MLB Player News

Kranick has posted a 7:0 K:BB over 6.1 scoreless innings through his first three Grapefruit League appearances, and Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that Kranick could be putting himself into position to win a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen.

The 27-year-old righty appeared to be on the outside looking in for a spot on the 26-man roster, but the Mets waived Sean Reid-Foley on Tuesday, and neither Dedniel Nunez (elbow) nor A.J. Minter (hip) are guaranteed to be ready for Opening Day. Kranick hit 98 mph with his fastball out of the bullpen at Triple-A Syracuse last year, and his sweeper has drawn raves from scouts. He could provide New York with a long-relief option to begin the campaign.

Uribe (knee) will make his Cactus League debut Wednesday against the White Sox, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Uribe has been brought along slowly in Brewers camp after surgery last July to repair a lateral meniscus tear. The 24-year-old has the stuff to fill a high-leverage role in the Milwaukee bullpen, but Uribe struggled during his stint in the majors last season and might go to Triple-A Nashville for a while to make up for lost time.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Phillips (shoulder) could be active by the first or second week of April, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Phillips has been slow-played this spring as he comes back from a right shoulder injury, but Roberts was impressed with how the reliever looked during his most recent bullpen session. While a stint on the injured list is in the offing, Phillips' absence might be brief. The former closer could be looking at more of a middle-relief role this season as part of a loaded Dodgers bullpen.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy mentioned Church when asked recently about potential candidates at closer, Jack Magruder of MLB.com reports.

The top two candidates to close for Texas look to be Chris Martin and Robert Garcia, but Bochy's willingness to throw Church's name into the mix is notable. The skipper said he sees Church as being a closer "sometime down the road here" and "it could be when we break camp." Church missed much of the 2024 season with a right shoulder strain, but he's healthy now and has been clocked in the upper 90s this spring, having allowed two runs with a 5:1 K:BB in three Cactus League innings.

La Sorsa (illness) struck out two batters in a perfect inning of relief in Monday's 5-4 win over the Brewers in Cactus League play.

La Sorsa wasn't available for the start of spring training while recovering from an illness, which put him behind the other relievers competing for a spot in the Reds' Opening Day bullpen. After moving past the ailment and completing his throwing progression, La Sorsa finally got the chance to make his Cactus League debut earlier this week and came through with an impressive outing. The southpaw is attending camp as a non-roster invitee, so he'll likely need to string together a few more strong performances to build a more serious case for a bullpen job with the Reds.

Canterino is out indefinitely after suffering a right shoulder injury which an MRI showed to be a strain, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Canterino hasn't pitched in any of the previous two seasons, as he was sidelined for all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery and then suffered a rotator cuff strain last spring. The Twins had planned to move him to the bullpen to reduce the workload on his arm and shoulder, but it sounds like this could be another significant setback.

The Giants reassigned Small to minor-league camp Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Small spent most of last season on the Giants' 60-day injured list while recovering from a right oblique strain, and once he was finally activated from the IL in mid-August, he was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. He struggled to a 6.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in nine innings with Sacramento before the Giants non-tendered him in November, only to re-sign him less than a month later on a minor-league deal. Small has enjoyed a healthy spring training but will head back to Sacramento to begin the 2025 season after falling short in his bid for a spot in the Giants' Opening Day bullpen.

The Giants reassigned Burgos to minor-league camp Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The lefty reliever reached the big leagues for the first time last June, giving up one earned run on three hits and one walk in one inning before the Giants booted him off the 40-man roster. He re-signed with the Giants on a minor-league deal over the winter and is expected to serve as bullpen depth at Triple-A Sacramento for the majority of the upcoming season.

Miller (illness) will return to Cactus League action Friday against the Reds, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Miller missed time earlier in camp after experiencing numbness in his throwing hand, but he overcame that issue before falling ill last week due to an elevated fever. He seems to be feeling healthy again, however, and is closing in on making his Cactus League debut. The left-handed reliever collected a 3.88 ERA and 87:38 K:BB across 67.1 innings for the Giants in 2024.

Stewart (shoulder) is scheduled to appear in relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Stewart finished the 2024 season on the injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last August, but he seems to be trending toward being ready for Opening Day. He'll make his spring debut Wednesday, and if all goes smoothly in his subsequent Grapefruit League appearances, he'll likely break camp as a member of the Minnesota bullpen. Stewart turned in a 5.17 ERA and 1.47 WHIP while striking out 20 batters over 15.2 innings across his 16 appearances last season before being shelved with the injury.