MLB Player News

Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Wednesday that Romano (elbow) will begin the season on the injured list, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The skipper had indicated Monday that an IL stint for Romano was a strong possibility, and now he's confirmed it. The good news is Romano seems to be on the mend and the hope is that he will be ready to resume throwing off a mound next week. With Erik Swanson (forearm) also out, Chad Green, Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza are in the mix for early-season saves in Toronto's bullpen.

The Blue Jays optioned Pop to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.

Toronto demoted Pop and Yariel Rodriguez one day before its season opener at Tampa Bay, likely signaling that Wes Parsons and Nate Pearson have secured the final spots in the club's Opening Day bullpen. Pop, who owns a 3.94 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 107.1 innings over parts of three seasons in the majors, will likely be up with Toronto at some point in 2024, but he'll likely be ticketed for a low-leverage role out of the bullpen whenever he's summoned from Triple-A.

The Astros informed Mushinski on Wednesday that he'll be included on the Opening Day roster, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Mushinski is likely to be one of three lefties in the Houston bullpen along with closer Josh Hader and middle reliever Bennett Sousa. The 28-year-old southpaw owns a 4.91 ERA over 22 career big-league frames, but Mushinski looked sharper during Grapefruit League play this spring, tossing nine scoreless innings while striking out 10 and working around five hits and five walks.

Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Blanco will open the season in the Astros' rotation, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Espada gave Blanco the good news in the dugout Tuesday after the pitcher fanned 10 over 4.1 innings in an exhibition start against Triple-A Sugar Land. While Blanco is in line to receive at least a couple starts, his hold on a rotation spot is tenuous with Justin Verlander (shoulder) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) on the mend.

Stephens elected free agency Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Stephens appeared in position to win a spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster as spring training neared its conclusion, but he became expendable when the club was able to bring aboard veteran right-hander Jesse Chavez on a one-year deal. After being moved off the 40-man roster and clearing waivers, Stephens could have stuck in Atlanta's organization and reported to Triple-A Gwinnett, but he'll instead test his options on the open market. Stephens performed reasonably well in Grapefruit League play, striking out 11 and allowing four earned runs over 12 innings while giving up 13 hits and issuing five walks.

The Marlins acquired Smith from the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations and selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Smith exercised the upward mobility clause in his minor-league deal with Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old will appear in the majors for the first time since 2021, assuming he gets into a game. Smith holds a career 6.03 ERA over 102 appearances (13 starts) across parts of five major-league seasons. He figures to operate in long relief in Miami.

Durate will travel with the Twins for their opening series at Kansas City and is likely to be added to the active roster with Josh Staumont suffering a knee injury, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Duarte is not on the 40-man roster, so the Twins will need to make a move to add him to the active roster. Duarte has had a good spring with a 2.92 ERA and a 12:0 K:BB ratio in 12.1 innings. He'd likely be used in low-leverage situations initially.

Zuniga earned the final bullpen spot on the Angels' roster, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Zuniga gave up seven earned runs over 9.2 innings during Cactus League play, but he will remain in the majors to begin his first season with the Angels. The right-hander spent most of last season with the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, accumulating a 7.63 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across 30.2 frames. His command issues will almost certainly cause him to pitch exclusively in low-leverage situations.

Martin (groin) struck out one over a scoreless inning in Tuesday's exhibition game against Texas.

Martin wrestled with a groin injury and made just his third appearance of spring training, with all coming within the last week. The Red Sox are comfortable with him being ready for Opening Day despite having worked just 2.1 innings, per Drew Davison of MLB.com. He's expected to be the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.

Miller recorded a 2.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 6.2 innings this spring and is set for an Opening Day bullpen role in Detroit.

Miller didn't see a ton of work this spring, though he was effective. The veteran righty joined the Tigers on a one-year, $3 million contract in December, and he should slot into a fairly high-leverage role. While Alex Lange is set to close games for now, he struggled with command in 2023, meaning that Miller could emerge as an option for saves at some point if he pitches well. At the very least, he should be a decent source of holds and solid ratios.