MLB Player News

Pinto signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Sunday that includes an invitation to big-league camp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Pinto spent the 2023 campaign playing in Mexico and Venezuela, and he posted a 4.12 ERA across 137.2 innings. The 30-year-old last pitched in affiliated ball at the Triple-A level in 2022 and had a 3.58 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB over 32.2 innings.

Crawford is working on a split-finger fastball that he feels would complement his existing repertoire, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. "All my stuff is moving glove side, away from righties and into lefties. The splitter would open up the other side of the plate," Crawford said.

Crawford, who was projected as a rotation lock earlier last week by Abraham, got a thumbs-up Saturday from starting catcher Connor Wong, who served as a batter during the pitcher's live BP session. "As a catcher, I see a lot. But the perspective as a hitter is different because you get a real feel for the breaking pitches," Wong said. "Kutter brings so much to the table and it's getting better." The right-hander opened the 2023 season as part of the rotation, then moved to the bullpen before rejoining the starters in early June. Crawford had a 4.20 ERA (3.64 FIP) over 21 starts while limiting opponents to a .226 batting average and .679 OPS after re-entering the rotation.

Sandlin sustained an oblique strain in July last year that cut short his season, but he's fully recovered heading into spring training, Jen McCaffery of The Athletic reports.

The Red Sox acquired Sandlin from the Royals on Saturday, and the organization feels the right-hander is on the rise, per chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. "We've seen the stuff take a pretty big step forward," Breslow said. "It was a combination of raw stuff, projection and a chance to maybe tweak the usage a little bit and improve performance." Sandlin was sharp when healthy in 2023, posting a 3.38 ERA and 33 percent strikeout rate in Low-A before a promotion to High-A. He made two starts for Quad Cities before the oblique injury. Sandlin, who turns 23 on Wednesday, experienced a jump in velocity, going from the low-90s in college to sitting at 95-97 mph during his first professional season. His repertoire also includes a slider, curve and a changeup that some evaluators feel is his best pitch, according to Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe.

The Twins plan to have Varland stretch out as a starting pitcher this spring, although moving him to the bullpen remains an option, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. He's been working on an improved two-seam fastball and slider in the offseason to help him win a spot in the rotation.

Varland's improved velocity turned him into a late-season weapon out of the bullpen last year after working as a starter the first five months. As a reliever he had a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings with a 17:1 K:BB while throwing a fastball that touched triple digits. He'll be in the mix for the final spot in the rotation this spring. If Varland loses out on the fifth starter role to Anthony DeSclafani, it will be interesting to see if the Twins move him to the bullpen or keep him as a starter at Triple-A. He could be an impact fantasy asset as a starting pitcher this season given his improvement last season and if a new pitch can broaden his arsenal.

Lodolo (leg) threw a bullpen session Saturday and acknowledged being pain-free, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Lodolo, who was limited to seven starts in 2023, has been in Arizona since mid-January and estimated he's thrown off a mound seven or eight times. While the left-hander's leg is pain-free when pitching, he acknowledged that it isn't feeling 100 percent. "That's where I got into trouble last year. I was feeling it and tried to continue going for a month-and-a-half. It just gave out," he said. "We're trying to avoid that. We're being smarter with the build-up." Saturday's session, in which Lodolo threw 25 pitches, was his second since camp opened earlier this week; he tossed 20 pitches Wednesday. Reds manager David Bell said Lodolo could be ready by Opening Day if "everything goes well, goes perfect."

The Mariners claimed Stoudt off waivers from Cincinnati on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Stoudt had been part of the trade package that sent Luis Castillo from Cincinnati to Seattle in 2022, and Stoudt will now reunite with the organization that drafted him. The 26-year-old righty struggled to find his footing in 2023, allowing 11 earned runs in 10.1 major-league innings while also putting up a 6.23 ERA across 82.1 frames in Triple-A. He'll presumably start the season with Triple-A Tacoma and would need to show significant progress from last year before getting another run in the big leagues. Canaan Smith-Njigba was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Ashcraft (toe) will be ready for the start of Cactus League play, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Ashcraft had said Tuesday that his toe was still not quite at 100 percent following his surgery in September, but it appears the 26-year-old has made significant progress since then. Ashcraft will look to cement himself in Cincinnati's rotation during the spring after posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 145.2 innings last season.

The Royals placed Wright (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Saturday.

Wright is set to miss the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery in October, so it was only a matter of time before he landed on the IL. Wright's spot on the 40-man roster will be given to John Schreiber, who was acquired from the Red Sox on Saturday.

The Royals traded Sandlin to the Red Sox on Saturday in exchange for John Schreiber, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Sandlin spent time with the Royals' Single-A and High-A affiliates last season, logging a 3.51 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while striking out 88 batters across 66.2 total innings. The 22-year-old righty will likely return to High-A to begin the 2024 campaign with hopes of reaching Double-A Portland at some point in the summer.

Sanchez is out of minor-league options, but the right-hander isn't guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He's thrown only one inning since 2020 due to a pair of shoulder surgeries, and the upside he displayed prior to that is a distant memory. The Marlins have a vacancy in their rotation this season with Sandy Alcantara (elbow) out, but Sanchez might be a long shot just to win a low-leverage relief job. He threw a bullpen session Thursday and at least appears to be healthy to begin camp, but the 25-year-old has a lot to prove. "That's the reality," manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday. "He's in big-league camp. He's got a chance just like anybody else, but he's gonna have to show something."