MLB Player News

Hamilton (infection) will begin the regular season on the injured list, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Hamilton was able to make his spring debut Thursday when he gave up one run on three hits and recorded three strikeouts in one inning of work. However, the Yankees will place him on the injured list to start the season, which will allow the right-handed reliever to continue building up -- likely on a rehab assignment -- before joining New York's bullpen.

Vasquez pitched four innings against the Cubs in a Cactus League contest Friday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks while striking out four batters.

Vasquez worked in a piggyback role in the exhibition matchup, entering the game in the sixth frame following Michael King's five scoreless innings. Vasquez finished off the contest by allowing Chicago to score just one run, which came on a solo homer by Moises Ballesteros. The appearance was presumably Vasquez's final one of the spring, in which case he'll finish the Cactus League slate with a 3.38 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB across eight innings. It remains to be seen what Vasquez's role will be to begin the campaign, but he's in the running for one of two open rotation spots along with Stephen Kolek and Kyle Hart.

King tossed five scoreless innings in a Cactus League start against the Cubs on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out four batters.

In his final spring outing -- and his first since being named San Diego's Opening Day starter -- King was royal on the mound, allowing a single to the first batter he faced and then retiring 15 straight hitters. The righty had an up-and-down spring, but he concluded it on a superb note and finished the exhibition slate with a 3.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 13:7 K:BB over 13.2 frames. King's next appearance is slated to take place next Thursday against Atlanta in the Padres' regular-season opener.

The Nationals selected Poche's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Poche has given up four earned runs in just 4.2 innings during Grapefruit League play, but the Nationals will add him to their big-league bullpen anyway -- likely based on the 3.27 ERA and 1.13 WHIP he owns over the past three seasons. He'll likely start in a middle-relief role but could work his way into high-leverage opportunities given the overall lack of experience in Washington's bullpen.

The Phillies optioned Tyler to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

Tyler really never had much of a shot to make the Phillies' Opening Day rotation, and he didn't help his chances with five runs allowed and a 7:6 K:BB over 9.1 spring innings. He'll instead begin the year in Lehigh Valley's rotation and look to improve upon the 5.82 ERA he accumulated upon joining the Phillies organization back in August.

Manager John Schneider said Saturday that Sandlin will be a part of Toronto's Opening Day bullpen, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Sandlin has made five appearances in the Grapefruit League, surrendering two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings. He'll likely settle into a middle-relief role to start the year, though his ability to rack up strikeouts keeps the door open for a healthy amount of high-leverage opportunities.

The Rangers released Strickland on Friday.

Just nine days after getting an invitation to Rangers camp, Strickland will be booted out of the organization and back into free agency. The 36-year-old righty made two appearances in the Cactus League, giving up two runs on four hits over 1.1 innings.

The Rangers released Chavez on Friday.

Chavez failed to perform after signing an NRI deal with the Rangers in the offseason, finishing spring training with seven earned runs allowed in 6.2 innings. He'll now presumably look to sign with another organization, though his advanced age and poor recent performance could make it hard to attract interest.

Myers (oblique) began playing catch Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Myers was diagnosed with a left oblique strain Monday after making an early exit from his Cactus League start Saturday, though manager Pat Murphy said the results of Myers' MRI were better than the team expected. The 26-year-old is now already back to throwing and didn't feel any discomfort while playing catch, which bodes well for his chances of joining the Brewers' rotation before the end of April.

Martinez signed a five-year, $18 million contract extension with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

In addition to covering him for 2025, Martinez's new deal will buy out his three arbitration years and includes club options for 2030 and 2031, giving him immediate financial security while the Diamondbacks get their young, hard-throwing reliever locked into a team-friendly deal. Martinez turned in a 2.48 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 91 strikeouts over 72.2 innings during his first full season in the majors last year, though it's still unknown if he, A.J. Puk or Kevin Ginkel will be the preferred ninth-inning option once the regular season begins.