MLB Player News

Kimbel did not exercise the first opt out in his minor-league contract with the Mets as he continues to pursue a spot on the Opening Day roster, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

New York's bullpen competition got a little bit narrower Friday with the club cutting Austin Warren, Kevin Herget and Robert Stock from big-league camp. Kimbrel has given up three runs with a 5:5 K:BB across six innings during spring training, but manager Carlos Mendoza has been impressed with the late life on Kimbrel's fastball. Bryan Hudson and Richard Lovelady are the remaining internal competition for a bullpen spot, but the Mets could bring in some outside arms as teams begin to trim the rosters for Opening Day.

The Cubs optioned Roberts to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Roberts will start the 2026 season at Triple-A despite having a strong camp. The right-hander posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across six innings this spring. He appeared in 10 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025.

The Cubs optioned Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Hollowell will fall short of making the Opening Day roster. The 28-year-old appeared in seven regular-season games last season and posted a 2.57 ERA with a 12:2 K:BB across seven innings this spring.

The Twins granted Chafin his release Friday.

Chafin will hit the open market after a stint with the Twins this spring. The veteran reliever posted a 3.00 ERA across six innings during spring training.

The Giants sent Santos to minor-league camp Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Santos received an invite to spring camp, but he'll fall short of making the big-league roster. The 25-year-old allowed five runs (two earned) with a 2:5 K:BB in 3.1 innings this spring.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Friday that Junk will be the team's fifth starter, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Junk has officially won the fifth starting spot, beating out Braxton Garrett, who was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday. Junk, now 30 years old, had his first prolonged big-league stint last season, starting in 16 of his 21 appearances with Miami and posting a 4.17 ERA across 110 innings. His first regular-season start is scheduled to come against the White Sox.

The White Sox released Voth on Friday.

Voth spent the 2025 campaign in Japan before signing an NRI deal with the White Sox in February. He made one appearance in spring training, allowing two runs (one earned) over two innings of relief.

The White Sox released Borucki on Friday.

After posting a 4.63 ERA across 35 innings in 2025 while spending time with the Pirates and Blue Jays, Borucki signed an NRI deal with the White Sox this offseason. However, he was unable to claim a spot in the big-league bullpen despite throwing six scoreless innings during spring training. That spring performance could draw interest on the open market from a team looking for left-handed bullpen help.

Ponce allowed one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out five without walking a batter.

Facing a split-squad lineup of bench players and minor leaguers, Ponce fired 44 of 65 pitches for strikes while topping out at 96.3 mph with his four-seam fastball. The right-hander has a 0.66 ERA this spring over 13.2 innings with a 12:4 K:BB and zero homers allowed, and Ponce's importance to the Blue Jays' rotation has only grown since he was signed in December, with Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all set to open the season on the IL.

Estrada could begin the season on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Some dominoes are falling on the Toronto staff due to injuries. With Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all set to begin the year on the IL, Eric Lauer is expected to move into the rotation, leaving a vacancy in the bullpen for a long reliever or swingman. Estrada appears to be the leading candidate for the gig after building up to about 40 pitches in his most recent spring outing and posting a 4.50 ERA and 3:2 K:BB through 10 innings over five Grapefruit League appearances (one start). The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off a shaky 2025, as he produced a 5.73 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 99:32 K:BB in 97.1 innings at Triple-A before getting tagged for seven runs in his first 7.1 big-league innings, albeit with an encouraging 10:1 K:BB.