MLB Player News

Akin threw one scoreless inning in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Minnesota, allowing one walk while striking out one and picking up a hold.

Akin has now made three appearances this spring, carrying a solid 3.00 ERA and 0.67 WHIP with four strikeouts over three frames. After sporting a 3.32 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with a 97:19 K:BB across 78.2 innings in 2024, the 29-year-old left-hander is set to begin the year out of Baltimore's bullpen and should work primarily as a middle reliever. Although he could receive the occasional save opportunity while the Orioles manage closer Felix Bautista's (elbow) workload to begin the season, Akin doesn't open 2025 with much fantasy appeal.

Kittredge underwent an MRI on his left knee Wednesday and will receive multiple opinions, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Kittredge developed soreness in the knee over the weekend and it has continued to linger. The veteran reliever has made one appearance this spring and should have time to prep for Opening Day if he receives good news on the knee, but until then his status is in question.

The Brewers placed Hall (lat) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Jose Quintana, whose signing was officially announced Wednesday. Hall entered Brewers camp with a left lat strain, and while he's expected to resume playing catch by the end of this week, it's going to be a slow build-up process for the left-hander. He won't be eligible to return until late May.

Topa was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League appearance against the Orioles with an apparent injury, Bobby Nightengale of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Topa threw only seven pitches in the outing, and he surrendered a solo home run while showing diminished velocity. The reliever made just three appearances for the Twins in 2024 while dealing with knee and elbow problems. His status should be updated by the club in the near future.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Wednesday that the hope is Gravemen (back) will be ready to throw a bullpen session this weekend, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Graveman had to undergo testing after developing some mid-back tightness, but imaging came back clean and he's on the mend. He would seem to be at least a week or so from his Cactus League debut, so Graveman could be cutting it close in regards to Opening Day.

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.