MLB Player News

Sadzeck allowed a run, walked one and a hit a batter while serving as the opener for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

This was the first time we've seen manager Chris Woodward deploy an opener this spring. He said Sadzeck is a candidate to open games if the Rangers decide to employ the concept during the regular season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. Sadzeck has a 9.00 spring ERA, walking five over four innings.

Fulmer has been shut down as he attempts to refine his lower-body mechanics, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports. "We have no timetable for when he's going to get back on the mound," manager Ron Gardenhire said.

His velocity has been way down this spring, sitting in the 89-91 mph range with his fastball, which is a stark contrast to the mid-90s fastball he displayed in past years when he was at his best. The fact that the team is labeling it as a shut down puts his availability for the start of the season in significant jeopardy. Obviously the first priority will be to get him right, so he should be considered out indefinitely.

Littell was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Realistically, Littell had very little chance to break camp in the big-league rotation, so this comes as no surprise. He enters the year roughly seventh or eighth on the starting pitcher depth chart.

Betances tossed 28 pitches as part of a two-inning simulated game Thursday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

Betances has been slightly behind the Yankees' other healthy pitchers in camp after he was a late arrival to spring training following the birth of his child in February. The righty has only appeared in three Grapefruit League games to date, but the two innings he logged Thursday represents the high end of what he would be asked to cover during the regular season. He shouldn't face any kind of workload restriction when Opening Day arrives.

The Tigers optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.

Before being claimed off waivers by the Tigers this offseason, Fernandez reached the big leagues for the first time in 2018 as a September callup for the Blue Jays. Over 13 appearances, the reliever surrendered seven runs on 10 hits and four walks across 10.1 innings. Though the bullpen has been a weakness for the Tigers for a while, Fernandez will first need to impress in the minors before getting a look with the big club.

Brasier (toe) threw his first batting-practice session prior to Wednesday's game against the Twins, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

Brasier, who's been bothered by a toe infection during spring training, could appear in a game this week. Manager Alex Cora played down the late start to game action but acknowledged the reliever will need to catch up in the last week of spring training. With Boston's closer job available, Brasier is being closely watched, perhaps even more closely following Matt Barnes' shaky first two spring outings.

Perez made his spring debut Wednesday, throwing a scoreless inning against the Mets, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Perez reported to camp behind in his throwing and was the last healthy pitcher to play in a game. With two weeks left, manager AJ Hinch will schedule him every two or three days from here on out, giving him little room for any setbacks. "He has no more room for error," Hinch said. "We only have under two weeks left. He'll pitch in a couple days again, over the weekend. A couple days after that, he's got to make a quick impression." Perez, Reymin Guduan and Josh James are considered candidates for the final bullpen spot.

Barnes allowed one hit and two walks while striking out two over one inning Tuesday against the Tigers.

Barnes wiggled out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam by striking out Victor Reyes. It was the second straight outing in which Barnes labored; he gave up four hits and three runs in his first appearance. He placed the blame on his curveball. "The curveball command was bad today," Barnes told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "I couldn't throw it for a strike. I thought it was an improvement on last outing. I thought the fastball played better today than it had. Command overall with the fastball didn't miss by much." Barnes is being watched carefully this spring because he has been mentioned -- along with Ryan Brasier -- as a candidate to receive save opportunities.

Manager Alex Cora said Brasier (toe) will see game action "toward the end of the week," Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

The Red Sox have a couple of long bus rides Thursday and Friday, and it would be surprising if they sent Brasier on the road for his spring debut, particularly Friday against the AL East rival Yankees. The Sox are home at Fort Myers on Saturday against the Braves.

Loaisiga gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks in Tuesday's spring game against the Orioles. He recorded three strikeouts.

Loaisiga allowed one unearned run during the first inning thanks to a throwing error on a stolen base, but ran into significant trouble during the second inning by allowing five hits and a walk. The 24-year-old is expected to begin the season in the starting rotation due to injuries to Luis Severino (shoulder) and CC Sabathia (heart, knee).