MLB Player News

The Pirates claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies on Monday, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Lawrence posted a 6.49 ERA and saw his strikeout rate dip to just 16.1 percent and sinker velocity fall to 94.6 mph on average in 2024. However, he had an above-average 24.4 percent strikeout rate from 2022 to 2023 and his sweeper has been a very effective pitch at times. Lawrence is under team control through 2028 and the Pirates felt he was worth a roll of the dice.

Clase is scheduled to make his first Cactus League appearance Monday versus the Mariners, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Clase's delayed addition to the Guardians' spring pitching schedule isn't due to an injury; instead, the coaching staff is likely prioritizing getting innings for rotation candidates as well as pitchers who are competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Despite coming off a rough postseason in which he converted two of three save chances and gave up eight earned runs over eight innings, Clase is locked in as Cleveland's closer and is solidified as an upper-tier fantasy option coming off three straight seasons of least 40 saves. For what he lacks his elite strikeout stuff (career 24.8 K%), Clase makes up for it by limiting walks (career 4.8 BB%) and leaning heavily on his cutter and slider to induce plenty of weak contact (career 60.7 percent groundball rate).

Miami reassigned Tarnok (ankle) to minor-league camp Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Tarnok had been attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he never made a serious run for a spot on Miami's season-opening roster after injuring his left ankle last week. Once healthy, the right-hander will likely serve as a swingman for Triple-A Jacksonville.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Dominguez could see save opportunities early on in the season on days Felix Bautista (elbow) is unavailable, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista won't pitch back-to-back days or throw more than one inning at a time initially in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. That opens the door to save chances for others, with Gregory Soto and Andrew Kittredge (knee) being named along with Dominguez by Hyde in what will be a "mix and match" situation. Dominguez served as the Orioles' primary closer down the stretch last season, going 10-for-11 in regular-season save chances after being acquired at the trade deadline.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde named Soto as an option to see save chance early in the season on days Felix Bautista (elbow) is unavailable, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista will not be allowed to appear in back-to-back games or pitch more than one inning at a time for a while as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, and Hyde said he'll "mix and match" at closer those days. The skipper named Andrew Kittredge (knee) and Seranthony Dominguez in addition to Soto as relievers who could see save opportunities when Bautista is off limits.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Kittredge (knee) is an option to see save chances early in the season on days Felix Bautista (elbow) is unavailable, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista's usage will be limited in the first half as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, as he won't pitch back-to-back days or go more than one inning. Hyde also listed Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez as fill-in closer options in what he expects to be a "mix and match" situation. Kittredge is still getting treatment as he recovers from left knee soreness, but he's not expected to be out long.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Bautista (elbow) -- who will make his Grapefruit League debut Monday versus the Red Sox -- won't pitch back-to-back days or cover more than one inning early on in the season, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista projects to open the season as the Orioles' closer, barring any setbacks during his appearances in the spring as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in October 2023. However, for occasions in which Bautista is unavailable, Hyde said he would "mix and match" at closer those days, with the manager naming Andrew Kittredge (knee), Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez as options to fill in. Hyde noted that he'll apply the cautious usage of Bautista "especially in the first half." The Orioles don't seem to have a hard deadline for when the restrictions on Bautista will be lifted, as it likely just depends on how the pitcher looks and is bouncing back from outings.

Faucher has tossed three scoreless innings across his three Grapefruit League appearances, allowing one hit and hitting another batter while striking out two.

Though the sample size is small, Faucher's excellence thus far in spring could give him an early leg up on emerging as the Marlins' preferred option at closer heading into Opening Day. While his ratios over his 53 total appearances with Miami in 2024 aren't eye-popping (3.19 ERA, 1.40 WHIP), he shined after the All-Star break with a 2.75 ERA (2.10 FIP) and 21.2 K-BB% before spending most of September on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement. Now healthy again, Faucher has resembled the dominant reliever he was over his final two months of the 2024 campaign.

Cronin (knee) is scheduled to make his second appearance of Grapefruit League play Monday versus the Astros, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

In his first season with Miami in 2024, Cronin submitted a 4.35 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 72:25 K:BB across 70.1 innings over 56 relief appearances, but he didn't pitch in the final week of the campaign after landing on the injured list due to left knee tendinitis. The injury doesn't seem to have delayed him in spring training, but Cronin may need to close camp on a high note to ensure he clinches a spot in Miami's Opening Day bullpen. He lacked command in his first spring outing Thursday against St. Louis, recording two outs while allowing two earned runs on two hits while also hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

Neris signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Monday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Neris served as the Cubs' closer for most of 2024, logging 18 saves in 59.1 innings. However, he'll settle for a minor-league deal after logging a 1.40 WHIP and 13.8 K-BB% -- his worst such marks since the 2020 season. Neris could make the big club in a mid-leverage role.