MLB Player News

Romano threw a scoreless inning in his spring debut Thursday and was throwing from 96-to-98 mph with his fastball, NBC Philadelphia reports. "I hadn't faced an opposing team since May. It was nice to get all the nerves and excitement out," Romano said. "Felt like it went pretty well for the first one. Arm felt good, body felt good."

Romano was limited to just 15 appearances in 2024 due to a right elbow issue which eventually required surgery, and he allowed 10 runs across 13.2 innings in those appearances. If he can show he's back to full speed this spring, he has a chance to become the primary closer for Philadelphia, but the Phillies have mixed and matched relievers for save chances the past few seasons.

Kelly signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

After a long stint in the Korea Baseball Organization with the LG Twins, Kelly returned stateside last summer, linking up with the Reds on a minor-league deal. He was quickly moved up to the big-league roster and made a pair of appearances out of the Cincinnati bullpen, registering a 5.06 ERA and 4:1 K:BB across 5.1 innings. The 35-year-old will report to Triple-A Reno with his new organization and will look to impress early on during the minor-league season with the hope of getting a promotion to Arizona.

The Rockies placed Lawrence on waivers Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Lawrence regressed notably last season, finishing the year with a 6.49 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 59.2 innings. He is now available to be picked up by any team willing to bring him in as additional bullpen depth, though he's still eligible to pitch for Colorado while on waivers.

Enright (lat) threw a bullpen session Saturday.

Enright was diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain in February, and Saturday marks his first time throwing off a mound since then. He still likely won't be ready to pitch in games until April, at which point he will presumably report to Triple-A Columbus.

Stephan (elbow) threw a bullpen session Saturday.

Saturday marks the first time Stephan has thrown off a mound this spring while he works his way back from UCL reconstruction surgery. He seems to be trending in the right direction but still has several boxes to check before being cleared for game action, which isn't likely to happen for another couple of months.

Assad (oblique) will begin the season on the injured list, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Assad is aiming to resume throwing off a mound sometime next week, but the Cubs have determined that he won't have enough time to work his way back before the beginning of the season. With Assad now out of the running, Colin Rea, Jordan Wicks and Ben Brown will spend the rest of camp competing for the fifth spot in Chicago's Opening Day rotation.

Atlanta reassigned Shreve to minor-league camp Saturday.

Shreve fired three scoreless innings during Grapefruit League play, but Atlanta will opt to keep him in their minor-league system to begin the new season. The 34-year-old southpaw posted a 2.65 ERA and 0.85 WHIP across 34 frames in Triple-A last year, and he could earn a call to the majors with similar production.

Garcia (forearm) is expected to make his Cactus League debut Monday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Garcia has been dealing with some irritation in his left forearm over the past few weeks, but he was able to get through a live session Thursday without any issues and is now cleared to return to a competitive setting. The 28-year-old turned in a 4.22 ERA and 1.19 WHIP alongside a 75:16 K:BB across 59.2 innings with the Nationals last season and is expected to handle high-leverage situations for Texas in 2025.

The Cubs optioned Kilian to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Kilian gave up eight hits and a walk over 3.2 innings during spring training. The 27-year-old righty owns a career 9.22 ERA and 2.01 WHIP across 27.1 MLB frames, and his 40-man spot could be in jeopardy soon.

The Cubs optioned Poteet to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

Poteet struggled to find his footing this spring, giving up four earned runs over 3.1 innings. He'll head to Iowa to begin the 2025 campaign but is certainly capable of working his way back to the majors after turning in a 2.22 ERA over 24.1 regular-season frames with the Yankees last year.