MLB Player News

Mushinski was shut down from throwing Thursday due to lower-back spasms, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros are calling the reliever day-to-day, so it would appear the hope is he won't be shut down long. Mushinski made seven appearances for Houston last season and is competing for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

Barria indicated Sunday that he wants to be a starter this season, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Barria has bounced back and forth between a starting and relief role throughout his career, though he came out of the bullpen for all but one of his appearances last season. Perhaps not coincidentally, he put together his best big-league campaign, posting a 2.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 54:19 K:BB over 79.1 innings. Nonetheless, Barria has a desire to start again, and he shed 13 pounds of weight during the offseason in part to better his chances of entering the rotation. The Angels don't have a clear No. 6 starter at this point, thus Barria is certainly in the running for the role. However, the team has a variety of other options to fill the slot and intends to deploy its top starters every six days (rather than every six games), so whoever earns the role could be used more as a swing starter than as a traditional piece of the rotation, per Blum.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian recently expressed optimism that Estevez will earn the team's closer role this season, though he made it clear that the decision will be made by manager Phil Nevin, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Estevez signed a two-year contract with the Angels in December after spending the first six seasons of his career with Colorado. The right-hander has racked up 25 saves in his career, with 11 coming in his rookie campaign and another 11 in 2021. Estevez doesn't have huge strikeout numbers -- he fanned less than a batter per inning in each of his past two seasons -- but he posted career-best marks with a 3.47 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 57 frames in 2022. Jimmy Herget was impressive as part of a closer committee for Los Angeles last season after Raisel Iglesias was traded in early August, and Ryan Tepera should also be in the mix for save chances. Given Minasian's comments, Estevez may have a leg up in the closer competition, but he's far from guaranteed to be handed that role and should be among the final closers to be selected in fantasy drafts.

Foley figures to have a prominent relief role for the Tigers this season with several key members of last year's bullpen departing in the offseason, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Gregory Soto is the most significant departure, as the lefty led the Tigers in saves last year. However, Joe Jimenez, Michael Fulmer and Andrew Chafin are also gone. That leaves the likes of Foley, Alex Lange and Jose Cisnero in a position to take on more prominent roles, though it's unclear who might emerge as the closer. Foley recorded a 3.88 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 60.1 innings in 2022. However, he only tallied 43 strikeouts in that time, so the righty doesn't profile as an overpowering pitcher, which could make him more of a setup option.

Rodriguez (shoulder) is not on the schedule to throw live batting practice this week in Angels camp, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Rodriguez is said to be rounding the corner in his recovery from November 2021 shoulder surgery, but he's obviously at least a little behind the other pitchers who are contending for the Angels' projected six-man starting rotation. The 24-year-old right-hander missed all of 2022 and likely won't be an option at the outset of the 2023 campaign given the Halos figure to continue easing him along this spring.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson suggested Wednesday that Soto (visa issues) might have to be pulled out of the World Baseball Classic, Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Soto is currently part of the projected bullpen mix for Team Dominican Republic, but he has yet to report to Phillies camp in Florida due to visa complications. "At some point he's got to get into some [Grapefruit League] games before he goes to the WBC or else you're putting him at risk," Thomson said. The 28-year-old reliever was acquired from the Tigers in January and is expected to operate in a high-leverage role this season for the reigning NL champs.

Yates (elbow) threw his first live batting practice session of spring training Wednesday, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Yates made his return from March 2021 Tommy John surgery in August last season, but he stayed healthy for about a month before succumbing to inflammation in his surgically repaired elbow. Fortunately for Yates, the long offseason provided ample time for him to overcome the setback, and he reported to spring training without any restrictions. Yates is only four years removed from a season in which he was arguably the game's top reliever, but now that he's in his mid-thirties and has just 15 relief appearances at the big-league level under his belt since that banner 2019 campaign with the Padres, Atlanta is simply hoping that he can serve as a dependable setup option in front of closer Raisel Iglesias.

Nelson will start the Phillies' Grapefruit League opener Saturday against the Yankees, Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Nelson projects to serve as a long reliever and/or bullpen-game starter this year for the reigning NL champs, but there's always the possibility that a camp injury or two could thrust him into the Opening Day rotation. He'll probably go about two innings Saturday and build up from there.

Speas joined the Rangers for minor-league camp this week and has elected to resume his playing career after spending most of the 2022 season on the restricted list, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

During his last full season in 2021, the 24-year-old right-hander struggled to the tune of an 11.15 ERA, 2.48 WHIP and 30:26 K:BB across 15.1 innings between stops at Double-A Frisco and the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The Rangers will likely assign Speas to a lower-level affiliate to begin the season with the hope that he can regain confidence and show improved control. A 2016 second-round draft pick, Speas is blessed with a fastball that can hit the triple digits, so he could have some developmental upside as a reliever if he's able to find the strike zone on a consistent basis.

The Reds claimed Sousa off waivers from the White Sox on Wednesday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Sousa, designated for assignment Monday, posted a miserable 8.41 ERA in 20.1 innings with the White Sox last season. Those struggles suggest he'll need to show significant improvement in camp for a shot at Cincinnati's Opening Day roster.