MLB Player News

General manager Brian Cashman said Betances is dealing with a shoulder impingement and will begin the season on the injured list, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Betances recently told the Yankees he wasn't at full strength, which -- along with his display of diminished velocity -- prompted the team to send him for an MRI. It's unclear how long the issue will keep the right-hander sidelined at this point, but Cashman said he doesn't believe Betances' absence will be an extended one, according to Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger. Betances will take anti-inflammatories and rest for 3-to-5 days before hopefully picking up a throwing program. In his absence, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino and Chad Green will effectively split setup duties.

Leclerc retired two of the four batters he faced in Monday's 3-1 exhibition win over the Dodgers. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out one.

The run Leclerc allowed came on a solo blast by Brad Miller, the second the 25-year-old has surrendered this spring. Considering Leclerc has surrendered just five long balls over 118.1 career regular-season innings, it's probably best to take the home-run problems he's endured this spring with a grain of salt. On a more encouraging note, Leclerc has continued to display the improved control that keyed his 2018 breakout, as he's run up a 10:2 K:BB through 6.1 frames.

Norris is in the mix for the Tigers' final rotation spot, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Michael Fulmer is expected to miss the entire season after being recommended for Tommy John surgery, leaving the Tigers with an open spot in their rotation. Norris, who has started 39 games for the Tigers over the last three seasons, is a leading candidate to fill that void, as is Spencer Turnbull. The southpaw hasn't done much to boost his case for the job this spring, posting a 5.06 ERA and 9:6 K:BB through 10.2 innings (compared to Turnbull's 2.70 ERA and 8:1 K:BB through 10 frames).

The A's are hoping Puk (elbow) will be ready for game action sometime in June, Tyler Maun of MiLB.com reports.

Puk is working his way back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in April of 2018. The southpaw incorporated all of his pitches in a bullpen Tuesday and reportedly looked good. The tentative plan is for Puk to stay back and pitch in extended spring training games to get stretched out before ultimately heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Fulmer is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Fulmer's velocity had been considerably down this spring, yet the news still comes as a surprise, as he'd been reportedly dealing with a mechanical issue and a potential knee injury. Elbow concerns hadn't been mentioned, but he's had two doctors recommend the surgery and will now seek a third opinion. Assuming he does indeed go through with the procedure, Fulmer would miss all of 2019 and at least a few months of 2020 as well.

VerHagen (shoulder) is included on the Tigers' list of available pitchers for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

VerHagen has been idle for the past two weeks while battling tightness around his throwing shoulder. His inclusion on the Tigers' travel list suggests the injury is behind him at this point, but he'll still probably need to make an appearance or two in the Grapefruit League to give the team more confidence about his status heading into Opening Day. VerHagen, who posted a 4.53 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 56.1 innings last season, will likely be a factor in the middle innings this season.

The Astros optioned Perez to their minor-league camp Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Perez was given the chance to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation this spring, but it was little more than a token opportunity with Brad Peacock and Framber Valdez always considered the leading options for that final starting gig once Josh James missed time with a quadriceps injury. The 22-year-old ended up making just two appearances in the Grapefruit League, though that may have been a deliberate effort on the Astros' part to limit his workload. Expect Perez to open the campaign as a member of the Triple-A Round Rock rotation.

Giles (shoulder) threw a scoreless inning in a spring game Sunday.

Giles was unavailable for a couple days due to an illness and sleeping on his shoulder wrong, but he was able to get back on the mound over the weekend, a sign he put both issues behind him. Giles has not allowed an earned run in four straight outings after being tagged for four earned runs in his first spring appearance, and is on track to open the season as the closer for the Blue Jays.

Green will be used as an opener in Tuesday's spring game against the Rays, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Luis Cessa was scheduled to start Tuesday, but he will instead be used in relief while Green opens the game on the mound. Green was tagged for three earned runs over his last two appearances, but has otherwise had a good spring, allowing just four hits over 5.1 innings while posting a 7:0 K:BB. He has not pitched more than 1.1 frames in any outing, so don't expect him to go deep at all into Tuesday's contest.

Barnes allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out one in the fifth inning Monday against the Twins.

All of the damage against Barnes came before he received a mound visit from pitching coach Dana Levangie, who told the right-hander he was tipping his pitches, Tom Keegan of the Boston Herald reports. "I was tipping," Barnes said. "He told me, and I was able to fix it right away. It doesn't matter how good your stuff is, if they know what's coming, it's going to get hit. I feel like stuff-wise today was great, and then the swings I got on pitches following the mound visit were more in line with how I felt about my stuff." There are a lot of eyes on Barnes this spring as he competes to become Boston's closer, a role he's been close to but never held.