MLB Player News

Isaac (elbow) will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll see his first spring game action since Feb. 21, after a sore left elbow had limited him in recent workouts. Though the elbow issue no longer seems to be affecting Isaac at the dish, it's unclear when he'll be able to complete his throwing program and resume playing first base and in the outfield. In any case, Isaac doesn't look like he'll require a season-opening stint on Double-A Montgomery's injured list since he'll be able to serve as a DH until he's fully healthy.

Arrighetti recorded two shutout innings while striking out three and not allowing a baserunner in Saturday's Grapefruit League game.

Arrighetti was shaky in his opening spring outing, handing out three free passes in two innings of work. Saturday's appearance showed improvement, as he threw 17 of his 29 pitches for strikes. Arrighetti will have high expectations in 2025 after maintaining a 3.18 ERA across his final 65 innings to close last campaign.

McCullers (forearm) threw live batting practice to three teammates Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers threw a total of 20 pitches and managed to hit 94.7 mph with his fastball. He also mixed in his curveball, sinker and changeup. McCullers still plans to complete at least three more live batting practice sessions, but his stated goal is to appear in a Grapefruit League game.

Robert went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Saturday's Cactus League game.

Robert's name has been in trade rumors throughout the winter and that isn't likely to change unless he's dealt before Opening Day. He's put that chatter behind him, however, as he's collected four hits across his first 11 at-bats. Robert also managed his first homer of the spring Saturday, when he took Logan Evans deep.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday and is experiencing less soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe continues to ramp up in his return from surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. He spoke after the session and said he experienced less soreness than the previous week, though it's still unclear exactly when he'll be ready to pitch in game action.

Waters is in the mix for an outfield bench role along with Nick Pratto, Dairon Blanco (Achilles) and Joey Wiemer, MLB.com reports. He's hitting .167 (2-for-12) this spring.

Blanco is likely the favorite but he's been sidelined this spring with an Achilles injury. The Royals could also decide to keep an extra infielder who can play outfield if needed. Waters hit .293 with 13 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a .877 OPS at Triple-A last season. However, he's never been able to translate his intriguing power-speed mix to success in the majors. As a switch hitter and plus fielder, Waters could be the best bench option if Blanco is out.

Pratto is working in the outfield this spring in an effort to win a utility role, MLB.com reports. He's competing with Dairon Blanco, Joey Wiemer and Drew Waters for a bench spot.

Pratto hit just .240 with 16 home runs and a .728 OPS at Triple-A last season but still has significant power, as he hit 36 homers in the minors in 2021. He's likely a long shot to win a roster spot, though he is out of options. He's hitting just 1-for-10 in his first five spring games.

Garcia will get time in center field this spring as the Royals want to add another option to their outfield mix, MLB.com reports. "The way our team's set up, [Bobby Witt is] playing short, if [Michael Massey is] playing second, the next best spot to get [Garcia] is in center field," said Royals general manager J.J. Picollo.

Garcia started in center field in Friday's spring game and hit second in the order going 1-for-3 at the plate. Moving Garcia to center field may allow the Royals to get more right-handed bats into the lineup if Jonathan India is then used at third base. Garcia is still viewed as the starter at third base and it's not entirely clear who would play at third base if Garcia is used more in the outfield.

Festa gave up four earned runs on five hits and a walk but struck out five over 2.1 innings in Saturday's spring training loss to Boston.

It's early in the competition for the final two spots in the Minnesota rotation, but Festa took a step back. It was also notable that he was used as the third pitcher in the game. He threw two scoreless innings in his first outing but now has an 8.31 ERA this spring along with a 7:1 K:BB ration in 5.1 innings. Festa is competing with Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews for the final two spots in the rotation.

Vazquez went 1-for-3 in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox and is hitting 2-for-8 in his first three spring games.

Vazquez was the subject of trade rumors in the offseason as the Twins were thought to want to offload the $10 million for the final year of his contract. However, he looks set to stay on the roster and repeat sharing catching duties fairly equally with Ryan Jeffers. Vazquez continues to slip at the plate as he had a career-worst .575 OPS and .248 OBP last season, but he is still seen as a strong defender (ninth in baseball with seven Defensive Runs Saved).