MLB Player News

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).

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Wednesday that Bolton recently experienced some discomfort in his ankle and had his throwing schedule adjusted as a result, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The injury likely explains why Bolton has been limited to just two appearances in Cactus League play thus far, and none since Feb. 29. Bolton possesses a spot on the Mariners' 40-man roster, but since he has a limited track record in the majors and has two minor-league options remaining, he'll most likely begin the season at Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners scratched Krehbiel from his scheduled relief appearance in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Royals due to a neck strain, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Krehbiel has been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and is looking to win a spot in the Mariners' Opening Day bullpen. Even though the injury is believed to be only a minor concern, it further hurts Krehbiel's bid for a roster spot.

With Nick Lodolo (leg) behind schedule this spring, both Andrew Abbott and Martinez are likely to begin the season in the starting rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Initially, Martinez and Abbott were considered competitors for the fifth starter's job, but that decision will be deferred until Lodolo is up to speed and banging down the door to start.

Fujinami's (personal) Grapefruit League debut will now take place Thursday versus the Nationals after Wednesday's game against the Astros was rained out, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Fujinami is healthy but faced a delay to his spring training while tending to a family matter in his native Japan. He will still have plenty of time to get ramped up ahead of Opening Day.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Moreta is dealing with a ligament injury to his right elbow, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The hurler is still being evaluated before a decision is made about how to treat the injury, but Tomczyk said Moreta will miss "an extended period of time." The loss of Moreta for any length of time is a big blow to the Pirates bullpen, as he held a 3.72 ERA and 76:24 K:BB across 58 innings in 2023 and had been pegged for a key role again in 2024.