MLB Player News

Sands threw a perfect inning in Saturday's Grapefruit League win over Boston, striking out three without allowing a baserunner. He's given up three runs in 2.2 innings this spring with four strikeouts and two walks.

Sands emerged as a solid relief arm in 2024. His average fastball velocity jumped from 93.6 mph in 2023 to 95.5 mph last season, and his control improved as well. He'll be used in a high-leverage role again and could be a sneaky source of holds after recording only six in 62 appearances last year.

Estevez (back) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Tuesday before potentially making his Cactus League debut Friday against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander has been brought along slowly during the first half of camp due to lower-back tightness, but he's now ramping up his throwing program and is on the cusp of game action. Assuming everything goes well this week, Estevez should be able to make a few spring appearances and be ready for Opening Day. After recording 57 saves over the prior two seasons between the Angels and Phillies, Estevez is expected to begin the season as the Royals' closer.

Duran's fastball velocity has been down this spring, but he says it's by design, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I focus more on my mechanics and my pitches' movement," Duran said this week. "I don't need to throw really hard right now. Maybe in the [regular season] I throw harder, or maybe not."

Duran "only" reached 100.8 mph with his fastball Saturday while tossing a scoreless inning against the Red Sox and striking out one. That's in contrast to the 102.5 mph he hit in his first spring outing of 2023, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. The decline doesn't appear to be a major concern, as his fastball is still elite and he could just be easing into spring training as a more established veteran. Duran is set to return as Minnesota's closer, but manager Rocco Baldelli often deploys his bullpen without regard for the save statistic, meaning Griffin Jax and others will get save chances if matchups call for Duran to be used earlier in the game.

The Rangers optioned Pennington to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Pennington was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with lefty Jacob Latz and righty Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 26-year-old Pennington reached the majors for the first time in 2024 and made 16 appearances between the Royals and Rangers while turning in a 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 18 innings.

The Rangers optioned Latz to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Latz was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with left-hander Walter Pennington and right-hander Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 28-year-old Latz made 46 relief appearances for Texas in 2024, logging a 3.71 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 43.2 innings.

The Mets reassigned Waddell to minor-league camp Sunday.

Waddell joined the Mets on a minor-league deal in December following a three-year stint overseas that featured stints stops with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization and Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Though New York's rotation depth has already taken a couple of notable hits this spring due to injuries to Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat), Waddell didn't impress enough over his two Grapefruit League outings (5.40 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and 1:2 K:BB in 3.1 innings) to make a compelling case for an Opening Day gig. Waddell will slot into the rotation at Triple-A Syracuse.

The Mets reassigned Rios to minor-league camp Sunday.

Rios attended the Mets' big-league camp as a non-roster invitee for the second straight spring, but he once again fell short in his bid for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. After seeing MLB action in six straight seasons from 2017 through 2023, Rios spent the entirety of the 2024 campaign in the bullpen at Triple-A Syracuse, logging a 3.30 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 30:22 K:BB over 30 innings.

The Mets reassigned Hartwig to minor-league camp Sunday.

Hartwig is likely to open the 2025 season in the bullpen at Triple-A Syracuse. He previously made 32 relief appearances for the Mets between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, logging a 5.14 ERA and 34:19 K:BB over 42 innings.

The Mets reassigned Garcia to minor-league camp Sunday.

Garcia logged 35.2 big-league innings over parts of four seasons from 2019 through 2023, but he spent the entire 2024 campaign at Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals organization. The 31-year-old righty is likely to report to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2025 season.

The Mets optioned Warren to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

Warren spent the 2024 season in the Giants organization, giving up two earned runs on nine hits and five walks over his 10.2 innings in the big leagues. After being claimed off waivers by the Mets in January, Warren profiles as an organizational depth arm.