MLB Player News

Martinez's next Cactus League appearance has been pushed back from Thursday to Saturday because of a rib injury, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Reds manager David Bell said that Martinez "may have a rib out of place," but the right-hander was still able to play long-toss Thursday and will start in a couple days. At this point, it doesn't sound like an injury to be concerned about. Martinez has allowed one unearned run with a 7:1 K:BB over five innings this spring. He's expected to open the season in Cincinnati's rotation.

Francis kept rolling Thursday in his Grapefruit League outing versus the Twins, yielding just one unearned run over six innings. He struck out two.

The Twins plated a single run in the third inning following an Eduardo Escobar error, but that's the only tally they managed on the day. Francis needed only 67 pitches to get through his six frames, permitting just four singles and no walks. The right-hander lowered his spring ERA to 1.93, and he holds a 12:2 K:BB over 14 innings. With Alek Manoah (shoulder) all but certain to open the season on the injured list, Francis appears close to locking up the fifth spot in Toronto's rotation, if he hasn't done so already.

Llovera cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma.

After acquiring Llovera from the Red Sox in January via waiver claim, he'll remain in the Mariners organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Llovera turned in a 4.89 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 35 innings between the Giants and Red Sox last season, and he could potentially return to the majors in 2024 if Seattle runs into depth issues over the course of the season.

Megill, Abner Uribe and Joel Payamps "seem to be the most obvious" candidates to replace the injured Devin Williams (back) as the Brewers' closer, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. However, manager Pat Murphy does not plan to name a closer anytime soon.

When asked Thursday about having a defined closer, Murphy replied, "I don't think that's important, especially not now." The skipper added that he's open to eventually naming a closer if a clear candidate emerges, but heading into the season it sounds like Murphy plans to use his high-leverage options at different points in the game, depending on the situation. Payamps, Uribe and Megill are all worthy of fantasy roster consideration, probably in that order of preference. Williams is expected to be sidelined for about three months with two stress fractures in his back, so there will be plenty of saves available in Milwaukee's bullpen during the first half.

The Astros optioned Coleman to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Coleman struggled heavily in the majors last season, posting an 8.84 ERA and 2.02 WHIP across 18.1 innings with the Royals. After being traded to Houston in December, Coleman's troubles have continued to plague him in spring training, and he will likely remain in Triple-A until a noticeable improvement is made on the mound.

Manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that Ferrer is dealing with a lat injury, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Ferrer has pitched in just one exhibition game over the past two weeks, and his injured lat explains why. It's unclear when Ferrer will be ready to get back to making consistent appearances, but Martinez said the team will know more in a couple of days.

Brebbia (calf) will face hitters again Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Brebbia progressed to facing hitters Wednesday, and the White Sox will have him throw another round of batting practice as he continues working his way back from a right calf strain. The White Sox are still hopeful Brebbia will be available for Opening Day, though pitching coach Ethan Katz said Thursday that the 33-year-old right-hander isn't guaranteed to begin the season with the team.

The A's announced Thursday that Felipe will undergo Tommy John surgery, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Felipe suffered a sprained UCL in his right elbow last August and the injury ultimately didn't heal with rest and rehab. The 26-year-old now figures to be sidelined until around midseason of next year.

The Yankees reassigned Underwood to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Underwood, who signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees in December, had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee. The 29-year-old reliever made 20 appearances out of Pittsburgh's bullpen in 2023, ringing up a 5.18 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 24.1 innings. He's likely to begin the upcoming season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Angels optioned Caceres to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Caceras turned in a 4.12 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 54.2 innings across three minor-league levels last season, in addition to appearing in two games with the Halos. The 24-year-old righty put together a solid spring, surrendering one run over five innings while striking out five batters and walking two. If Caceres is able to continue pitching well at Triple-A, he likely won't have to wait long for another promotion to the big-league bullpen.