MLB Player News

Foley (undisclosed) struck out three and allowed one hit over a scoreless inning of relief Friday in the Tigers' 6-1 win over Atlanta in Grapefruit League play.

Foley was back in action for his fourth appearance of the spring and his first since March 7 after he had been shut down for a brief period with what manager A.J. Hinch termed as "mid-camp fatigue." The right-hander had struggled over his first three outings, but the time off appeared to do him some good, as he looked sharp in his return to the mound Friday. Foley should be positioned to open the upcoming season as one of the top setup options in front of closer Alex Lange.

Espino allowed three runs on six hits over four innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out four without walking a batter.

The 37-year-old right-hander built up to 65 pitches (47 strikes) as the Blue Jays keep their options open for the rotation with both Kevin Gausman (shoulder) and Alek Manoah (shoulder) expected to miss the start of the season. Espino's posted an impressive 16:2 K:BB through 12 innings this spring, but he's served up three homers, including a two-run shot by Giancarlo Stanton in the third inning Saturday. Bowden Francis seems locked into one of the available rotation spots, leaving Mitch White as Espino's main competition for the other.

Floro (shoulder) gave up one earned run on two hits over one inning of relief Saturday in the Nationals' 8-5 loss to the Cardinals in Grapefruit League play.

Floro was finally cleared to make his spring debut Saturday after he was shut down in late February shortly after reporting to camp when he experienced shoulder tightness. He was able to resume throwing a few days later, and after checking out fine during a recent live batting practice session, Floro received the green light to pitch in games. Floro will likely need only a few more Grapefruit League appearances to get himself ready for Opening Day, when he's expected to fill a middle-innings role out of the Washington bullpen.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Winckowski will begin the season working out of the bullpen, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The 25-year-old was attempting to secure a spot in Boston's Opening Day rotation and pitched well this spring with just one run allowed over 7.2 innings, but the club apparently feels he's better suited to help the big club as a bullpen piece. Winckowski pitched well in that role last season, as he recorded three saves and 18 holds with a 2.88 ERA in 60 appearances.

Matzek (side) struck out two over a scoreless inning Thursday in Atlanta's 3-1 loss to the Rays in Grapefruit League play.

Matzek's appearance was his first since March 5 after he was briefly shut down after experiencing soreness along the left side of his rib cage. The southpaw checked out fine in his return to the hill and remains in the mix for a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day bullpen. After missing the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Matzek has fared well this spring with five strikeouts over 3.2 scoreless innings across four appearances.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said Saturday that Bradford will begin the season in the starting rotation, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The 26-year-old lefty entered camp as the favorite to open the season as Texas' No. 5 starter, and his 2.45 ERA and 9:2 K:BB over 11 spring innings likely helped him secure the role. Bradford worked as a swingman as a rookie last season and had a 5.30 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:12 K:BB across 20 outings (eight starts) overall, though he pitched much better in his 12 relief outings with a 2.82 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP in 22.1 frames.

Otto (shoulder) had a setback early in spring camp and is expected to open the regular season on the injured list, per MLB.com.

Otto dealt with a shoulder injury last season but was expected to be among the competitors for a rotation spot for San Diego this spring. However, the right-hander suffered a setback early in camp and didn't pitch at all in Cactus League play. Manager Mike Shildt indicated March 9 that Otto is getting closer to playing catch and resuming baseball activity, but even if that happens soon, the hurler won't be ready for game action by the opening of the campaign.

Matsui struck out two batters and allowed one hit in a scoreless inning against Oakland in San Diego's Cactus League finale Wednesday.

Prior to Wednesday's outing, Matsui had been sidelined from game action since late February due to back inflammation. He resumed throwing in early March and looked good in his return to Cactus League play Wednesday, and he was included on the Padres' 31-man travel roster to Korea for the season-opening set against the Dodgers that begins Wednesday. Per MLB.com, Matsui is expected to be ready for the Seoul Series, though he may be working in a setup role behind presumed closer Robert Suarez.

After yielding five earned runs and five walks over his initial 1.1 innings this spring, Joyce has since allowed two earned runs and two walks over his subsequent six frames.

Joyce is expected to be part of the Angels' bullpen on Opening Day, but there may have been some initial doubt about his readiness after he struggled to harness his control in the early portions of Cactus League play. The flamethrower has since settled down, with his most recent outing being a scoreless one-inning appearance against the Cubs on Saturday. Joyce's improved results have coincided with a lowering of his strikeout rate -- over his past five frames, he's struck out a modest three batters. Though he consistently throws a triple-digit fastball, these results may suggest that the key to Joyce's success in the majors may be him learning how to use his impressive heater to generate poor contact rather than always relying on punching batters out.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Hurt has a "very good possibility" of being a relief option for the Dodgers during the season-opening series against the Padres in South Korea, which begins Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old has prepped as a starter during spring training and is still viewed as one long term, but he could help Los Angeles in relief to begin the season. Hurt's inclusion on the roster for South Korea doesn't necessarily mean he'll retain that spot once the Dodgers return stateside, but it could give him a chance to show why he should stick in the majors.