MLB Player News

Brazoban is still not in camp due to visa issues in the Dominican Republic, and Marlins beat writer Noah Berger reports that his locker has been removed from the major-league clubhouse.

Miami signed veteran reliever Mychal Givens on Sunday, and Brazoban's continued absence could be the reason why. Brazoban recorded 13 holds over 50 appearances last season, both career highs, to go along with a 4.14 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 65:31 K:BB in 58.2 innings. If the 34-year-old right-hander is no longer an option for the Opening Day bullpen, it could open up a spot for Sixto Sanchez.

Soriano struck out four over 1.2 perfect innings of relief during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

Entering the game in the fourth inning, the 24-year-old right-hander struck out four of the five batters he faced, with only CJ Abrams managing to get the ball into play on a routine groundout to second base. Soriano gave the Marlins solid innings in his big-league debut last season but didn't see much high-leverage work, recording only one save and zero holds over 26 appearances (52 innings). That usage figures to change in 2024, especially with JT Chargois (neck) not yet 100 percent heathy and Huascar Brazoban still absent from camp due to visa issues.

Puk struck out six over 3.1 scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He allowed five hits and a walk.

The 28-year-old southpaw has yet to make a start during his big-league career, with all 142 of his appearances to date coming in relief, but Puk is making a very compelling case to begin the season in the Marlins' rotation. He's delivered a 15:4 K:BB through 8.1 spring innings with a 0.00 ERA, and his emergence makes it easier for the team to give Braxton Garrett (shoulder) the time he needs to get 100 percent healthy, rather than pushing him to be ready for Opening Day. If Puk carries his spring success into the regular season, he could be hard to dislodge from a starting role, but he also hasn't thrown more than 66.1 innings in a season since 2017, when he was working his way through the Oakland system.

Sale allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over 3.2 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. He struck out two.

The veteran lefty came into the game with a 0.00 ERA through his first two spring outings, but a Baltimore lineup that featured only two likely regulars in Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg stung Sale for three hits and a walk in the second inning, with a Coby Mayo double being the biggest blow. Sale still has an 11:3 K:BB through 8.1 Grapefruit League innings, and staying healthy remains his most important goal ahead of Opening Day.

Roby (back) is scheduled to pitch an inning of relief in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Roby is finally ready to make his spring debut after a bout with back stiffness resulted in him being scratched from his initial Grapefruit League appearance in late February. One of the prospects the Cardinals acquired last summer in the deal that sent Jordan Montgomery to Texas, Roby posted a 3.00 ERA and 0.75 WHIP while striking out 19 over 12 innings at Double-A Springfield upon joining his new organization. Considering that injuries limited him to just 52.1 innings in the minors last season, he may head back to Springfield to open the 2024 campaign.

Kingery (illness) went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a strikeout while seeing action at shortstop and second base in Grapefruit League games Friday and Saturday.

Kingery hadn't played in any spring games for about a week due to an illness before returning to action Friday. Though he's seemingly healthy again, Kingery is likely to be reassigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley before camp comes to a close.

Clemens (illness) is starting at third base and batting sixth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

Clemens has been sidelined the past few days by an illness but will return to the lineup for Sunday's contest. The 27-year-old has a .429/.556/.571 slash line through 18 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play as he attempts to earn a place on the Opening Day roster.

Robles (hamstring) will start in center field and bat leadoff in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

The 26-year-old made an early exit from Saturday's contest due to a hamstring issue, but his presence in the lineup a day later indicates it wasn't a serious concern. Robles is expected to open the season as Washington's primary center fielder but may need a strong start to retain the starting job.

Lambert allowed one hit and no walks while striking out two across three scoreless innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.

Lambert hasn't allowed a run in three of his four spring outings and also hasn't issued a walk across his last two appearances. However, he's also lacked swing-and-miss stuff, as he's racked up only five strikeouts across nine frames. Lambert is competing for both a rotation and roster spot, and his spring performance should be beneficial to him.

Ortiz allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

The stat line isn't particularly positive, but Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provided more context for the outing by noting that Ortiz was struggling with his fastball velocity. Even without that, he settled in for a solid showing after allowing four baserunners and two earned runs in the first inning. Ortiz still has inconsistent command -- he has five walks across eight innings this spring -- but he has racked up 11 strikeouts in three Grapefruit League appearances. He's competing for the fifth rotation spot and has arguably made the best case for himself among the likes of Quinn Priester, Bailey Falter and Roansy Contreras.