MLB Player News

Kussow recently underwent labrum surgery on his right shoulder and was placed on the FCL Mets' full-season injured list Wednesday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Kussow was a fourth-round pick by the Mets in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft. This was slated to be his first full minor-league season, but instead the right-hander will spend the entirety of the campaign recovering and rehabbing from surgery.

Kikuchi is slated to start the Angels' second game of the regular season -- which will take place Friday, March 27 in Houston -- and is expected to be "full-go" for that outing, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Kikuchi spent much of his time this spring with Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, but he had a small workload, tossing just four innings across two appearances and giving up three runs on seven hits with a 5:0 K:BB. The southpaw recently returned to the Angels and started against the Royals on Thursday, tossing 4.2 innings during which he allowed one run on two hits and three walks while fanning two batters. Kikuchi worked up to just 64 pitches in the start, but even with Opening Day just a week away, it sounds like the club feels that Kikuchi will be able to handle a full workload right away.

The Rockies reassigned Condon to minor-league camp Thursday.

Condon has hit very well this spring, slashing .385/.457/.718 with three home runs, four doubles and nine RBI through 20 games. However, he's yet to play beyond Double-A in the minors, so Colorado has opted to give him more time to develop on the farm. With that said, the Rockies are far from loaded at first base, so Condon could be up with the big club in short order, especially if he has a hot start to the campaign.

Alvarez was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against Houston due to back tightness, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Alvarez struck out in the third inning in his only plate appearance and was replaced by a pinch hitter in the fourth. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the backstop's exit was precautionary, though it's not clear if Alvarez will miss additional time. He's been having a strong spring, slashing .364/.423/.636 with one home run, three doubles and four RBI through 10 games.

The Giants optioned Fitzgerald to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.

Fitzgerald's performance dropped dramatically last season, as he finished the year with a .217/.278/.327 slash line after having posted an .831 OPS the year prior. His offensive woes have followed him into spring training, so the Giants will send him to Triple-A to get back on track.

The Giants optioned McCray to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.

McCray appeared in just 22 games for the Giants last season, during which he went 2-for-22 (.091) with two RBI and three runs scored. He improved his performance at the plate in the Cactus League, logging a .792 OPS over 40 plate appearances, but he projects to spend most of his time in the minors this year working as organizational depth.

The Giants optioned Eldridge to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.

Eldridge posted an .830 OPS with six RBI and eight runs scored through 19 Cactus League games, but 19 of his 40 at-bats resulted in a strikeout. The 21-year-old had been in the running to open the regular season as San Francisco's primary designated hitter, but he will instead report to Sacramento, which will allow him to continue developing his discipline while making regular starts at first base. Now that Eldridge is out of the picture, Jerar Encarnacion figures to be the most likely candidate at DH for the Giants.

The Guardians optioned Brito to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Brito logged an .820 OPS over 24 Triple-A games last year, but his attempt at making Cleveland's Opening Day roster will fall short after he slashed just .154/.313/.269 over 32 plate appearances in the Cactus League. The 24-year-old utility man has yet to make his MLB debut, though his defensive versatility figures to help his chances of receiving a midseason promotion.

Severino will start the Athletics' March 27 season opener versus the Blue Jays in Toronto, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

This will be Severino's second consecutive Opening Day start and his third overall. The 32-year-old is coming off the worst season of his MLB career (20-start minimum) as he had a 4.54 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 124:50 K:BB over 162.2 innings last year. The two-time All-Star has not been able to recapture the stretch he had from 2017 to 2022, when he had a 3.10 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Since then, the right-hander has had a 4.71 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across the past three seasons.

The Brewers optioned Henderson to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Henderson impressed during his five regular-season starts with Milwaukee last year, turning in a 1.78 ERA and 0.99 WHIP alongside a 33:8 K:BB through 25.1 frames. Although he won't be part of the Brewers' Opening Day rotation, there's a strong chance that the 24-year-old right-hander will be called upon to start for the big club at some point, and injuries to Brandon Woodruff (lat), Quinn Priester (wrist) and Kyle Harrison (finger) could allow Henderson to return to the majors sooner rather than later.