MLB Player News

Puk was diagnosed with a mild left shoulder strain Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old will be shut down from throwing until being reevaluated Thursday or Friday. Puk already underwent an MRI which revealed no structural issues, but it's nonetheless a discouraging spring-training development for the young left-hander. Puk's availability for Opening Day will be in limbo until he receives an official timetable for his return to the mound.

Loaisiga will continue to stretch out this spring but could wind up filling multiple roles this season, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Manager Aaron Boone is reportedly impressed with Loaisiga's stuff, which has led him to a 28.3 percent strikeout rate in 56.1 major-league innings. The 25-year-old hasn't had a ton of success overall, posting a modest 4.79 ERA and an 11.3 percent walk rate, but the Yankees are in desperate need of rotation help early this season. Luis Severino (elbow) is out for the year, while Domingo German (suspension) and James Paxton (back) will miss significant time. Loaisiga threw just 49.1 innings last season across all levels and has never thrown more than 80.2, however, so even if he wins an Opening Day rotation spot, he's unlikely to stay there all year.

Manager Mike Matheny said Tuesday that Junis' back tightness is not serious, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The Royals are being cautious with Junis and expect him to throw on the side during the upcoming days. The 27-year-old threw an efficient inning with two strikeouts during his spring debut Thursday and will likely miss limited time before returning to the bottom half of the Kansas City rotation for the remainder of camp.

Honeywell (elbow) threw his second bullpen session of the spring Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As with his first session Friday, Honeywell threw just 15 pitches, all of which were fastballs. The 24-year-old hasn't thrown a competitive pitch since 2017, having missed the last two seasons due to a pair of elbow surgeries, but he was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the game prior to his injuries. He has little left to prove at the Triple-A level, having posted a 3.64 ERA and a 29.1 percent strikeout rate in 24 starts there for Durham back in 2017, but he'll probably spend some time in the minors early in the season as he works his way back into shape.

Putnam joined the White Sox on a minor-league deal Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Putnam isn't a candidate for an Opening Day roster spot, as he's joined Chicago's minor-league camp. The 32-year-old missed all of last season due to a hamstring injury.

Weber allowed one unearned run on three hits while striking out six over three innings in Monday's spring game against the Tigers.

Weber is making a strong case to be added to the back end of the rotation. The finesse right-hander threw two shutout innings in his Grapefruit League debut last week against Baltimore. With two spots available -- one a full-time gig and the other temporary as a replacement for Chris Sale (illness) -- interim manger Ron Roenicke is flirting with the idea of using an opener for one of those two spots, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports, but the manager would rather someone emerge as a traditional starter.

Norris allowed four runs on six hits across two innings of work in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

It was a rough first start of the spring for Norris, but with little competition around him in Detroit, the lefty should have a pretty firm grip on a rotation spot regardless of how he looks in camp. Norris did have a decent 2019 campaign (4.49 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 125 strikeouts in 144.1 innings), but his inability to go deep into games limits his fantasy appeal.

Pearson threw two perfect innings against the Pirates on Sunday, striking out three and hitting 100 mph with his fastball, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The Jays' top pitching prospect wasn't just facing minor-league scrubs either, as his strikeout victims included Bryan Reynolds and Josh Bell. Pearson has struck out six of the nine batters he's faced this spring and has yet to allow a baserunner, but so far the organization isn't budging from its plan to send him back to Triple-A Buffalo at the end of camp. "He's got to deal in Triple-A first," manager Charlie Montoya said Sunday. If Pearson keeps dominating the Grapefruit League, the clamor to have him begin the year in the big-league rotation will grow louder, but even if he's forced to spend a few more weeks in Buffalo, it seems only a matter of time before he'll force his way onto Toronto's staff.

Barnes is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance out of the bullpen Monday against the Tigers, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Given that Barnes is already locked in as one of the top setup men for closer Brandon Workman heading into the season, the Red Sox have spent the early portion of spring training evaluating their other relief options who are fighting for spots in the Opening Day bullpen. Barnes' eye-popping strikeout totals over the past two seasons have put him on the fantasy radar, but until he shows the ability to limit free passes (career 10.7 percent walk rate), he won't provide much value in the ERA and WHIP categories.

Manaea started a Cactus League split-squad win over the Indians on Saturday and allowed two earned runs on four hits across three innings. He struck out two.

Manaea was coming off a forgettable Cactus League debut Monday versus the Brewers, one in which he allowed six earned runs across just 1.2 innings. The left-hander had struggled some with the location of his slider, a pitch he's been heavily focused on this offseason and spring. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Manaea was much sharper Saturday with the help of a fastball that hit 93 mph on multiple occasions, and due to a grip adjustment suggested to him by pitching coach Scott Emerson during a recent bullpen session, one that turns the slider into a hybrid cutter. Manaea deployed the offering approximately 10 times across his 48 pitches and plans to continue refining it during his remaining exhibition starts. "It's a little bit harder," Manaea said of the new cutter. "I was throwing it at 85 mph and I've never thrown a slider before at 85. It was cool. Really just trying to get where I feel like I have that explosiveness. It was a big step in the right direction."