MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Rodriguez has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Cora declined to provide a timetable for the reliever when asked about the matter, but Rodriguez will most likely be sidelined for multiple weeks, if not more than a month. Ryan Sherriff and Oddanier Mosqueda are expected to challenge for a left-handed reliever role with Boston while Rodriguez recuperates.

The Mariners reassigned Rodriguez to minor-league camp Monday.

Rodriguez submitted three scoreless relief appearances during Cactus League play, but the 27-year-old right-hander never merited serious consideration for a spot in Seattle's Opening Day bullpen after having toiled in the minors over both of the past two seasons. He spent the 2022 campaign in the Mets organization, pitching to a 4.95 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 68:36 K:BB across 76.1 innings.

The Mariners reassigned Bukauskas to minor-league camp Monday.

The right-hander held an 8.31 ERA over five Cactus League appearances. Bukauskas was a waiver pickup in January before Seattle removed him from its 40-man roster in February.

Foster has been shut down due to a right forearm strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox don't currently have a timetable for the reliever but hope to have one by the end of camp. That would seem to suggest Foster might be sidelined for a while, but it sounds like there should be more clarity by the end of next week. Foster held a 4.40 ERA over 48 appearances with the big club in 2022.

Alexy (oblique) made his spring debut in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Dodgers in Cactus League play, retiring two batters while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks.

Though Alexy appears to have moved past the left oblique issue that first popped up earlier in this month, his poor showing in his debut won't help his chances of breaking camp as a member of Chicago's Opening Day roster. Alexy still has a minor-league option remaining, and if demoted to Triple-A Charlotte to begin the season, he could fill a spot in the affiliate's rotation.

Garcia gave up a hit in a scoreless eighth inning during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.

The right-hander didn't allow a run in two innings while pitching for the Dominican Republic during the WBC, and he's also delivered three clean innings for the Jays in Grapefruit League play. Garcia's combined 2:0 K:BB over that time isn't exactly dominant, but he's still set to be one of the primary setup men for closer Jordan Romano in 2023, and he recorded a career-high 22 holds in that role last year.

The Angels announced Monday that Marte was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow and will be shut down for at least four weeks, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Marte had yet to make his Cactus League debut due to what manager Phil Nevin and Angels director of sports medicine Mike Frostad termed as "soreness," but the right-handed reliever is evidently dealing with a more significant issue than the team initially led on. Given that he won't be able to resume throwing until late April or early May, Marte will essentially have to complete his own version of spring training before being ready to contribute out of the Angels bullpen. Bollinger suggests that Marte is a likely candidate to move to the 60-day injured list if the Angels need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for another player.

Lee gave up a hit and struck out two over a scoreless ninth inning during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The 28-year-old is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in the Atlanta bullpen, and Lee has carried that forward into the spring with an 8:0 K:BB through 5.1 scoreless innings. He's still the team's No. 2 left-handed relief option after A.J. Minter, which could limit him to middle relief rather than a consistent set-up role, but after recording nine holds in 46 appearances last year, Lee seems a pretty safe bet to at least reach double digits in 2023.

The Reds reassigned Bracho to minor-league camp Monday.

Bracho, who was attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee, owns a lifetime 4.88 ERA and 15.7 K-BB% across 95 relief appearances in the majors over parts of six seasons with Arizona and Atlanta. The 30-year-old will likely need to make a positive impression at Triple-A Louisville to begin the season before Cincinnati entertains adding him to its MLB bullpen.

The Reds released Norris on Monday.

Norris had been in camp as a non-roster invitee and has been cut loose after posting a 6.75 ERA and 5:7 K:BB over 6.2 innings. The veteran southpaw will look to catch on elsewhere, presumably on a minor-league deal.