MLB Player News

Fitts could open the season in the Red Sox' rotation if Brayan Bello (shoulder) needs a stint on the injured list, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Bello is not expected to miss much time, if any, but Boston might elect to play things safely as he comes back from a shoulder issue. Fitts posted a 1.74 ERA in four starts with the Red Sox last season, although that came with just a 9:7 K:BB over 20.2 innings. However, the 25-year-old has shown more bat-missing ability in the minors and is also off to a strong start this spring, fanning five over four scoreless frames. Quinn Priester is the other potential option to fill in for Bello.

Morgan may get squeezed from the Cubs' Opening Day roster and start the season at Triple-A Iowa instead , Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Morgan was effective last year for Cleveland, posting a 1.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 42 regular-season innings, though he still has a minor-league option remaining and could be the odd man out as a result. Even if the righty begins the year in the minors, he has enough talent to be a valuable addition to the Cubs' bullpen at some point, but he likely won't see save opportunities with Ryan Pressly and Porter Hodge around.

Diaz has been held out of Cactus League play after tweaking his hamstring during pitchers' fielding practice about a week ago, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Diaz said Monday that he feels "great" now and expects to be ready for his Cactus League debut this weekend. If he is indeed ready to pitch later this week and can avoid setbacks, Diaz should have enough time to be ready for Opening Day. The righty is expected to open the 2025 season as Cincinnati's closer, though he could be on a relatively short leash after posting a 3.99 ERA and just a 22.7 percent strikeout rate in 2024.

Lopez threw 44 pitches (25 strikes) in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, allowing one hit and two walks over 1.2 scoreless innings. He struck out one.

The right-hander has yet to give up a run this spring, posting a 3:3 K:BB over 3.2 scoreless innings in two starts. Lopez had a breakout 2024 in his return to a starting role, delivering a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 148:42 K:BB in 135.2 innings for Atlanta, and he's aiming to handle a 200-inning workload in 2025.

The Pirates claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies on Monday, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Lawrence posted a 6.49 ERA and saw his strikeout rate dip to just 16.1 percent and sinker velocity fall to 94.6 mph on average in 2024. However, he had an above-average 24.4 percent strikeout rate from 2022 to 2023 and his sweeper has been a very effective pitch at times. Lawrence is under team control through 2028 and the Pirates felt he was worth a roll of the dice.

Clase is scheduled to make his first Cactus League appearance Monday versus the Mariners, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Clase's delayed addition to the Guardians' spring pitching schedule isn't due to an injury; instead, the coaching staff is likely prioritizing getting innings for rotation candidates as well as pitchers who are competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Despite coming off a rough postseason in which he converted two of three save chances and gave up eight earned runs over eight innings, Clase is locked in as Cleveland's closer and is solidified as an upper-tier fantasy option coming off three straight seasons of least 40 saves. For what he lacks his elite strikeout stuff (career 24.8 K%), Clase makes up for it by limiting walks (career 4.8 BB%) and leaning heavily on his cutter and slider to induce plenty of weak contact (career 60.7 percent groundball rate).

Miami reassigned Tarnok (ankle) to minor-league camp Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Tarnok had been attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he never made a serious run for a spot on Miami's season-opening roster after injuring his left ankle last week. Once healthy, the right-hander will likely serve as a swingman for Triple-A Jacksonville.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Dominguez could see save opportunities early on in the season on days Felix Bautista (elbow) is unavailable, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista won't pitch back-to-back days or throw more than one inning at a time initially in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. That opens the door to save chances for others, with Gregory Soto and Andrew Kittredge (knee) being named along with Dominguez by Hyde in what will be a "mix and match" situation. Dominguez served as the Orioles' primary closer down the stretch last season, going 10-for-11 in regular-season save chances after being acquired at the trade deadline.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde named Soto as an option to see save chance early in the season on days Felix Bautista (elbow) is unavailable, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista will not be allowed to appear in back-to-back games or pitch more than one inning at a time for a while as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, and Hyde said he'll "mix and match" at closer those days. The skipper named Andrew Kittredge (knee) and Seranthony Dominguez in addition to Soto as relievers who could see save opportunities when Bautista is off limits.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Monday that Kittredge (knee) is an option to see save chances early in the season on days Felix Bautista (elbow) is unavailable, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bautista's usage will be limited in the first half as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, as he won't pitch back-to-back days or go more than one inning. Hyde also listed Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez as fill-in closer options in what he expects to be a "mix and match" situation. Kittredge is still getting treatment as he recovers from left knee soreness, but he's not expected to be out long.