MLB Player News

Springs (knee) and the Rays agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $947,500 contract to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Before he tore the ACL in his right knee July 31 and required season-ending surgery, Springs proved to be a weapon out of the bullpen for the Rays. Over his 44.2 innings, Springs was prone to the long ball (nine home runs allowed) but otherwise dominated hitters to the tune of a 3.43 ERA and 63:14 K:BB. He picked up 10 holds and two saves along the way, but the Rays' wealth of quality relievers and manager Kevin Cash's preference to mix and match in the ninth inning will make it tough to extract consistent value from Springs or any of the team's other bullpen options. Springs threw a live batting practice session Monday and plans to test out his surgically repaired knee next week by jumping off the mound and fielding bunts, but his availability for Opening Day is in flux at the moment.

Keller agreed Tuesday with the Royals on a one-year, $4.825 million deal, avoiding arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The righty will get a raise of just shy of $1.5 million despite a 2021 season in which he struggled to a 5.39 ERA. He finished the campaign on the 60-day injured list due to a lat strain, but he's scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Wednesday against the Rockies, according to Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Kansas City.

McKenzie (illness) is listed among the Guardians' scheduled pitchers for Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Padres, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Manager Terry Francona said Monday that McKenzie was feeling under the weather, but the lanky right-hander apparently made enough progress overnight to put himself in position to pitch Tuesday. McKenzie is scheduled to follow starter Zach Plesac, with both pitchers likely to work multiple innings as they get stretched out in advance of Opening Day.

Chirinos (elbow) signed a one-year, $1.175 million deal with the Rays on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Chirinos will get a raise in his first season of arbitration despite the fact that Tommy John surgery prevented him from pitching at any point last season. He underwent another procedure to address a fractured elbow in September, so he'll miss an extended period again this season.

Singer allowed an unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out two over two innings in Monday's win over the Angels.

Singer was shut down with arm inflammation late last season, but he's been good to go for spring. It was his error that led to a run Monday, but the right-hander was otherwise solid in his first game action of the year. He's looking for a bounce-back campaign after going 5-10 with a 4.91 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 131:53 K:BB in 128.1 innings across 27 starts last year. He should be near the front of the Royals' rotation in 2022.

McKenzie (illness) is expected to make his spring training debut later this week, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hoynes reports McKenzie is under the weather, but it's not expected to drastically affect his ramp-up efforts over the next two weeks. The right-hander had an up-and-down 2021 that saw him end at 5-9 with a 4.95 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 136:58 K:BB, though some of his best pitching came in August and September. He'll be expected to slot into the back end of the rotation to begin 2022.

Kaprielian is taking steps in his recovery from AC joint irritation but won't be ready to pitch in an MLB game before late April, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The oft-injured righty is beginning the season on the wrong foot, but he at least hasn't been completely shut down. He'll throw off a mound Saturday and will advance to live batting practice in early April. A minor-league rehab stint is expected to follow, which means he'll miss at least two or three turns in the major-league rotation to open the year.

Glasnow (elbow) and the Rays agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $5.1 million contract to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Though he's expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2022 season, Glasnow will get a $1.1 million pay increase after he had performed at a Cy Young-worthy level (2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 123:27 K:BB over 88 innings) through 14 starts in 2021 before he eventually required Tommy John surgery for his right elbow. Glasnow, who also underwent surgery last week to remove loose bodies from his right ankle, is expected to rest for the next 2-to-3 weeks before restarting his throwing program. Before having his ankle scoped, Glasnow had been playing catch off flat ground from about 75 feet three times a week, according to Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network.

Quantrill signed a one-year, $2.51 million deal with the Guardians on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Quantrill recorded a 2.89 ERA last season, but it took some good luck in the form of a .267 BABIP and an 80.0 percent strand rate to get him there. He struck out just 19.6 percent of opposing batters, and while his 7.6 percent walk rate was better than average, that combination doesn't typically add up to an ERA below 3.00. He's locked into a rotation spot this season after spending part of last year in the bullpen, but a repeat of last year's performance seems unlikely.

Syndergaard will make his first appearance of spring in a minor-league contest Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Syndergaard recently stated that he has been able to throw without restrictions in bullpen sessions, but the Angels prefer to have him begin with a game against minor-leaguers so that they are better able to control his outing. The caution is reasonable considering that the right-hander is coming off a season during which he pitched only two major-league innings after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Syndergaard signed with the Angels on a one-year, $21 million contract last November.