MLB Player News

Mears (illness) will make an appearance in a minor-league game with Double-A Biloxi on Monday.

Mears will close out spring training having made his last Cactus League appearance March 5, but the fact that he's pitching in minor-league games suggests that he likely won't be ticketed for a lengthy stint on the injured list to begin the season. The right-hander missed out on a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster after falling victim to a stomach bug earlier this month that resulted in him losing nearly 10 pounds and missing several workouts.

Leiter (back) struck out the side in his lone inning of relief in Saturday's 8-7 Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies.

Leiter made his first appearance since March 6 after a back injury resulted in the Yankees keeping him off the pitching schedule for more than two weeks. The right-hander erased any concern about his health by tossing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes while inducing four swings and misses. He'll likely be ticketed for a middle-relief role with the Yankees to open the season.

Little (lat) struck out two and scattered three hits over 1.1 scoreless innings in his Cactus League appearance Friday versus the Padres.

Little suffered a season-ending left lat strain last July and was eased along slowly in spring training, as he didn't make any appearances before the Cubs opened their campaign with a two-game set versus the Dodgers in Tokyo last week. The Cubs had already optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on March 7, and his ability to make his spring debut Friday suggests that he'll likely avoid a stint on Iowa's injured list to begin the season. Little remains a member of the Cubs' 40-man roster and should have a good chance at surfacing in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.

Strahm (shoulder) will not make a scheduled Grapefruit League appearance Monday versus the Rays due to left middle fingernail irritation, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The issue is not believed to be serious, and Strahm remains on track to be ready for the Phillies' season opener Thursday versus the Nationals. The left-handed reliever has made just two Grapefruit League appearances this spring due to a shoulder impingement that's caused inflammation, but he's been throwing lately without any problems with the shoulder.

Megill will appear in Monday's Cactus League game versus the Rockies after pitching in minor-league games since mid-March, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Megill's last Cactus League outing came March 15, but his absence doesn't appear to be the result of the undisclosed injury he dealt with earlier in camp. He's expected to open the season as the Brewers' primary closer.

Anderson went unclaimed after exercising his upward mobility clause and will report to Triple-A Memphis, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Anderson did not make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster but will stick around in the organization as relief depth. He has an opt-out clause in his contract for May 30 if he's not added to the Cardinals' 26-man active roster by then.

Soriano allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 5.1 innings in an exhibition start against the Dodgers on Sunday.

Soriano held the Dodgers scoreless until Max Muncy tagged him for a solo home run in the fifth inning. That was the only run the right-hander allowed in the outing, and he worked up to 85 pitches (including 51 strikes) in his final spring tune-up. Soriano finished the exhibition slate with a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 21:10 K:BB over 20 innings, and he's slated to next take the mound in the Angels' third game of the regular season, which will take place Sunday in Chicago against the White Sox.

Bigge is now set to make the Rays' Opening Day roster with Shane McClanahan (triceps) slated for the 15-day injured list, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Bigge was optioned to Triple-A Durham last week but will be recalled to take McClanahan's spot. The hard-throwing reliever boasted a 2.57 ERA and 19:3 K:BB over 14 innings for the Rays last season after being acquired from the Cubs in a trade.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Mlodzinski will begin the season as the team's fifth starter, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

All 75 of Mlodzinski's appearances in the majors to this point have either been in relief or opener assignments, but he was being stretched out during spring training and was used mostly as a starting pitcher in the minors prior to 2023. The 26-year-old's workload figures to be relatively limited, at least initially, and the Pirates also have top prospects Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington looming at Triple-A Indianapolis if Mlodzinski falters.

Nunez is eligible to be called up from Triple-A Syracuse on April 11 after being optioned Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was brought along slowly in camp after missing almost the entire second half of last season due to forearm trouble, and while he's healthy now, Nunez simply ran out of time to get fully built up. He's still expected to be a big part of the Mets' high-leverage crew in 2025, and should re-join the big-league bullpen once the team is confident he can handle a normal usage pattern.