MLB Player News

Jansen (lat) said Wednesday that he's targeting the Red Sox's March 15 game against the Twins for his Grapefruit League debut, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Jansen came into camp battling right lat soreness but recently progressed to facing hitters and is a little over a week away from a game appearance. He'll have less than two weeks to prep for Opening Day, but that's not expected to be a problem. Jansen will open the season as Boston's closer.

Dubin (shoulder) resumed playing catch Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubin has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut while he recovers from right shoulder inflammation, but resuming a throwing program this week is the first step toward getting back on the mound in a game setting. The right-hander will likely increase his throwing distance off flat ground over the next several days before advancing to bullpen sessions and then facing hitters in live batting practice. Even if he remains free of setbacks as he builds back up, Dubin is still probably a week or more away from his spring debut.

Kelly is currently sidelined by a left oblique injury, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Kelly's last Grapefruit League appearance came on March 2, although it's not clear whether he was injured then or sometime after. It's possible he will require a stint on the injured list to begin the season, but more should be known in the coming days.

Vasquez tossed 3.2 innings against Cincinnati in a Cactus League contest Wednesday, allowing five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters.

Vasquez came into the outing having tossed two spring outings during which he allowed just one run on two hits and four walks with six punchouts over five frames. Wednesday's start was a step in the wrong direction, as the right hander served up five extra-base hits, including a trio of homers. Vasquez is in the running for one of two spots at the back of the Padres' rotation to begin the campaign, with Jhony Brito, Matt Waldron and Pedro Avila being his primary competition. One thing going for Vasquez is that he had moderate success with the Yankees in his first taste of major-league action last year. Over 11 outings (including five starts), he posted a 2.87 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB across 37.2 innings.

Blanco could begin the season in the rotation, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Blanco was a versatile option for the Astros in 2023, as he made 17 appearances in the majors -- seven of which were starts. He posted a 4.74 ERA paired with an uninspiring 35:21 K:BB across 38 frames as a starter, though Houston may have little choice to turn to him with Justin Verlander (shoulder) set to begin the season on the injured list and J.P. France (shoulder) still limited. Blanco has made three spring training appearances, with his longest outing being three frames. He's also gotten good results, throwing 7.2 scoreless innings while compiling an 8:2 K:BB.

Duffey has been sidelined since Feb. 26 after having surgery to remove a cancerous mole from his back, MLB.com reports. He started light baseball activity Wednesday.

A suspicious mole on Duffey's back was diagnosed as melanoma during an exam early in spring training. Duffey hopes to pitch in games by the end of spring training, but it appears likely he'll begin the season on the injured list. He signed a minor-league deal with the Royals and is attempting to win a spot in the major-league bullpen this spring.

Criswell allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Wednesday's spring start against Minnesota.

The Red Sox cited Criswell as a potential starter in the wake of Lucas Giolito's elbow injury, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. The right-hander made his first spring start Wednesday and threw a pair of 1-2-3 innings before sputtering in the third. Criswell's not overpowering -- his fastball topped out at 89.3 mph Wednesday -- but the Red Sox will need length and possibly a sixth starter early when the team plays 23 games in the first 25 days of the season.

Anderson has been impressive in camp so far and could make a push for an MLB bullpen spot, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Anderson, who spent the last two seasons pitching in Japan, has logged three scoreless innings with four strikeouts so far in Grapefruit League play, touching 97 mph with his fastball. While it's no guarantee that he breaks camp with the big-league club, Anderson could be first in line for a call up when a need arises. The righty most recently appeared in the majors back in 2021, logging 22 innings for the Rangers and posting a solid 3.27 ERA.

Assad tossed two scoreless innings in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Assad entered the game having allowed seven runs (six earned) across his first 3.1 innings this spring, so this was a step in the right direction. After serving as a valuable swingman last season, the righty is in the mix to start for the Cubs on a more regular basis in 2024. He may need to string together a few more good outings in camp to beat out Jordan Wicks for a rotation spot.

Pagan (hernia) has yet to pitch in a Cactus League game, but the Reds haven't yet ruled him out for Opening Day, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The Reds have four of their primary relievers not pitching in games right now -- Pagan, Sam Moll (shoulder), Alex Young (back) and Ian Gibaut (forearm).