MLB Player News

King has allowed five runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out two over three Grapefruit League innings.

King's already a longshot for high-leverage work, and his early results in spring won't help his cause. The southpaw is a groundball specialist who saw some late-inning work with 12 holds in 35 appearances between the Rangers and the Cardinals last season. He'll need to show solid control and limit opponents to weak contact to have success.

Kittredge has allowed one walk and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings in two Grapefruit League appearances.

Kittredge is likely looking to put the last two years behind him, as injuries have limited him to 31.2 innings in that span. He has 15 saves and 12 holds to his name over parts of seven major-league campaigns, but he's topped 50 innings just once. Kittredge figures to be in the high-leverage mix this season, though Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos are the top incumbent closing options for the Cardinals.

Pallante has pitched three scoreless innings over three appearances in Grapefruit League play.

He's allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two. Pallante struggled to a 4.76 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 43:30 K:BB over 62 relief appearances in 2023 after splitting time between the rotation and bullpen in 2022. Pallante added 13 holds last year, but his poor play saw him in a low-leverage role to end the campaign. He'll be looking to get back into the late-innings mix in a crowded bullpen competition for the Cardinals.

The Yankees are bringing Kahnle along slowly this spring after his 2023 season was ended due to right shoulder inflammation, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

Kahnle appears to be healthy and has been throwing bullpen sessions, but manager Aaron Boone said Monday that the club might not put him into a Grapefruit League game until toward the end of spring. Boone would not commit to the reliever being ready for Opening Day, saying it depends on how many spring appearances he's able to make. Kahnle has had trouble staying healthy but has been terrific when on the mound, most recently putting up a 2.66 ERA and 48:19 K:BB over 40.2 frames in 2023.

Hicks has allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six over 4.1 innings across two Cactus League starts.

The Giants are committed to letting Hicks begin 2024 as a starter, as they lack rotation depth. The numbers so far are not encouraging -- Hicks is struggling with walks and loud contact. Oracle Park should help limit the damage on flyballs, and his elite velocity will lead to plenty of strikeouts. Hicks will need to prove his durability in a starting role, as a return to the bullpen will linger over him if his performance slips or an injury costs him a large chunk of the season.

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.