MLB Player News

Barnes allowed one hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning Saturday against Atlanta.

This was the best of Barnes' three Grapefruit League outings. He battled fastball command the first time out followed by a problematic curveball in his second outing. Saturday's appearance provides a semblance of relief for those betting on Barnes being Boston's closer.

Brasier (toe) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in an inning Saturday against the Braves.

The outing marked Brasier's spring debut after being sidelined by a toe infection since early in camp. According to manager Alex Cora, Brasier will be on a program where he pitches every two days, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. That should give him enough time to get ready for Opening Day. Brasier is a candidate to be the closer or share the role with Matt Barnes. At the very least, he'll be a high-leverage arm for Cora.

Peters was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Peters was never more than a long shot at best to break camp in the Angels' rotation. Even with Andrew Heaney's availability now in doubt due to elbow irritation, Peters is no longer involved in the competition. It may take an injury or two more for him to get his chance.

The Rays reassigned Merritt to their minor-league camp Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Merritt pitched exclusively at Triple-A Columbus in the Indians organization in 2018, compiling a 3.79 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and an outstanding 52:2 K:BB in 71.1 innings. That impeccable control was reason enough for the Rays to bring Merritt aboard this winter on a minor-league deal, but he never had much hope of securing an Opening Day role with the big club. Look for him to begin the season at Triple-A Durham.

The Rays reassigned Poche to their minor-league camp Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

As a lefty relief prospect, Poche shouldn't be on the radar in most dynasty formats, but it's still easy to envision him making an impact in single-season leagues once he gets the call to the majors. The 24-year-old's dominance between three minor-league stops in 2018 was simply staggering, as he posted a 0.82 ERA over 66 innings to go with a 45.6 percent strikeout rate. Poche endured a bumpy spring for Tampa Bay, but if he rediscovers his 2018 form at Triple-A Durham early on this season, he may not have to wait long for a promotion.

The Rays optioned Pruitt to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

With the Rays bringing a wealth of long relief/"primary pitcher" candidates to spring training, Pruitt needed to perform well in the Grapefruit League to secure his spot on the Opening Day roster. After surrendering three home runs across 8.2 innings, Pruitt made it easy for the Rays to include him among one of their earlier rounds of cuts. Expect Pruitt to build up his innings as a starter at Durham in preparation for another look in Tampa Bay at some point later in 2019.

The Rays reassigned Santos to their minor-league camp Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Santos made 15 appearances (one start) with the Blue Jays a season ago, but he didn't make much of a run at an Opening Day bullpen gig with the Rays after attending camp as a non-roster invitee. Expect him to report to Triple-A Durham to begin the season.

Stanek fired two scoreless innings in a split-squad win over the Tigers on Friday. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

The right-hander lowered his spring ERA to 5.63 with Friday's clean outing, which came in the wake of Stanek allowing five earned runs across six innings over his six previous appearances. The hard-throwing 27-year-old has been missing plenty of bats, however, as he sports an 11:1 K:BB across eight exhibition frames, along with a .194 BAA. Stanek was a valued member of the staff in 2018, logging 59 appearances (29 starts/openers) and generating a 2.98 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and eight holds across 66.1 innings. Given Stanek's versatility and upper-90s fastball, Ralph Long of MLB.com reports he could profile as a right-handed late-inning option alongside southpaw closer Jose Alvarado.

Beeks allowed two earned runs on four hits over 1.2 innings in a split-squad win over the Tigers on Friday. He struck out two and now sports an 8.31 ERA across 8.2 spring innings over six spring appearances.

Other concerning metrics in Beeks' spring resume include a .385 BAA and 2.08 WHIP, as well as four home runs allowed. The 25-year-old southpaw is battling for a "bulk" reliever role on the Rays' staff this season alongside the likes of Ryan Yarbrough and Yonny Chirinos, and although Friday's final line was far from pretty, he still earned praise from manager Kevin Cash for a 12-pitch showdown against Dustin Peterson, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "That long at-bat, I don't know if he's capable of doing that last year," Cash said. "He just kept throwing strike after strike. Really encouraged."

Romano allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings Friday against the Indians.

Romano has bounced back with a pair of scoreless outings after getting hit hard March 7. "He is looking better and better," manager Chris Woodward told T.R. Sullivan of the MLB.com. "He's got conviction behind his pitches. We really challenged him after that and he's accepted it. He has pitched really well. That was impressive. He got hit pretty hard and he bounced back." As a Rule 5 selection, Romano needs to make the Opening Day roster or be offered back to the Blue Jays. The White Sox originally selected him from the Blue Jays then flipped him to the Rangers for cash considerations. The right-hander was a starter in the Blue Jays organization but will be a reliever for Texas. Five of his six Cactus League outings have been scoreless.