MLB Player News

Littell has allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout in three innings across three Cactus League games.

Littell was very effective in 2021, working in everything from an opener role to a fill-in at closer occasionally. He posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB with a 4-0 record, two saves and five holds in 61.2 innings. Entering 2022, Giants manager Gabe Kapler still hesitates to give strictly defined roles to his relievers. Jake McGee, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers are expected to be in the closer committee, while Littell's versatility will see him often work in the middle innings. Given his 3.86 FIP from last season, he'll likely face a little regression in 2022.

Rucker seems likely to secure an Opening Day bullpen spot with the Cubs, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Rucker appeared in 20 games with the Cubs last season, and although he posted an inflated 6.99 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, his 30 strikeouts across 28.1 innings does show some promise. The righty is unlikely to be a high-leverage arm, but he can give Chicago multiple innings out of the bullpen and may snag a few cheap wins here and there.

Gsellman will likely begin the year in the minors, though he could get called up later if he pitches well there, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Gsellman appeared in 17 games for the Mets last season and logged 119.2 innings for New York working as a starter back in 2017, so he certainly has plenty of MLB experience. However, he's on a minor-league deal with the Cubs, and the team doesn't seem to have an open MLB bullpen spot for the 28-year-old. Gsellman could work his way into the mix at some point, though his fantasy value seems fairly limited.

The Mets acquired Rodriguez from the Yankees on Sunday in exchange for Miguel Castro, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The swap of relievers gives the Mets a much-needed lefty option, as Rodriguez becomes the only southpaw that's tentatively in the Mets' projected Opening Day bullpen. Rodriguez is expected to slot into the middle relief/setup ranks for the Mets after he accrued a 4.66 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 47:18 K:BB in 46.1 innings with the Yankees last season to go with one save and 13 holds.

Davidson will make Atlanta's Opening Day roster, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Davidson was competing for a spot in Atlanta's rotation, but it appears he'll work out of the bullpen and as a potential sixth starter. Spencer Strider is expected to fill a similar role, which means Kyle Wright should open the campaign as the No. 5 starter. Wright has a 6.56 ERA over 70 big-league innings, so Davidson and Strider could still receive more starting opportunities if Wright doesn't fare better in 2022.

Alvarado (neck) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Though Alvarado has been cleared for game action and likely won't require much buildup time as a reliever who typically doesn't work more than one inning, he's not a lock to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster since the neck issue has kept him out for the majority of the spring. As Gelb notes, the Phillies' plans for Alvarado will likely become apparent based on where his next outing comes Tuesday or Wednesday. If Alvarado pitches in one of the team's final two exhibition games, it would likely signal that he's on track for the Opening Day roster, whereas a simulated game Tuesday or Wednesday would hint that the Phillies are planning to stash him on the injured list to begin the season.

Harvey (triceps) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The outing will mark Harvey's spring and Nationals debut, after he was being brought along slowly at Giants camp earlier in March before being claimed off waivers by Washington two weeks ago. Though the upcoming appearance signals that Harvey is healthy again after he finished the 2021 campaign on the Orioles' injured list with a strained right triceps, he still has a minor-league option remaining and could wind up settling at Triple-A Rochester to begin the season.

Manaea and pitcher Aaron Holiday were acquired by the Padres from the Athletics on Sunday in exchange for infielder Euribiel Angeles and pitcher Adrian Martinez, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

It appeared Manaea may remain in Oakland to begin the season despite constant trade rumors, but he's now been dealt to San Diego with less than a week before Opening Day. The 30-year-old southpaw joins a rotation that already includes Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell and Mike Clevinger, as the NL West continues to stack up talent. Manaea posted a 3.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 194:41 K:BB over 179.1 innings last year and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2022 campaign.

Melancon allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over one inning in Saturday's spring training game against the White Sox.

Melancon is the Diamondbacks' closer, but he's had a rocky spring with six runs allowed in 3.1 innings. He's perceived to have high stability in the closer role, but in case things go sideways, Ian Kennedy is the closer-in-waiting.

Jackson (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Sunday with a torn UCL.

Atlanta reported Saturday that an MRI showed damage to Jackson's UCL, but the extent of that damage was previously unclear. The right-hander may require Tommy John surgery, which would likely sideline him until the summer of 2023.