MLB Player News

The Athletics acquired Martinez and infielder Euribiel Angeles on Sunday in exchange for pitchers Sean Manaea and Aaron Holiday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 19-year-old Angeles is viewed as the better of the two prospects heading to Oakland, though Martinez is closer to reaching the big leagues after San Diego added him to its 40-man roster over the winter. Oakland is expected to continue developing Martinez as a starter after he produced a 3.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 122:41 K:BB in 125 innings between stops at Triple-A El Paso and Double-A San Antonio. While Martinez will most likely open the upcoming season at Triple-A Las Vegas with his new organization, the fact that the Athletics have now shipped out Manaea and lost James Kaprielian (shoulder) and Brent Honeywell (elbow) to injuries this spring could give the 25-year-old right-hander and outside shot to crack Oakland's Opening Day rotation.

Manager Dusty Baker confirmed Sunday that Abreu has made the Astros' Opening Day roster, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker said that Abreu and Ronel Blanco secured the final two spots in the Astros' season-opening bullpen after Brandon Bielak and Seth Martinez were optioned to Sugar Land, while non-roster invitees Adam Morgan and Zac Rosscup were informed they wouldn't make the club. Abreu, who owns a 4.69 ERA and 11.3 K-BB% across 42 career big-league appearances, is expected to fill a low-leverage role out of the Houston bullpen.

Astros manager Dusty Baker confirmed Sunday that Blanco's contract will be selected from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker said that Blanco and Bryan Abreu secured the final two spots in the Astros' season-opening bullpen after Brandon Bielak and Seth Martinez were optioned to Sugar Land, while non-roster invitees Adam Morgan and Zac Rosscup were informed they wouldn't make the club. The 28-year-old Blanco will hit the big leagues for the first time in his career, coming off a 2021 campaign in which he posted a 3.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 57:16 K:BB in 45 innings for Sugar Land.

The Astros optioned Martinez to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In addition to Martinez, the Astros also optioned Brandon Bielak to Triple-A, clearing the way for Ronel Blanco and Bryan Abreu to secure the final two spots in Houston's Opening Day bullpen, according to Rome. Martinez reached the big leagues for the first time late in the 2021 season, making three relief appearances for Houston and giving up five earned runs over three innings.

White allowed one hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Saturday's spring training game against Cleveland.

White, a highly regarded prospect drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft, made his Cactus League debut for the Rangers. He set down the side on eight pitches in his first inning, including a three-pitch strikeout, then worked around a single in his second frame. Tommy John elbow surgery and the canceled 2020 minor-league season set back White's development. He's expected to open the season at High-A Hickory and could move up a level at some point.

Montero (lat) is listed among the Astros' available relievers for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He'll be pitching for the first time this spring after he was a delayed arrival at camp due to a visa issue. Montero missed the final two months of the 2021 campaign with a right lat strain, but after a full offseason of recovery, the 31-year-old is believed to be healthy heading into Opening Day. He'll likely serve as a middle reliever for Houston during the upcoming campaign.

Texas manager Chris Woodward said Saturday that Howard will be the team's fifth starter, Levi Weaver and Lindsey Adler of The Athletic report.

Howard had better spring performances than fellow young hurlers A.J. Alexy and Glenn Otto, and the Rangers apparently settled on Kolby Allard as a reliever. The 25-year-old Howard had a combined 7.43 ERA in 2021 for Philadelphia and Texas (9.70 in eight starts with the Rangers), so there's risk involved.

Burke will break camp on the major-league roster, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Burke made six starts in his major-league debut back in 2019, struggling to a 7.42 ERA. He missed all of 2020 due to shoulder surgery and was stuck at Triple-A for all of 2021, where he struck out 28.9 percent of opposing batters but finished with a 5.68 ERA. He appears lined up for a bullpen role for now, but his past experience as a starter makes him an option for spot starts as needed.

Abreu and Robert Ahlstrom were sent from the Yankees to the Rangers on Saturday in exchange for Jose Trevino.

Abreu had been expected to break camp in the big leagues, and that's presumably still true for his new team, as he's out of options. The 26-year-old righty tossed 26.2 innings of relief last season, struggling to a 5.15 ERA while walking 12.2 percent of opposing batters, so he's likely to find himself in a low-leverage role.

Karinchak (shoulder) will begin the season on the injured list, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Karinchak is currently shut down from throwing as he recovers from a teres muscle strain in his right shoulder. He should resume throwing soon but presumably won't be ready for game action right away. His poor season last year and Emmanuel Clase's emergence put some distance between Karinchak and the closer role, though a bounce-back performance should at least position him to be one of the top options if Clase gets hurt.