MLB Player News

Romero has missed the last several days of workouts at spring training due to an injury to his right pinkie finger, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Romero was sporting a cast on the finger Thursday after he said he accidentally slammed the digit in a door a few days earlier. He noted that he anticipates resuming a throwing program early next week, so he'll still have a chance at being ready to go for the start of the Pacific Coast League season. Romero covered 72.2 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2019, posting a 3.96 ERA and 81:36 K:BB.

The Indians announced Thursday that Clase's MRI revealed a moderate strain of the teres major muscle in his upper back, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. The reliever is expected to miss 8-to-12 weeks of activity.

Cleveland intends to evaluate Clase weekly before pinpointing a more precise timetable for his return, but the 21-year-old won't be ready to even start a throwing program until May at the earliest while he remains shut down from activity. It's a disappointing development for Clase, the main prize Cleveland took back in the offseason trade that sent Corey Kluber to the Rangers. The hard-throwing righty was expected to vie for a key setup role for the Tribe in 2020, but the injury now makes it tough to justify drafting him even in AL-only leagues that count holds as a category. With Clase on the shelf, James Karinchak seemingly profiles as the clear top handcuff to closer Brad Hand.

Wells (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Wells has been sidelined for most of his first big-league camp with right oblique soreness, but it sounds like he's finally beginning to make some meaningful progress in his recovery. The lefty is hopeful to pitch at some point during the Orioles' Grapefruit League slate before likely opening the season in the Triple-A Norfolk or Double-A Bowie rotation.

Green has been working on adding a curveball to his arsenal, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Green relied almost exclusively on fastballs and sliders last season -- per Statcast, he tossed one of those two pitches 98 percent of the time -- but he has already broken out his new curveball in spring training, according to Wagner. A curve could serve as a devastating contrast to Green's mid-to-upper-90s fastball and help improve upon his elite 33.1 percent strikeout rate.

Garcia is in line to start Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Garcia will make his spring-training debut in a starting role, as he suddenly finds himself in competition for the fifth spot in New York's regular-season rotation following injuries to James Paxton (back) and Luis Severino (elbow). The Yankees have a variety of options to fill the role, but Garcia could strengthen his case with a strong showing Friday.

Graveman started Tuesday's Cactus League win over the Brewers, firing two scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout.

Logging his first game action since May 2018 due to Tommy John surgery, Graveman could hardly have put together a more encouraging outing. The Mariners are counting on the right-hander to be a part of their starting rotation, and the fact Graveman was able to work multiple frames right from the jump lends credence to the notion his surgically repaired elbow has regained full strength.

Manager Brandon Hyde said that Harvey (illness) will be ready to make his Grapefruit League debut at some point over the weekend, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Harvey has shaken off the illness that prevented him from participating in workouts earlier in camp, so he's just making up for the lost time at this point. The right-hander has since resumed facing hitters in live batting practice, which likely represents the final hurdle he had to clear before making his spring debut. The 25-year-old's troubling injury history resulted in the Orioles pulling the plug on developing him as a starter, but his upper-90s fastball could make him an intriguing option at the back end of the big-league bullpen. He'll likely serve as one of the top setup men for Mychal Givens to begin the season.

Trivino (rib) has made two appearances for the Athletics during Cactus League play, giving up three earned runs on five hits and a walk over 1.2 innings.

Trivino concluded the 2019 campaign on the shelf after suffering a cracked rib in mid-September, but he faced no restrictions upon reporting to camp earlier this month. The righty was roughed up in relief in Oakland's spring opener last weekend against the Cubs, but he bounced back with a scoreless frame in Tuesday's 9-6 loss to the Padres. Trivino is expected to open the season in a setup or middle-relief role and could be one of the Athletics' top options for saves in the event closer Liam Hendriks should miss time at any point.

Wells has yet to pitch during the Orioles' Grapefruit League slate due to a sore right oblique, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The 22-year-old looked good in 24 starts for Double-A Bowie last season, posting a 2.95 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, though he struck out just 18.9 percent of opposing batters. He's likely not in line to push for a big-league debut until 2021, but assuming good health and a strong start to the season at the Triple-A level, there's a chance he's pitching in the majors late this season.

Clase is awaiting the results of an MRI after experiencing some lat discomfort after throwing Monday, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports.

Part of the return in the Corey Kluber trade over the winter, Clase appears poised to fill an important role near the back of Cleveland's bullpen, though whether or not he's able to do that depends on the result of his MRI. He burst onto the scene with a 99 mph fastball as a 21-year-old last season, recording a 2.31 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 23.1 innings of work.