MLB Player News

Thompson tossed two scoreless innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. He struck out two.

Thompson pitched multiple innings for the first time this spring, as the team has worked him in slowly to his new relief role. The righty made 17 starts last season, but it seems like the Cubs primarily plan on using him as a long reliever in 2023. That role is a less fantasy-friendly job, so Thompson is mostly off the radar for the moment.

Crawford will be delayed out of the gate this year after being slowed in camp by a bout with mono, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Per the report, he has looked very good in bullpen sessions this spring and already showed the arm strength that led the Giants to select him with the 30th overall pick in last year's draft. The team hasn't decided whether or not he will be sent out as a two-way player, but director of player development Kyle Haines reiterated that Crawford's arm is what got him selected so high. Given that Crawford, a 6-foot-4 southpaw with an upper-90s fastball, had Tommy John surgery in October of 2021, he wouldn't have pushed for a full season's worth of innings this year even if he had avoided mono.

Cyr was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Dodgers on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Cyr was solid in the majors last season with Oakland and Philadelphia, allowing four earned runs over 13.1 frames while striking out 16 batters. He got roughed up a bit during spring training and will head to Triple-A with a solid shot at getting called up mid-season.

Pallante allowed a walk and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Marlins.

Pallante has a 4:2 K:BB over three scoreless innings for the Cardinals in spring training. The reliever is still considered part of the core of the bullpen, per John Denton of MLB.com. Pallante had a just alright showing for Italy at the World Baseball Classic, allowing two runs on three hits, six walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over four innings across three appearances. He's unlikely to be in the conversation for saves with Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos around, but Pallante could be a steady source of holds if he can maintain a high-leverage role.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Thursday that Junis will be a swingman out of the bullpen rather than a starter to begin 2023, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Junis was in competition for a starting spot, but with the Giants' starters at full health, there was no room for him in the rotation. Webeck adds that Kapler is considering Junis in a piggyback role early on, typically in a pairing with Alex Wood. The choppy schedule early in the season means the Giants won't necessarily need a fifth starter until their first home series of the year, so going with pitching tandems could help ease all of the pitchers into the season. Junis' appeal in fantasy is limited in a bullpen role, but he could vulture some wins away from starters if he's able to regularly get two or three innings in a bulk-relief assignment. He's pitched to a 5.19 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB across 8.2 innings over four Cactus League appearances.

Floro gave up two hits and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The 32-year-old had a couple shaky outings early in March but has settled down nicely since, and Floro now sports an 8:2 K:BB through 8.1 spring frames. The Marlins will deploy a closer committee to begin the season with four high-leverage arms in the mix, but Floro still seems like the team's top option from the right side ahead of Matt Barnes.

Barnes walked one and struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

The right-hander was the first reliever in the game for the Marlins after Trevor Rogers hit the showers, which in the spring is a spot generally reserved for high-leverage options. Barnes' 6:4 K:BB through 4.2 innings in camp isn't exactly sharp, however, and it's an ominous sign for a pitcher who's posted a walk rate above 11.0 percent in four of the last five seasons. Miami isn't expected to go into 2023 with a set closer, instead mixing and matching among four different late-inning arms, but Dylan Floro still seems to be ahead of Barnes in the pecking order from the right side.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Nelson (elbow) will open the season on the injured list, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Nelson hasn't suffered any sort of setback, but the Dodgers want to give him more time to work fully into form after he missed the entire 2022 season following Tommy John surgery. It seems like he could be an option for the Los Angeles bullpen before the end of April.

Cubs manager David Ross said Thursday that he couldn't rule out Hughes (knee) requiring an IL stint, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Hughes hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game since March 16, and he acknowledged to reporters Thursday in Cubs camp that he's been battling lingering left knee inflammation for much of the spring. It's shown up in his production on the mound, as the 27-year-old left-hander has yielded three earned runs on five hits and three walks through four innings this spring. The hope is he can return to live action this weekend, but there's minimal margin for error with Opening Day just one week away.

Anderson could wind up being on the Opening Day roster with Raisel Iglesias set to begin the season on the injured list after being diagnosed with shoulder inflammation Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

He already got optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, but Iglesias' injury changes the bullpen picture for Atlanta and opens up a spot. Anderson didn't pitch in the majors at all last year after undergoing elbow surgery in October 2021, but he has a career 39.6 percent strikeout rate in the majors over 87.1 innings and has posted an 11:1 K:BB over eight frames this spring. The 32-year-old could work his way into a high-leverage role once he shows he's all the way back, although A.J. Minter and Joe Jimenez are expected to handle the bulk of the closing duties in Iglesias' absence.