MLB Player News

Pivetta retired all nine batters he faced and struck out five over three perfect innings in Saturday's spring game against the Twins.

Pivetta turned in a dominant effort Saturday and appears poised to be the team's No. 2 starter behind Nathan Eovaldi following the rib injury that knocked Chris Sale off schedule. "I felt good. Was able to command the zone very well, get my curveball over for strikes, get a couple changeups, a couple sliders -- two sliders -- for strikeouts. So it was good," Pivetta told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "A good one to build on." The 29-year-old right-hander earned a larger role after he turned in several sparkling performances in 2021, including a couple in the playoffs. Pivetta's on tap to start the second game of the season, April 9 in Yankee Stadium.

Honeywell started Friday's Cactus League win over the Angels and allowed three earned runs on seven hits over 2.1 innings. He struck out one.

The right-handed offseason acquisition, who may have a chance at a back-end rotation spot, got his outing off to a rough start by surrendering a two-run home run to Jo Adell in the first inning and pitched to plenty of additional contact. Honeywell was able to work up to 40 pitches, however, an encouraging sign given the array of injuries that essentially wiped out three seasons of his development while in the Rays organization.

Even with trade rumors surrounding Manaea, he is focusing on getting ready for the regular season, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

With the Athletics trading away their core players, Manaea could be on the move next. In Manaea's first outing of spring training, he allowed five hits, five earned runs and one walk with one strikeout in 1.1 innings. Over a career-high 179.1 innings in 2021, Manaea's sinker velocity averaged 92.1 mph, which was the highest since 2016 (92.9 mph). With that increased velocity, the sinker elicited a career-best 10.7% SwStr%, plus two other pitches with double-digit SwStr% in the changeup (16.5%) and slider (11.7%).

Duran threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in his spring debut Saturday against the Red Sox. He reached 100.4 mph with his fastball, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com.

Duran is one of Minnesota's top pitching prospects, but he threw just 16 innings last season due to elbow issues. He could contend for the major-league rotation later this season, but his workload may be managed as he works his way back to form, Park also reports.

Robles has yet to report to camp due to a visa issue, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Robles signed with the Red Sox as a non-roster invitee Saturday but won't get the chance to push for a roster spot right away. Whether or not he arrives in time to claim one remains to be seen.

Robles' deal with the Red Sox is a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

It's a bit surprising that Robles had to settle for a minor-league deal, but he may have liked his time with Boston last season and been eager to return. Robles has saved 41 games in his career and he saved 14 games last season, so even though it's a minor-league deal, it's possible he earns high-leverage work at some point this season.

With the Tigers adding Michael Pineda on Friday, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Alexander will likely head to the bullpen to begin the season.

Alexander was slotted in as the team's No. 5 starter, but the addition of Pineda should change that. The new addition figures to join Eduardo Rodriguez, Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning in the rotation. Alexander has proven capable of both starting and pitching in relief during his career, and he could rejoin the rotation if anyone gets bumped due to injury or ineffectiveness. For now, the lefty's fantasy value takes a hit in a long relief role.

Robles has agreed to a contract with the Red Sox, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old righty had a 4.43 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 69 innings last season between Minnesota and Boston. He was significantly better (3.60 ERA, 30.3 K%) with the Red Sox, as he saved four games in 27 appearances for Boston. With Garrett Whitlock getting stretched out, it's possible that Robles could enter the mix for saves again this season -- he has 41 in his career, 23 of which came with the Angels in 2019.

Beeks (elbow) had his fastball clocked at 93-94 mph during a recent bullpen session, MLB.com reports.

Beeks missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in September 2020. He's said to be throwing well in early workouts, so it's possible he could contend for a bullpen spot to begin the season. However, it seems more likely the Rays would want him to get back up to speed in the minors first.

Hernandez (elbow) is trending toward a return in mid-to-late June, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports.

Hernandez was thought to have a chance to close last season before a preseason elbow injury wound up requiring Tommy John surgery in April. He's said to be slightly behind teammate Jose Leclerc, who underwent the same procedure in late March. Either pitcher could push for the closer role in the second half, as presumptive favorite Joe Barlow is hardly an inner-circle option for the spot, though that would require them pitching at close to full strength immediately after returning to action.