MLB Player News

Stephenson has been dealing with right shoulder soreness but will play catch Wednesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Stephenson has yet to make a Cactus League appearance, and Fletcher's report helps clarify why the veteran reliever hasn't debuted. It's certainly a good sign that he'll resume throwing Wednesday, but he'll need to check off additional boxes before being cleared for spring games. Assuming he's fully healthy for Opening Day, Stephenson is slated for a setup role with the Angels ahead of closer Carlos Estevez.

Angels manager Ron Washington recently confirmed that Estevez will be the team's closer, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

General manager Perry Minasian said in January following the signing of Robert Stephenson that he still viewed Estevez as the favorite to serve as the club's closer, and Washington has now given his stamp of approval. Estevez had a dominant first half in 2023, which netted him an All-Star nod before he regressed to a 6.59 ERA in the second half. Stephenson -- who signed a three-year, $33 million contract -- will be a threat to overtake Estevez after his dominant run with the Rays last season. Worth noting, though, is that Stephenson is dealing with a bit of shoulder soreness.

The Padres reassigned Carlton (elbow) to minor-league camp Wednesday.

Carlton posted a 4.35 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 20.2 innings out of the San Diego bullpen last season before he was placed on the injured list July 1 with elbow inflammation. He proceeded to miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign before he was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso in the offseason. Though Carlton remains in the organization and had been invited to big-league spring training, he hadn't made any Cactus League appearances, so it's not yet clear if he's overcome the elbow issue. Whenever Carlton is ready to pitch, he'll likely join the El Paso bullpen.

Englert (hip) is scheduled to appear in relief in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

After he was blasted for nine earned runs in 2.1 innings of long relief July 22 against the Padres, Englert never appeared again for the Tigers last season. He was placed on the injured list two days later with a left hip tightness, and though he was sent out on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo in September, he was ultimately shut down again. Englert appears to be healthy again after having the offseason to recover from the hip issue, but he'll need a strong showing in spring training to secure a spot in the Tigers' Opening Day bullpen. He'll be making his second Grapefruit League appearance Wednesday after he surrendered three earned runs on three hits -- all home runs -- in two innings this past Saturday against the Yankees.

Thompson will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Thompson will be getting the second Tommy John surgery of his career, as he also needed the operation back in high school. He'll miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign and possibly the start of next season as well, since rehab from a second UCL repair is usually more deliberate.

Faucher (biceps) is scheduled to make a relief appearance in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Faucher, whom the Marlins acquired from Tampa Bay in November, closed the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list after developing right biceps tendinitis in mid-August. He hasn't faced any apparent limitations in spring training, however, as he'll be making his second Grapefruit League appearance Wednesday after he gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while retiring two batters in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Nationals. Faucher projects to fill a middle-relief role out of the Miami bullpen.

Brash (elbow) could be sidelined for a significant period of time, perhaps for the entire season, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Brash and the Mariners haven't revealed where exactly the reliever is hurting, but Divish notes that the righty was looking down at his elbow while discussing the injury. Divish also hears from sources that the injury could potentially be long term and, at the very least, is likely to result in an injured list stint to begin the season. Brash struck out 107 batters over 70.2 innings last season and his potential loss would be a devastating blow to Seattle's bullpen.

Walter struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against St. Louis.

Walter was impressive in his Grapefruit League debut, getting all six batters out, with one ball leaving the infield. He followed starter Kutter Crawford, pitching the third and fourth innings. The left-handed Walter had a rough introduction to the majors in 2023, charged with 16 earned runs on 32 hits and seven walks over 23 innings. That experience shaped his offseason preparations, per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. "I was able to reflect on it and see why I wasn't successful," Walter said. "I'm so used to being successful in the minor leagues. Making adjustments on the fly is something I need to improve on. I focused on attacking with all my pitches and throwing strikes. I was too consumed with velocity instead of doing what I do best." The 27-year-old Walter is expected to be part of the rotation at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2024 season.

Montas struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Cubs.

Montas logged two perfect innings in his Cactus League debut, which left him feeling ebullient following the outing. The right-hander underwent shoulder surgery in February 2023 and made one relief appearance for the Yankees last season. "It's been a long time," Montas told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I think two years [ago] when I was pitching in spring training. Being back on the mound is exciting for me. I feel happy and blessed about that." He threw 27 pitches and used his entire arsenal -- four-seam and two-seam fastball, splitter, cutter and slider -- with his velocity sitting 94-to-96 mph.

Crochet threw 34 pitches and completed 1.2 innings in his Cactus League debut against the Dodgers on Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Crochet returned from Tommy John surgery early last season, but he also faced shoulder trouble that limited him to only 25 total innings combined between the majors and minors. Despite the limited workload, he's attempting to land a role in the White Sox's rotation to begin the season. He made a good impression in his first spring outing, retiring Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to begin the game. Crochet also touched 99 mph and 100 mph with his fastball, a good sign that his arm is back to full strength.