MLB Player News

The Mariners reassigned Hembree to minor-league camp Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Hembree threw a perfect inning during his lone appearance of the spring, but his chances to make the team were always slim. The 35-year-old righty will head to Triple-A Tacoma to provide the Mariners with organizational depth in the bullpen.

The Mariners reassigned Abbott to minor-league camp Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Abbott surrendered two runs over one inning during his lone spring appearance with Seattle, and he'll officially drop out of the race for the Opening Day roster as the Mariners make their first round of cuts. Abbott will likely begin 2024 in Triple-A, where he posted a 4.98 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 56 innings last season.

Thompson allowed two runs on three hits and struck out three without walking a batter in Saturday's Grapefruit league start versus the Astros.

Thompson and Matthew Liberatore are in the Cardinals' biggest battle for the last starting spot in the rotation. Thompson pitched for 2.2 innings Saturday before giving up back-to-back doubles. With Steven Matz coming along slowly after an injury-plagued 2023, there could be room for both Thompson and Liberatore in the Cardinals' projected early season six-man rotation, but both of them have shown some inconsistency early in the spring.

Ragans has allowed four hits and a walk while striking out eight over five scoreless innings across two Cactus League starts.

Ragans' focus early in the spring slate has been to make in-game adjustments when he struggles, though that has been rare so far. "I felt like last year there were a few outings I struggled with it," Ragans said. "So it's been great. I felt like today, I did a really good job of it. It was more so finding the right thought process, I guess you could say, of what I tell myself to get back to the right mechanics. I felt like I took a big step last year making the adjustment, so kind of building off it this spring." Ragans is also working on his command with his slider. The 26-year-old southpaw is entering his second full season, but he looks to have all the tools to become the Royals' ace in 2024.

Chargois has been sidelined for the past week due to neck spasms, but he's scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 33-year-old was a solid part of the Marlins' bullpen in 2023, posting a 3.61 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 42.1 innings in a middle-relief role. Assuming he's healthy by Opening Day, he could see higher-leverage usage this year as one of the top right-handed options behind closer Tanner Scott, though Chargois recorded only four holds in 46 appearances last season.

Francis could be the favorite to step into the fifth starter role for the Blue Jays if Alek Manoah (shoulder) isn't ready for Opening Day, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Manoah was viewed as the likely No. 5 starter despite his 2023 struggles, but a poor start to the spring and a bout of shoulder soreness could force the Jays to re-evaluate. Francis posted strong numbers over 20 relief appearances last season and was mainly a starting pitcher in the minors, but it's not yet clear if his stuff will hold up over longer outings against big-league hitters. Should Francis also falter in camp, it could open the door for Mitch White or even top prospect Ricky Tiedemann (hamstring) to begin the campaign in the rotation.

Leclerc allowed two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one over a third of an inning in Thursday's spring game against Milwaukee.

Leclerc, who made his Cactus League debut, was tagged with a blown save, though that means little in the context of a spring game. Coming off a strong postseason, he is considered one of the options to close games this season. Manager Bruce Bochy has not yet identified any one reliever as his closer, nor has the manager established a pecking order, as multiple arms are being considered for endgame work.

Mantiply allowed one hit and hit two batters over a scoreless inning in Friday's spring game against Cincinnati.

Mantiply loaded the bases with one out but wriggled out of the jam by inducing a 5-2-3 double play. That he faced adversity and pitched out it is the positive spin on the left-hander's first Cactus League appearance. He's expected to occupy a spot in the bullpen to open the season, but the one-time high-leverage option needs better results to reclaim a trusted role in 2024. Mantiply recorded a 4.62 ERA with a diminished strikeout rate and increased walk rate in 2023.

Pepiot allowed three hits and walked one while striking out three across two scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Pepiot allowed three hitters to reach base in the first inning and stranded the bases loaded by striking out Davis Schneider. He pitched a much cleaner second frame to end his spring debut on a high note. Pepiot should fill an Opening Day rotation spot and will look to turn in a full season of work after an injury-plagued 2023 campaign with the Dodgers.

Herget signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Feb. 22 and received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Herget posted a 5.18 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 24.1 innings with the Reds last season. The Brewers already have a fairly deep big-league bullpen, so Herget will likely begin the new campaign in Triple-A Nashville.