MLB Player News

Yacabonis appears to have secured a spot on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Baltimore could still do some tinkering with its roster prior to Thursday's opener against the Yankees, but Yacabonis looks in line to fill one of eight bullpen spots for the big club. The right-hander has worked as a swingman over parts of two seasons in the big leagues, so he'll be able to provide length out of the bullpen for the Orioles as needed. Manager Brandon Hyde has already said that the team will use Nate Karns as an opener for Saturday's game, so Yacabonis and fellow long man John Means will likely be tasked with filling some innings in relief that day.

Rumbelow allowed a hit over a scoreless ninth inning in an exhibition loss to the Padres on Tuesday but recorded three strikeouts.

Rumbelow wrapped up a stellar spring with a dominating ninth-inning performance Tuesday, sandwiching strikeouts of Jose Pirela, Greg Garcia and Franchy Cordero around an Austin Hedges single. Rumbelow scuffled in a couple of stints with the Mariners in 2018 (6.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) and also was tagged for three earned runs on two hits and a walk over a third of an inning by the Athletics in last week's season-opening series in Japan. However, he offered reason for optimism with his body of work this spring, during which he posted a 1.50 ERA over five appearances. Rumbelow projects for a middle-relief role, with his near-mid-90s fastball giving him some strikeout upside.

Yarbrough was credited with a victory while allowing an earned run on five hits across four innings in an exhibition win over the Tigers on Tuesday. He struck out five.

Yarbrough turned in a strong effort to close out spring, as he prepares to once again serve as a "bulk reliever" during the Rays' bullpen days this coming season. The 27-year-old logged 147.1 innings last season across 38 appearances, including six as an opener. He compiled an impressive 16-6 record overall and projects for a similar workload in 2019.

Martin struck out six and walked three without allowing a hit in four scoreless innings Tuesday against the Pirates.

Martin drew raves from manager AJ Hinch, who thinks the young right-hander could pitch in Houston this season, Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press reports. "I love him," Hinch said. "I love what he can offer as a pitcher. He's got a lot of characteristics that we see in major-league starters and that's exciting to see." The 23-year-old Martin went 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2018 and is expected to open this season at Triple-A Round Rock.

Hamilton (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Hamilton said Sunday he was about halfway through his expected spring workload, so starting the season on the IL isn't much of a surprise. The 23-year-old's spring schedule has been off track due to right shoulder soreness that cropped up following a car accident. It remains unclear when Hamilton is expected to return, but he'll be eligible to be activated April 4 as the move is retroactive to Monday.

Barria was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Barria was expected to begin the season as the Angels' fifth starter with Andrew Heaney (elbow), Nick Tropeano (shoulder) and JC Ramirez sidelined, but that job will instead be taken by recent trade acquisition Chris Stratton. Barria started 26 games for the Angels last season and had a 3.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 98:47 K:BB across 129.1 innings, but will have to work his way back to the majors in 2019.

Moore allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits across three innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He walked one and struck out three.

Lined up against one of his former teams, Moore struggled and ran his final spring training ERA up to 5.48. The Tigers don't have a ton of better options for their rotation, so Moore should have a spot fairly well secured. However, after finishing the last two seasons with ERAs of 5.52 and 6.79, the lefty will have to show some improvement to garner attention from fantasy owners.

Borucki (elbow) played catch Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Borucki is set to open the season on the injured list due to a sore elbow, but his stay isn't expected to be a lengthy one. It sounds like the Blue Jays are going to play it safe and skip the youngster's first two turns through the rotation, putting him on track to return sometime in mid-April.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Thornton has earned a spot in the Blue Jays' Opening Day rotation, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Thornton will temporarily open the season in the rotation thanks to injuries to Ryan Borucki (elbow) and Clay Buchholz (elbow). The 25-year-old right-hander held his own this spring, compiling a 4.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 15 innings. With Borucki and Buchholz both getting healthier, however, Thornton may only have a few starts to prove he deserves to stick in the majors. His first start will come against the Tigers on Sunday.

VerHagen (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

As expected, VerHagen will begin the season on the shelf as he nurses a strained forearm. The issue isn't thought to be anything overly serious, though the right-hander remains without a timeline for his return. The move is backdated to Monday, making VerHagen eligible to return April 4. Joe Jimenez and Victor Alcantara should handle the bulk of setup duties in his absence.