MLB Player News

Owens is looking sharp so far in spring training and could push for an MLB bullpen role this season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Owens, who was acquired last summer in the trade that sent Carson Kelly to Texas, is just 5-foot-10, but he has a unique delivery and can reach the upper 90s with his fastball. The 24-year-old pitched well following the trade, recording a 2.80 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 35.1 innings with Double-A Erie, and he figures to make the jump to Triple-A this year. Owens is also already on the 40-man roster, so if he continues to pitch well in the minors, his MLB debut might not be too far off as a member of Detroit's bullpen.

Stripling agreed to a minor-league contract with the Royals on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Stripling has been a successful swingman at times throughout his career but had to settle for a minor-league deal after posting a 6.01 ERA across 85.1 innings with the Athletics last season. While the veteran right-hander will compete for a place on the Opening Day roster, he should be considered more likely to begin the campaign at Triple-A Omaha.

Wicks (oblique) threw a live batting practice session Wednesday.

Wicks finished last season on the injured list after straining his right oblique for the second time in just over three months back in September, but he looks to be back to full health in the early stages of spring training. The 25-year-old southpaw started in 10 of his 11 appearances with the Cubs in 2024, but after struggling to stay healthy and performing poorly when available (5.48 ERA, 1.63 WHIP in 46 innings), he'll have to compete for a spot in the Opening Day rotation this spring. If healthy, Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd should all be locked in as starters, leaving Wicks to battle Javier Assad (oblique), Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Cody Poteet for the final rotation spot.

Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Steele is lined up to start March 19 against the Dodgers in the second of two games in Tokyo, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Steele is expected to oppose Roki Sasaki, although the Dodgers have not yet made that official. Steele, 29, was limited to 24 starts last season due to hamstring and forearm injuries, but he pitched well when on the bump, collecting a 3.07 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 135:37 K:BB across 134.2 innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Hampton is dealing with a right flexor strain and "something going on with his UCL," Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Hampton is back in New York to be examined, and elbow surgery appears to be a distinct possibility. The 23-year-old was limited to just seven starts in 2024 due to elbow, shoulder and groin injuries. Hampton is one of the Yankees' better pitching prospects, and he likely would have began the season at Double-A Somerset if he hadn't suffered the elbow injury.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Stroman will start Friday's Grapefruit League opener versus the Rays, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Just under a week after he made a delayed arrival to spring training and told reporters that he had no intention of pitching out of the bullpen in 2025, Stroman will end up getting the starting nod for the Yankees' exhibition opener. Stroman looks like he'll remain on a starter's throwing schedule throughout the spring, but unless he's traded, he likely won't have a path to a rotation spot unless at least one of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt isn't available to begin the season. Per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Boone said Wednesday that Schmidt is dealing with a "cranky back," but the injury doesn't yet appear to be anything that will jeopardize Schmidt's availability for Opening Day.

Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Schmidt is dealing with a "cranky" back, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The skipper is not concerned, noting that Schmidt threw an "aggressive" flat-ground session Wednesday and is expected to throw off the mound Friday. It remains to be seen when Schmidt might be ready to play in a Grapefruit League contest, but at this juncture it does not appear to be an injury fantasy managers should be worried about.

Frasso (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Noah Camras of DodgersNation.com reports.

For the second spring training in a row, Frasso is part of the Dodgers' 40-man roster, but he's participating in big-league camp this time around after he was held out of action for all of 2024 while recovering from November 2023 surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder as well as the cleanup procedure he required a few months later on his hip labrum. The 26-year-old righty wasn't cleared to play in the Arizona Fall League as hoped, but he doesn't appear to be operating with any restrictions during spring training. Frasso has two minor-league options remaining and will likely be part of the Triple-A Oklahoma City rotation to begin the 2025 season.

Gore will start Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Astros, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Manager Dave Martinez hasn't yet tipped his hand regarding his Opening Day starter, but Gore remains the most likely candidate, with Jake Irvin also an option. Gore will look to take another step forward in 2025 after the 25-year-old southpaw posted a career-best 3.90 ERA last season, along with a 1.42 WHIP and 181:65 K:BB over 166.1 innings.

Sale will get the start Saturday for Atlanta's Grapefruit League opener against the Twins, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner is almost certain to get the Opening Day start as well, but Atlanta has yet to make that official. Sale's 29 starts and 177.2 innings in 2024 represent his biggest workload since 2017, and the 35-year-old southpaw believes he'll be able to stay mostly healthy again this season. "I kind of found a routine that really worked well for me last year, and when I needed to adjust, I could," Sale said this week. "So again, I'm basically just trying to replicate what last offseason looked like, and then kind of do the same thing through spring training and hopefully it translates to the season." Manager Brian Snitker indicated that Sale's routine would once again include an extra day or two of rest between his starts, as Sale rarely worked on only four days' rest in 2024.