MLB Player News

Thielbar (back) will be available out of the bullpen for Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He's received the green light to make his spring debut after being slowed earlier in camp by a strained back. The lefty reliever shouldn't need more than a handful of appearances this spring to erase any concerns about his availability for the start of the season, so he would still appear to be in good shape to break camp with the Twins.

Thornton (elbow) is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Thornton has been brought along slowly this spring as he works his way back from September surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He could still have time to get fully up to speed by Opening Day, though there's no guarantee he spends that day as a member of the major-league roster. The Blue Jays intend to have Thornton stretch out for starting duty this spring, but the team doesn't appear to have a spot open in the rotation for him.

The Athletics optioned Romero to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Romero was one of seven Athletics players optioned to the minors in the organization's first round of roster cuts. The reliever will be returning to Triple-A after previously spending the 2019 campaign in Las Vegas, with whom he produced a 3.96 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 72.2 innings.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde confirmed Monday that Harvey will be sidelined indefinitely with a left oblique strain, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Hyde didn't go as far as saying that Harvey wouldn't be ready for Opening Day, but it's probably safe to rule the right-hander out for the start of the season, given his history as a slow healer along with the fact that he's dealing with more than just a sore oblique. Prior to getting hurt on his first pitch of Friday's Grapefruit League appearance against the Phillies, Harvey was viewed as the frontrunner for the Orioles' closing job, but Hyde will now have to look elsewhere at the back end of the bullpen. Tanner Scott, Shawn Armstrong and Cesar Valdez are the most likely candidates for the job, but it's possible the Orioles opt for a committee approach at closer to begin the season, which would limit the value of all of the team's end-game options.

Paredes allowed two hits and a walk over one scoreless inning in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

This was the first appearance since March 4 for Paredes, who missed time due to health and safety protocols. As a projected reliever, Paredes should have enough time to be ready for the start of the regular season. He made his major league debut last season, pitching to a 3.05 ERA over 20.2 innings.

Misiewicz, who compiled eight holds as a rookie in 2020, has a 3.00 ERA and 4:0 K:BB across three innings over his first three Cactus League appearances.

The young right-hander has given up one earned run, but otherwise, he's been close to flawless while exhibiting some of the same impressive control that led to a 25:6 K:BB over his first 20 big-league innings a season ago. Misiewicz appears on his way to garnering a roster spot as a middle reliever again, with Daniel Kramer of MLB.com including him in his latest Opening Day roster projection.

Garcia completed three innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game over the Blue Jays, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out two.

Garcia has not allowed an earned run over his past two starts, striking out seven batters across six frames in that span. After an uneven spring debut, the 21-year-old has shined and may be cementing his place as New York's fifth starter to begin the campaign.

Manaea, who allowed an earned run on three hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts over three innings in a Cactus League win over the Reds on Saturday, saw his fastball top out at 94 mph during the outing, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The radar-gun reading is particularly relevant when considering Manaea's velocity was down in recent seasons as he focused on improving his command. Manaea was able to combine both power and location consistently Saturday, and his ability to keep the fastball at no less than 93 mph was partly a testament to an offseason workout regimen that focused on mobility and durability.

Foster retired one of the five hitters he faced in his Cactus League debut during Saturday's 6-5 win over the Angels, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks.

According to James Fegan of The Athletic, Foster said that a tweaked groin was behind his delayed start to spring training, but he appears to be healthy again after the White Sox cleared him to make his first appearance of 2021. Foster attributed his poor results Saturday to relying too much of his remodeled slider, so he'll look to iron things out over his remaining handful of relief appearances before Opening Day. Foster was a key piece in the White Sox bullpen as a rookie last season, posting a 2.20 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over 28.2 innings.

Graveman is one of the relievers the Mariners plan to utilize in "the highest-leverage innings" of games this coming season, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The versatile veteran's career has hit several rough patches over the last three seasons in the form of a 2018 Tommy John surgery that led to a missed 2019 and a benign spinal tumor that caused him to miss part of the 2020 campaign. Graveman finally rediscovered his stride when he returned as a reliever late last season, with his fastball velocity even ticking up to career-high levels (96-97 mph). That heater is part of what makes him a potentially effective late-inning asset again this season, and it worked well for him through his first two scoreless Cactus League appearances before he allowed four earned runs on four hits and a walk over an inning in his third outing Wednesday.