MLB Player News

Coulombe has allowed one run on four hits over three innings in Grapefruit League play this spring.

Coulombe is one of the safer bets to earn a bullpen spot for the Orioles this spring. He is arguably the top left-hander in the bullpen and figures to fill a setup role after posting a 2.81 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 58:12 K:BB over 51.1 innings in similar usage last season. He also had two saves and 21 holds in his first year with the Orioles.

Perez has allowed five runs over three innings across his first three Grapefruit League appearances.

Perez saw a reduced role in 2023, posting a 3.54 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 44:27 K:BB over 53.1 innings while adding 11 holds and three saves. He had 24 holds as a setup man in 2022. Perez can't afford a poor spring -- competition is fierce in the Orioles' bullpen with up to a dozen pitchers in contention for seven or eight major-league roster spots. Perez's track record alone isn't enough for him to rely on being a lock if he continues to struggle.

Pivetta struck out one over two hitless and scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rays.

Pivetta, who made his first Grapefruit League start, is on pace to open the 2024 season in the rotation. The right-hander spent the beginning of 2023 as a starter then moved to the bullpen, where he thrived to the point the Red Sox had him finish the season in the rotation. He had a 2.37 ERA with 38 strikeouts over five September starts.

Montas allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out one over 2.2 innings in Sunday's spring start against the Royals.

Montas, who shined with two perfect innings in his Cactus League debut, allowed soft contact in the first two innings but managed to prevent runs. The third inning, however, was different. The Royals scored five runs during the frame, including a pair of home runs off Montas. "I didn't really have my fastball command today. It was inconsistent," Montas told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "The difference for any pitcher is fastball command." Reds manager David Bell referred to the pitcher's tiring in the third inning as a "normal part of the build up."

Bednar (lat) is currently shut down from throwing but hopes to be back soon, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Bednar is dealing with some tightness in his right lat but seems optimistic he won't need a long-term absence. Injury optimism from players should be taken with a grain of salt, of course, and those that have already rostered Bednar in fantasy leagues might want to consider late-round insurance of Aroldis Chapman just in case.

Jarvis allowed five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning in Sunday's spring game against the Brewers.

Jarvis, who was scheduled to throw the fifth and sixth innings, but was unable to complete either frame, per Michael McDermott of SI.com. The right-hander threw 47 pitches, 29 for strikes. "You make some middle-middle mistakes, you're going to get banged around," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "Hopefully he starts to command the baseball a little bit better and work through some innings without having that pitch count climb." If Jarvis, who came up through the minors as a starter, were to make the roster, it would be as a multi-inning reliever. Through two appearances, he's allowed eight runs on seven hits and three walks over two innings.

Duran threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Sunday's Grapefruit League tie with Tampa Bay. He bounced back after giving up four earned runs over two-thirds of an inning in his first spring outing.

Duran is healthy as spring begins and is entrenched as Minnesota's closer. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has a history of using his bullpen in disregard of the save rule, but he mostly used Duran in a traditional closer role last year. For this spring there's no sign that Baldelli plans any change even though the Twins may have the deepest setup crew in recent memory.

Vanasco was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Vanasco pitched well with the Dodgers this spring, tossing three scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out two batters over three appearances. The 25-year-old will now have to wait for his next shot to return to the major-league roster, and his performance in Cactus League play certainly helps.

Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Harris has appeared in two games with the Athletics this spring, pitching four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and walking two while striking out six batters. The 27-year-old will look to impress in Las Vegas in order to earn a shot with Oakland's major-league roster down the road.

Dominguez is focusing on his mindset this spring in an effort to stop overthinking as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season, Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Dominguez's ERA rose from 3.00 in 2022 to 3.78 in 2023, with his 4.90 xFIP suggesting that things could easily have been a good deal worse. Of particular concern is Dominguez's strikeout rate, which dropped from 29.5 percent to 21.4 percent. Per Coffey's report, the righty isn't overhauling his delivery or pitch mix this winter, instead focusing on, "trying to manage his delivery less now, rather than thinking about it when he's halfway down the mound." Whether or not that helps Dominguez get back to peak form, something which is needed if he's to carve out save chances in a deep Phillies bullpen, remains to be seen.