MLB Player News

Estevez (back) said he threw his "best bullpen" yet in Thursday's session and is scheduled for another Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Estevez has been dealing with mild lower-back tightness, which has prevented him from making a spring training appearance. The expected primary closer for the Royals still has some work to do before he can take the mound in a live game.

Marsh (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Sunday will be the first time Marsh has gone up against a live opponent since arriving at camp with tightness in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old has been able to throw multiple bullpen sessions with no issues, so if his shoulder holds up after a few rounds of live BP, he may be cleared to appear in games before the end of spring training.

The Astros list Santa (undisclosed) on the roster for their March 14 Spring Breakout game against Nationals prospects, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.

Santa seems to be healthy again after he finished the 2024 season on Double-A Corpus Christi's injured list. The 21-year-old righty turned in an 8.69 ERA and 2.14 WHIP while striking out 16 and walking 16 over 19.2 innings for Corpus Christi before being shut down in late August.

Blalock could make Colorado's Opening Day roster as a starter or long reliever, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Blalock made his big-league debut with the Brewers and Rockies in 2024, throwing 30.2 innings, primarily as a starter. He struggled to a 5.87 ERA and 1.79 WHIP paired with a 20:20 K:BB. However, Blalock has impressed this spring, allowing only two earned runs with a 10:1 K:BB across nine frames. Saunders notes that Blalock's most likely role is in long relief, though he'd be an option for the rotation if Austin Gomber (shoulder) remains sidelined.

The Padres reassigned Wendelken to minor-league camp Thursday.

Wendelken had made 144 big-league appearances over stops with the Athletics and Diamondbacks from 2016 through 2022 before heading overseas and spending the last two seasons in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The 31-year-old right-hander returned stateside and inked a minor-league deal with the Padres over the winter, and after giving up five earned runs in 1.2 innings over his two Cactus League appearances, he was unable to win a spot in San Diego's Opening Day bullpen. Unless the Padres allow him to enter free agency, Wendelken will likely begin the upcoming season at Triple-A El Paso.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that Topa was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles due to right shoulder tightness, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Topa served up a home run and tossed just seven pitches before meeting with a trainer on the mound and then getting pulled from the contest. Baldelli said Topa's shoulder will be further evaluated Thursday, and while the skipper is hopeful that the right-hander isn't dealing with anything overly serious, it could affect his availability for Opening Day. The 33-year-old has had rotten luck on the injury front during his career, having missed most of the 2024 season due to torn patella tendon in his right knee and having previously required a flexor tendon surgery and two Tommy John surgeries for his elbow.

King tossed two scoreless and hitless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League contest against Colorado, allowing two walks while striking out three batters.

King didn't have great control in the outing -- only 17 of his 35 pitches were strikes -- but he didn't allow any hits and got six whiffs on the 11 swings against him. The right-hander is coming off a breakout 2024 campaign (his first with the Padres and as a full-time starter) during which he posted a 2.95 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 201:63 K:BB over 173.2 regular-season innings. King and Dylan Cease are expected to work as San Diego's top hurlers in 2025.

Marsh (shoulder) recently threw a bullpen session and said he felt great, the Kansas City Star reports.

Marsh first experienced tightness in his right shoulder during his offseason throwing program and has been eased into spring training action. He's thrown several bullpen sessions in the past week, but it's not clear when he'll appear in a spring training game. Marsh made 25 regular-season starts for the Royals last season, producing a 9-9 record with a 4.53 ERA and 123:39 K:BB ratio over 129 innings.

Munoz hurled a scoreless inning in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Royals, giving up one hit while striking out two.

Munoz appeared to be sharper Wednesday, considering he surrendered one run on two hits during his first appearance earlier this spring. The hard-throwing right-hander was a first-time All-Star in 2024 while operating as Seattle's primary closer, and the Mariners solidified his status this past offseason by letting Yimi Garcia go and not making any noteworthy additions to the bullpen. Munoz has dominant stuff, as evidenced by his 33.2 percent strikeout rate a year ago, but he may need to improve a bit on his 11.2 percent walk rate to avoid having his job security threatened atop the bullpen pecking order.

Strahm recorded two outs in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, giving up four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one.

While Jordan Romano is the early favorite for saves after signing in December, the situation isn't fully settled given Philadelphia's propensity to mix-and-match the ninth inning. Strahm has now allowed six runs in 1.2 frames this spring, which isn't going to help his cause as a candidate for ninth-inning work as he looks to cement his status as Philadelphia's top left-handed bullpen option over Jose Alvarado. Strahm is still likely to begin the campaign as a high-leverage arm after boasting a 1.87 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 79:11 K:BB over 62.2 frames a year ago, and he could be worth a late-round flier given his strikeout upside, especially in leagues that count holds.