MLB Player News

Payamps could receive a large share of Milwaukee's save opportunities to begin the season with Devin Williams (back) set to miss the next three months, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Two stress fractures in Williams' back will keep him sidelined until June, opening the door for Payamps to step in as the Brewers' closer. Payamps turned in impressive numbers as a setup man during his first season in Milwaukee, putting up a 2.55 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 70.2 innings while registering three saves and 28 holds. However, he began to fall apart near the end of the season, surrendering seven runs (six earned) over 9.1 frames after Sept. 1. Payamps' struggles have followed him into spring training, and it's possible the Brewers decide to split save opportunities between Payamps and promising young flamethrower Abner Uribe.

Williams was diagnosed with two stress fractures in his back Wednesday and will miss approximately three months, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Williams had pitched through back soreness toward the end of last season, and he saw a back specialist Wednesday after the soreness returned during spring training. Williams will be shut down from throwing for six weeks before beginning a six-week rehab program, lining him up to return sometime during June. Losing Williams is a huge blow to the Brewers after the 29-year-old closer posted a 1.53 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 2023 while racking up 87 strikeouts across 58.2 innings and tallying 36 saves en route to winning his second NL Reliever of the Year Award. It's unclear who will replace Williams as Milwaukee's primary closer to begin the season, but Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe are likely candidates.

Diaz will be away from the Mets' camp for several days to be with his wife, who is expected to give birth within the next week, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Diaz's absence from camp shouldn't affect his availability for Opening Day. After missing the entire 2023 season upon rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee during the World Baseball Classic last spring, the 29-year-old made his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Marlins and looked as sharp as ever, as he struck out the side in a perfect inning.

Wesneski tossed three scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Guardians. He allowed two hits and struck out three.

Wesneski started his spring slate allowing seven runs over three innings in his first two appearances. However, in two outings since then, the righty has allowed just one run across six innings. Wesneski is battling for a spot in the rotation, and with Jameson Taillon (back) possibly set to miss some time early in the season, the former may be able to climb up the depth chart temporarily.

The Padres traded Wilson, Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala and Jairo Iriarte to the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for Dylan Cease, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Wilson logged a 3.91 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 53 innings last season with the Padres, though he spent the final month of the year on the IL due to left hip inflammation. His hip doesn't appear to be an issue heading into this season, however, as he's pitched six scoreless innings so far during spring training while striking out 10 batters and walking seven. Wilson will immediately become one of the more reliable arms in Chicago's bullpen and could potentially be in the mix for save opportunities if he starts strong in 2024.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Treinen (chest) will travel with the Dodgers to South Korea for their season-opening series against the Padres next week, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Roberts added that he expects Treinen to be included on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster. Treinen threw 15-to-20 pitches during a bullpen session Wednesday and seemed encouraged by his performance. The Dodgers don't play any more Cactus League games before their matchup against San Diego, so Treinen may still need to throw a simulated game before making his first regular-season appearance since 2022, but he at least appears to be trending in the right direction since suffering a bruised lung last weekend.

Loaisiga (elbow) will make his Grapefruit League debut Thursday against the Red Sox, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Loaisiga hasn't been injured, but the Yankees have simply elected to bring him along slowly this spring after he ended last season on the injured list with a right elbow injury. There are just two weeks from the date of Loaisiga's first spring appearance and Opening Day, but the Yankees haven't offered any indication that the right-handed reliever is in danger of missing out on a roster spot.

Rucker hasn't made a Grapefruit League appearance since March 1 due to numbness in his right middle finger, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The reliever has traveled back to Philadelphia in order to have his finger examined. A stint on the injured list to begin the season would certainly appear to be possible, but more will be known after he's evaluated further.

Covey (shoulder) will begin this season on the injured list, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Covey has missed much of camp with a right shoulder injury and doesn't appear to have made much progress. It's not clear at this point how long he might be sidelined. Covey could fill a long-relief role for the Phillies once healthy, though he isn't guaranteed to be included on the big-league roster.

The Mariners reassigned Snead to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Snead logged 11.2 innings over 15 appearances at the big-league level with Oakland in 2023, but he was never seen as a likely candidate to break camp with a spot in the Seattle bullpen. The 29-year-old southpaw will likely need to string together several quality appearances at Triple-A Tacoma to begin the season before he receives consideration for a promotion to Seattle.