MLB Player News

Jansen (back) is available to pitch Monday against the Athletics, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Jansen's availability was in question leading up to Monday's contest due to back tightness, but skipper Alex Cora noted pregame that the right-hander had a good day Sunday and felt good again Monday, so he'll be ready to roll if called upon. Jansen's first appearance of the 2024 season took place Thursday against the Mariners, picking up the save after fanning two and walking one over a scoreless inning.

Graterol (shoulder) will throw off a mound Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Graterol continues to make progress in his recovery from right shoulder inflammation, and he's in line to take another important step Tuesday. The team will likely re-evaluate the right-hander Wednesday to ensure he bounces back from his throwing session before determining his next hurdle.

The Yankees have slowed Kahnle's (shoulder) throwing program after he struggled to bounce back from his last live session, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Kahnle hasn't been shut down from throwing, which is a good sign, but the club wants to make sure it doesn't push him too hard in his recovery. The training staff has yet to establish a date for the right-hander's rehab assignment.

Weems wasn't available to pitch Monday due to illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Weems tossed a scoreless frame Saturday against the Reds but was unavailable in a close ballgame Monday afternoon. He'll be considered day-to-day until further notice. Matt Barnes and Robert Garcia were turned to in a high-leverage situation Monday and could continue to see chances until Weems is back at full strength.

Imanaga (1-0) tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win Monday against the Rockies. He allowed two hits and struck out nine.

Making his first regular-season start in the majors, Imanaga looked right at home as he cruised through the Colorado lineup on 92 pitches and didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning. The lefty, who came over from Japan in the offseason on a four-year, $53 million deal, could be relied on even more heavily in the early going with Justin Steele (hamstring) likely out until May. The early indication is that Imanaga is up to the task and could be a strong fantasy asset. He'll look to build on his promising debut in his next start, which is tentatively set for Sunday against the Dodgers, a decidedly tougher opponent.

O'Brien (forearm) underwent an MRI on his right flexor tendon Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

O'Brien does not have any structural damage in his right forearm according to manager Oliver Marmol, though he will be shut down for a time being before returning to throwing down the road. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, but it sounds like he'll likely miss more than the minimum time. For the time being, southpaw John King was called up Sunday to replace O'Brien in the Cardinals' bullpen.

Yarbrough is expected to serve as the bulk reliever Tuesday against the Giants, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers will elect to give the starting rotation an extra day off early in the season, and Yarbrough will be relied on to eat up innings as part of a bullpen game. The club has yet to announce who will open the contest. Yarbrough is off to a strong start to the 2024 campaign, surrendering one unearned run over 4.2 frames while fanning two and walking two.

Crismatt was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Crismatt earned the win after two scoreless relief innings in Sunday's victory over the Cardinals and his reward is being jettisoned from the 40-man roster. Dinelson Lamet will replace him in the bullpen.

Swanson (forearm) threw another bullpen session Monday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Swanson opened the season on the 15-day injured list due to forearm tightness. He threw off the mound Saturday, and Blue Jays manager John Schneider noted that Monday's follow-up session went well. Swanson appears to be trending towards a minimum stay on the injured list.

Bazardo (shoulder) has begun throwing bullpen sessions, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Bazardo has been dealing with a right rotator cuff strain since the beginning of spring training but is finally showing some progress. He will need to throw handful of bullpen sessions and face hitters before being cleared for a rehab assignment.