MLB Player News

A third opinion on Fulmer's injured elbow confirmed the previous two diagnoses, and he has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Fulmer had trouble with his velocity and mechanics earlier in camp, but he felt discomfort after a recent bullpen session and underwent an MRI, which revealed the tear in his elbow ligament. He wanted to get several looks at the MRI results, but all of them came back the same, so instead of preparing for the regular season, he will undergo surgery in the near future and miss the entire season, and likely part of the 2020 campaign as well. A better estimate at Fulmer's return timetable should be revealed after the procedure is completed.

Milner remains in contention for the final bullpen spot, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Milner has kept his name in contention amidst a solid field of competitors by putting together an impressive spring. The 28-year-old southpaw has racked up 12 strikeouts and generated a 1.93 ERA across 9.1 Grapefruit League innings over seven appearances, the latter in sharp contrast to the 7.36 ERA he posted with the Phillies and Rays over 14 appearances in 2018. Like fellow candidate Adam Kolarek, Milner has the advantage of serving as a left-handed option for manager Kevin Cash. However, he could still find himself opening the season with Triple-A Durham if the Rays' skipper opts to go with one of the more experienced arms under consideration in Emilio Pagan, Hunter Wood or Kolarek.

Lopez allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two over 6.1 innings Tuesday against the Reds.

Getting into the seventh inning is the target for many pitchers during spring training, so Lopez appears ready for the regular season. He'll get one more outing before the end of the Cactus League, and it looks like he'll slot in as the second member of the rotation behind Carlos Rodon. The right-hander has a 5.79 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over 15.2 spring innings.

Armstrong will be out at least a couple weeks with a Grade 1 oblique strain, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

We now have an official diagnosis, and it's generally good news as it's the least severe type of strain. Still, Armstrong will be forced to take it slow for a while to avoid more extensive damage. With Anthony Swarzak (shoulder) also on the injured list, the Mariners will have to lean on the likes of Dan Altavilla, Cory Gearrin, Chasen Bradford and Zac Rosscup in the mid-to-late innings.

Kolarek remains in contention for the final bullpen spot despite allowing nine earned runs over seven innings in Grapefruit League play, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

A ragged spring notwithstanding, Kolarek is still a candidate for a bullpen spot also being chased by Emilio Pagan, Hunter Wood and Hoby Milner. Kolarek does have the distinction of being a southpaw, which could play into manager Kevin Cash's final decision from an overall matchup perspective. Kolarek presumably sports a respectable track record in Cash's eyes after having posted a serviceable 3.93 ERA over 31 appearances last season, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to override his struggles thus far this year. Cash is on record as stating that the winner of the bullpen race may not be announced until the last couple of Grapefruit League games, meaning that Kolarek and his fellow competitors should still have at least one more opportunity each to make their respective cases.

Pagan is one of the leading contenders for the Rays' final bullpen spot, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "He's had a good spring," manager Kevin Cash said. "I think we knew what we were getting when we acquired him, but at the same time, it's always refreshing to see that backed up."

The right-hander arrived from Oakland via trade in December after an up-and-down 2018 campaign when he posted a 4.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 63:19 K:BB across 62 innings over 55 appearances. Pagan has produced similar numbers in Grapefruit League play this spring when adjusted for sample size, generating a 4.66 ERA but also compiling 10 strikeouts over 9.2 frames. Pagan has been working on a breaking ball to help increase his effectiveness against left-handed hitters, which tagged him for a .296 average and 14 extra-base hits (five doubles, three triples and six home runs) over a 93-batter sample last season. According to Torbio, in addition to traditional relief work, Pagan could be an option for the opener role on bullpen days during the coming season.

Treinen finished Cactus League play with a 1.80 ERA, six strikeouts and two holds across five innings over five appearances.

It was simply an extension of the dominance the veteran right-hander exhibited last season, a campaign during which he took the reins of the closer role by converting 38 of 43 save opportunities while generating an 0.78 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 100:21 K:BB across 80.1 innings. Treinen is now 54-for-64 in save chances over the last two seasons, and he heads into 2019 as an unquestioned ninth-inning option capable of working multiple frames when necessary.

Pressly will sign a two-year, $17.5 million deal that includes a vesting option for a third year with the Astros on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pressly signed a one-year, $2.9 million deal in January to avoid arbitration and was set to become a free agent next season, but is now signed with the team through at least 2021. It's a sizable payday for a non-closing reliever -- reportedly the largest ever -- but the 30-year-old proved his worth after being acquired from the Twins last July with a 0.77 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 32:3 K:BB across 26 appearances. Pressly should begin the season as the setup man to closer Roberto Osuna and will see plenty of high-leverage work for the Astros.

Chapman has yielded just three hits and one earned run in his six Grapefruit League appearances this spring, with seven strikeouts and just one walk over his 5.1 innings.

The lefty flamethrower said earlier this spring that he feels fully recovered from the knee pain that bothered him last season, and he's looked healthy and locked in this spring. Chapman is one of the better closers in baseball when he's healthy and on his game, and he figures to be a steady source of saves once again at the back end of a loaded Yankees bullpen.

Lopez is expected to open the season in the Royals' starting rotation, Rustin Dodd of The Athletic reports.

With Ian Kennedy being shifted to the bullpen, it sounds like Lopez is in line to break camp in Kansas City's starting rotation. The right-hander has been solid this spring, compiling a 1.88 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB through four appearances (14.1 innings).