MLB Player News

Hurter, Brenan Hanifee and Andrew Chafin are likely competing for Detroit's final bullpen spot to begin the regular season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Hurter and Chafin are both southpaws, which could give them an edge, though the righty Hanifee impressed for the Tigers last year with a 1.84 ERA across 29.1 regular-season innings. Ultimately, all three players figure to see time in the majors this season, as the team needs bullpen reinforcements. Hurter pitched well last year during his MLB debut, compiling a 2.58 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 45.1 regular-season innings.

Buehler isn't starting Sunday's spring game against Minnesota due to an illness, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Buehler was slated to make one final appearance this spring, but Cooper Criswell has been slotted in to start against the Twins instead. Buehler is slated to pitch on the back fields at Boston's spring training site Monday, so the veteran hurler doesn't appear to be dealing with a serious illness. The right-hander is expected to take his first turn through the rotation Saturday, March 29 against Texas.

GM Mike Elias announced Sunday that Suarez will begin the season working out of the bullpen, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Cade Povich won the battle to be Baltimore's No. 5 starter, so Suarez will open the campaign in relief. The right-hander should again work as a swingman in 2025 but may have a difficult time replicating the 24 regular-season starts he made last season. Suarez made eight relief appearances in addition to those starts and finished the regular season with a 3.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 108:43 K:BB across 133.2 innings.

Houck allowed 10 runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rays.

Houck's final Grapefruit League outing finishes off what has been a rough spring training for Boston's No. 2 starter. He'll leave Florida with an 11.20 ERA, 29 hits allowed, five walks and seven strikeouts over 13.2 innings. The one positive note coming out of Saturday is that he threw 85 pitches and is ready to start the second game of the season Friday against the Rangers.

GM Mike Elias announced Sunday that Povich will begin the season as Baltimore's No. 5 starter, and the left-hander will make his season debut in the home opener against Boston on March 31, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The 24-year-old earned the final rotation spot over Albert Suarez, who was the early favorite for the job after Grayson Rodriguez was shut down with elbow inflammation. Povich had a 5.20 ERA in 16 regular-season starts as a rookie last year, but he had a strong showing during spring training with a 3.07 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB across 14.2 innings. However, the Orioles signed veteran starter Kyle Gibson on Friday, so Povich may need a strong start to the campaign to retain the rotation spot.

The Rangers placed Dunning on outright waivers Sunday, allowing him to be claimed by other teams, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The right-hander remains on the 40-man roster for now, but he could be outrighted to the minors if he goes unclaimed on waivers. Dunning posted a 5.31 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 91:40 K:BB across 95 innings last season, and he struggled during spring training with 10 runs allow over 11 frames.

Rasmussen threw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out three in Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.

Rasmussen continues to ramp up, with Friday's outing marking his longest of the spring. He's been in a battle for the rotation spot for the last month, though Joe Boyle was demoted to Triple-A Durham on Saturday while Shane McClanahan (triceps) won't be ready to begin the season. That seemingly sets up Rasmussen to occupy a rotation spot.

Bubic has won the fifth starter role for the Royals with Daniel Lynch moving to the bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Bubic looks set to make his first regular season start against the Brewers in the second series of the season. Bubic has yielded six runs with a 13:3 K:BB over 13 innings this spring and will look to carry over his success last season as a reliever (32.2 percent strikeout rate over 30.1 regular-season innings) into the rotation.

McClanahan (triceps) will miss the start of the regular season, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

McClanahan exited Saturday's Grapefruit League game with a triceps injury, an unfortunate development as he was attempting to return from his second Tommy John surgery. He is undergoing imaging that will reveal a more specific timeline, though the nature of the injury doesn't offer significant reason for optimism.

The Yankees selected Carrasco's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.

Thanks to a combination of his impressive spring (1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) and a flurry of injuries in New York's pitching staff, Carrasco will land a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day rotation after signing as a camp invitee in February. Although his Grapefruit League numbers were good, the 38-year-old still owns a 6.18 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in the regular season since 2023, so fantasy managers should approach Carrasco with caution. Gerrit Cole (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.