MLB Player News

The Marlins placed Bender (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Bender underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in late September and will miss the entire 2023 season. Garrett Hampson has been added to Miami's 40-man roster in a corresponding move.

Stephan has allowed five earned runs on three hits and four walks over 2.2 innings through three Cactus League appearances.

Stephan has had a bit of bad luck -- two of the three hits he's allowed have been home runs. He was excellent at suppressing the long ball in 2022, giving up just three of them over 63.2 innings after allowing 15 homers in 63.1 innings in 2021. The right-hander emerged as a setup man to Emmanuel Clase last season, so there's not much reason to be concerned about Stephan's performance in spring training, but he could move down the pecking order if he struggles to begin the regular season.

The Mets announced Wednesday that Coonrod has been diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

The team hasn't provided a timetable, but the injury is one that could conceivably keep Coonrod sidelined for months. The right-hander had been pitching well this spring and seemed to have a good shot to win a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen, but his expected extended absence creates an opening for another arm.

Lange is the most likely candidate to open the regular season as the Tigers closer, Cody Stavengagen of The Athletic reports.

While he doesn't expect manager A.J. Hinch to anoint a closer anytime soon, Stavenhagen believes Lange is best suited for the role due to his stuff and demeanor. It tracks with what the common perception has been regarding the Tigers' bullpen situation following the trades of Gregory Soto and Joe Jimenez. Lange's control can evade him at times -- and it has this spring with a 5:6 K:BB over four innings -- but he has swing-and-miss stuff and no platoon split. Hinch might not settle on one guy, but Lange does seem to be the best player for fantasy managers to target.

Ferrer could open the season in the Nationals' bullpen, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 23-year-old left-hander has yet to pitch above Double-A, but Ferrer was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft and has a 3:1 K:BB through 3.2 spring innings while seeing work early in Grapefruit League games in order to face big-league hitters. The Nationals don't have many healthy lefty relief options left in camp -- Ferrer's current competition is down to journeyman Anthony Banda and fellow relief prospect Matt Cronin -- and while Sean Doolittle (elbow) should be in the mix at some point, Ferrer seems as though he's done enough in camp to win a spot. He offers a fastball that's touched 97 mph along with a changeup and slider, and with Kyle Finnegan potentially headed for a high-leverage fireman role rather than being locked into the ninth inning as a traditional closer, whoever Washington's top bullpen lefty is could see some matchup-dependent save opportunities.

Edwards could see save chances if Kyle Finnegan gets shifted into a fireman role rather than being used as a traditional closer, Bobby Blanco of MASN reports.

Finnegan still seems likely to see the majority of save chances for the Nationals this season, but there could be saves up for grabs if the right-hander gets the call earlier in games in tight situations. Edwards would be just one of many candidates who could benefit, with Hunter Harvey, Alex Colome, Sean Doolittle (elbow) and Mason Thompson also in the mix depending on matchups and performance. Edwards' reduced velocity was a concern early in camp, but he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two Grapefruit League appearances while posting a 3:0 K:BB. The 31-year-old had a solid 2022 campaign in a setup role for the Nats, recording double-digit holds for the first time since 2018.

The Rays selected Kelley's contract Wednesday and added him to their 40-man roster.

Kelley joined Tampa Bay on a minor-league deal in January and had been in line to have his contract selected shortly before spring training, but the Rays later rescinded the transaction. One month later, Kelley will now officially get a spot on the 40-man roster since Wednesday marked the first day that MLB teams can select the contracts of non-roster invitees. Kelley has a minor-league option remaining, so the Rays' decision to select his contract doesn't guarantee that he'll break camp as a member of the big club's Opening Day bullpen.

Colome could see save chances if Kyle Finnegan gets shifted into a fireman role rather than being used as a traditional closer, Bobby Blanco of MASN reports.

Finnegan still seems likely to see the majority of save chances for the Nationals this season, but there could be saves up for grabs if the right-hander gets the call earlier in games in tight situations. Colome would be just one of many candidates who could benefit, with Hunter Harvey, Sean Doolittle (elbow), Carl Edwards and Mason Thompson also in the mix depending on matchups and performance. Colome has 159 career saves and has the most ninth-inning experience of anyone in the Nats' bullpen, and while his numbers in 2022 with the Rockies weren't pretty, the 34-year-old right-hander did record 17 saves for the Twins in 2021, albeit with a 4.15 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and weak 20.0 percent strikeout rate.

Kittredge was placed on the 60-day injured list by the Rays on Tuesday as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Trevor Kelley. Kittredge will miss at least the first half of the season following last June's Tommy John surgery.

Harvey remains behind Kyle Finnegan in the Nationals' bullpen pecking order for now, but he could see save chances if Finnegan gets shifted into a fireman role rather than being used as a traditional closer, Bobby Blanco of MASN reports.

Finnegan still seems likely to see the majority of save chances for the Nationals this season, but there could be saves up for grabs if the right-hander gets the call earlier in games in tight situations. Harvey would be just one of many candidates who could benefit, with Alex Colome, Sean Doolittle (elbow), Carl Edwards and Mason Thompson also in the mix depending on matchups and performance. Harvey's arm talent has never been in question, only his ability to stay healthy enough to show it, but after posting a career-high 39.1 innings in 2022 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 28.7 percent strikeout rate, he's looked good this spring and seems ready for a consistent high-leverage role.