MLB Player News

Jerez was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Jerez threw 15 innings at the major-league level last season, finishing with a 6.00 ERA. He could be an option to return when injuries strike the Angels' bullpen.

Curtiss was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Curtiss has just 15 big-league innings under his belt, so his chances of breaking camp with the team were likely always slim. The 25-year-old posted a 2.77 ERA for Triple-A Rochester in the Twins' system last year, though he'll need to cut down on his 12.9 percent walk rate if he's to make a significant impact at the highest level.

Mayza allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief during Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The 27-year-old is set to be the primary -- and maybe the only -- left-hander in the Jays' bullpen this season, but Mayza is providing some reassurance that he can handle the assignment with a 0.00 ERA and 5:0 K:BB through five spring innings. His fantasy value will remain limited in that role, but he could be worth rostering in deeper formats that use holds.

Hu was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Hu was acquired by the Indians from the Rays in November but didn't showcase himself well in spring training with 12 runs allowed on 13 hits over four innings. The 25-year-old appeared in 11 games with the Rays over the last two seasons as he spent the bulk of his time at Triple-A Durham.

Giles is unavailable to pitch Friday after sleeping on his shoulder wrong, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Giles was also unavailable the previous few days due to a bout with the flu. There's been no indication that this is expected to be a long-term issue for the 28-year-old, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him held out of game action for a couple more days.

Fulmer completed a bullpen session Friday morning without a knee brace, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer has apparently been bothered by a knee issue which helps to explain his drop in velocity this spring and why the team opted to shut him down to refine his lower-body mechanics. The 26-year-old is still working to regain explosiveness in his delivery as his status for Opening Day is in severe doubt.

Covey has pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up four hits and walking none while striking out two over four spring appearances.

Covey has yet to make a start in the Cactus League but had been championed during the offseason as a candidate for the fifth starter's job. Most of the talk during spring training about the open rotation spot has revolved around Manny Banuelos and Ervin Santana (finger), but Covey has been sneaky good. The White Sox are not going to need a fifth starter until April 10, so manager Rick Renteria is in no rush to identify the winner. Additionally, given Chicago's bullpen performance this spring, Covey may be best suited as a relief arm to start the season.

With Michael Fulmer shut down indefinitely to work on his mechanics, Norris has a shot to crack the Tigers' rotation to begin the regular season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear what exactly might be wrong with Fulmer, so it's hard to put a timetable on his shutdown. Norris has started 39 games for the Tigers over the last three seasons, so he has plenty of experience in that role, though he's yet to find consistent success in the majors. He could get another shot to begin 2019 but will likely shift into a bullpen role as soon as Fulmer is ready to go.

Barria allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk and struck out five over 4.2 innings Thursday against Milwaukee.

Barria surrendered a run in the first inning and three more in the third before getting pulled with two outs in the fifth frame. He's evidently still in the process of rounding into form, as he's posted a 4.97 ERA with nine punchouts over 1.2 innings in spring training.

McHugh allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one over 2.2 innings against the Marlins on Thursday.

The Marlins teed off on McHugh in the second innning when they scored five runs, raising the right-hander's spring ERA to 15.88. "I got behind a few guys," McHugh told Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle. "My fastball wasn't fooling anybody today. Wasn't getting by anybody. I felt like every mistake I made, they hit hard. Frustrating. Nobody wants to have days like that, even in spring training." The good news is that he got his pitch count up to 57 after missing time due to back soreness and got up and down three times. Historically, McHugh has not been a dominant pitcher in spring training. His career spring ERA is 7.22, which stands in contrast to his regular-season 3.87 ERA.