MLB Player News

Duran's fastball velocity has been down this spring, but he says it's by design, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I focus more on my mechanics and my pitches' movement," Duran said this week. "I don't need to throw really hard right now. Maybe in the [regular season] I throw harder, or maybe not."

Duran "only" reached 100.8 mph with his fastball Saturday while tossing a scoreless inning against the Red Sox and striking out one. That's in contrast to the 102.5 mph he hit in his first spring outing of 2023, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. The decline doesn't appear to be a major concern, as his fastball is still elite and he could just be easing into spring training as a more established veteran. Duran is set to return as Minnesota's closer, but manager Rocco Baldelli often deploys his bullpen without regard for the save statistic, meaning Griffin Jax and others will get save chances if matchups call for Duran to be used earlier in the game.

The Rangers optioned Pennington to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Pennington was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with lefty Jacob Latz and righty Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 26-year-old Pennington reached the majors for the first time in 2024 and made 16 appearances between the Royals and Rangers while turning in a 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 18 innings.

The Rangers optioned Latz to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Latz was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with left-hander Walter Pennington and right-hander Cole Winn also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 28-year-old Latz made 46 relief appearances for Texas in 2024, logging a 3.71 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 43.2 innings.

The Rangers optioned Winn to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Winn was one of three candidates for the Opening Day bullpen sent back to the minors Sunday, with lefties Jacob Latz and Walter Pennington also getting optioned to Round Rock. The 25-year-old Winn reached the majors for the first time in 2024, making 13 appearances while posting a 7.79 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 17.1 innings.

Montgomery (back) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.

Montgomery will be making his first Cactus League appearance since Feb. 25, after back spasms kept him out of action for nearly two weeks. The 23-year-old shortstop is in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he'll likely need a strong finish to the spring to earn his place with the big club. Coming off a 121-loss season, the White Sox have no visions of contending for a playoff spot in 2025, so they won't have much motivation to start Montgomery's service clock until they're fully confident that he's big-league ready.

Denoyer (elbow) reported to Baltimore's big-league camp and will be an available option out of the bullpen for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The Orioles have another split-squad contest against the Phillies on Sunday, so Denoyer was summoned from minor-league camp to provide insurance out of the bullpen for the home game against the Twins. Though Denoyer is not scheduled to pitch Sunday, the fact that he's joining the big club for the day is an indication that he's healthy again after missing the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. Denoyer is expected to open the upcoming campaign at Triple-A Norfolk.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that McCullers (forearm) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The upcoming live BP session represents the final hurdle McCullers will need to clear before taking the mound for what would be his first game action since the 2022 World Series. Now 31 years old and no longer an intriguing prospect, the right-hander missed the last two seasons while recovering from June 2023 surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his right forearm. He had been expected to return to action at some point in 2024, but those plans were tabled after he suffered a setback in his throwing program last summer. McCullers resumed throwing off a mound over the winter and seems to have steered clear of any setbacks since then, leaving the Astros optimistic he'll be able to contribute this season. While he remains on track to open the season on the injured list, the fact that he's on the cusp of pitching in spring games suggests that his lengthy stint on the shelf could finally end early in 2025.

Langford started in left field, batted third, and went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Saturday's spring game against the Royals.

Langford made his Cactus League debut after dealing with an oblique strain that first cropped up two weeks ago. He had been scheduled to play Friday, but that game was canceled due to weather. He lined a single that left the bat at 97.6 mph in first plate appearance and later grounded out at an exit velocity of 101.4 mph. "I felt pretty good baseball-wise, but physically, I felt really good," Langford, who also played five innings in left field, told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. If there are no setbacks, Langford should have enough time to build up plate appearances before the start of the regular season.

Rocchio went 2-for-3 in Saturday's spring game against San Diego.

Rocchio is showing signs of improvement at the plate during Cactus League play, slashing .450/.476/.650 with four doubles through eight spring games. That builds off a strong 2024 postseason in which the shortstop had a .906 OPS. The 24-year-old was a highly regarded prospect a few years ago, and while he may not provide much in the way of power, Rocchio defends well (five outs above average in 2024) at a premium position and doesn't need to be a five-category contributor to be an asset for the Guardians.

Ortiz allowed four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five over 2.2 innings in Saturday's spring start against the Padres.

Ortiz struggled with his command during his third Cactus League start. He walked two and allowed four runs in the first inning before being pulled, returning in the second via the re-entry rule to retire six of the final seven batters he faced. Ortiz's spring ERA jumped to 14.14 over seven innings, but as the Guardians' major offseason pitching acquisition, the right-hander should be locked into a spot in the rotation.