for Colorado at some point over the summer.

Raley (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Sunday and believes he's on track for Opening Day, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Raley is hoping to get in at least one Grapefruit League game by the end of the week. The left-hander has been out with a left hamstring strain and was forced off the World Baseball Classic roster. Raley could be an option for saves if he is healthy, but he'll need to get in at least a game or two in Florida if he's going to be a part of the Opening Day roster.

Atlanta optioned Anderson to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Anderson pitched well in the Grapefruit League before the demotion with a 2.57 ERA and 11:1 K:BB over his six appearances. The right-hander has been riddled with injuries over the past few seasons, but has a real shot of being a contributor for Atlanta by the time 2023 comes to a close.