MLB Player News

Brasier (toe) is scheduled to play catch Thursday, Guerin Austin of NESN reports.

Brasier has been sidelined for a little more than a week with an infection on his pinky toe, but he's finally ready to resume throwing. Once healthy, Brasier will look to stake his claim on the team's vacant closer role.

Fulmer allowed four runs on three hits and one walk through two innings Wednesday against the Yankees.

Fulmer actually came away with the win Wednesday, as the Tigers hung five runs on the Yankees in the bottom of the first inning. While it wasn't Fulmer's finest outing, it was encouraging to see him get through the outing pain-free, as he's returning from offseason knee surgery and hadn't pitched in a game since September of 2018. Per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, the right-hander is wearing a brace on his surgically-repaired knee in spring not only to hold his meniscus in place, but also to help him adjust to new mechanics; he changed his delivery in an attempt to take some of the stress off his right knee following two surgeries in five years. "I was just focusing on my mechanics and making sure I was pain-free," said Fulmer afterwards. "Everything will come. I just need some reps."

Manager AJ Hinch said he has "zero" concern about McHugh's back, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "We hoped to get 12 or 15 more pitches out of him, but the first time out, it's not that alarming," the manager said. "We're going to err on the side of caution. This was a regular season game, he'd have gone back out there."

McHugh exited Wednesday's game against the Nationals after just one inning due to back soreness. Both McHugh and Hinch downplayed the issue afterwards, so it doesn't sound like anything that will affect his status for the start of the season at this point. Still, his status will be worth monitoring throughout camp seeing as he's dealt with back injuries on and off in the past.

McHugh left his Grapefruit League start Wednesday against the Nationals due to back soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh seemed to hurt his back while fielding a bunt by Adam Eaton, throwing the ball away into the first-base dugout. The veteran isn't particularly worried about the injury, as he's dealt with back problems from time to time throughout his career and may have remained in the game if not for the threat of rain. Still, it's not good news for the Astros, who also lost fellow starter Josh James earlier in the day due to a quad strain. Brad Peacock and Framber Valdez appear to be the primary competitors for the fifth starter spot in James' absence, and both could make the rotation should McHugh's injury prove worse than initially suspected.

Farquhar said that he's listed among the pitchers available out of the bullpen for Saturday's exhibition versus the Pirates, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Assuming that list remains accurate once the weekend arrives, Farquhar will make his first appearance in a competitive setting since April 20, when he suffered a brain hemorrhage that required emergency surgery. Farquhar received medical clearance in November to resume his career and signed with the Yankees later in the winter, but the club has still taken a cautious approach with his usage this spring. The lefty completed his second simulated game Wednesday and now looks ready to compete for a spot in the big-league bullpen, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

Smith (elbow) met with Dr. James Andrews on Monday and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery this week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers will likely confirm that Smith underwent the elbow operation within a few days, but Tommy John surgery was always the likely outcome after he ruptured his UCL last week. The 30-year-old is in line to miss the entire 2019 season and could be sidelined for a large portion of 2020 as well.

Infante has secured a visa to travel to the United States but has yet to report to camp while being evaluated for the illness he developed during the offseason, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Infante met with team doctors in Miami, but no timeline was provided for the right-hander to arrive at spring training. Infante might be too far behind the rest of the team's other relief arms to make a serious run at winning an Opening Day roster spot.

Rodney (0-1) received the loss in Tuesday's spring game against the Angels as he allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while recording one out.

Rodney was the first pitcher out of the bullpen Tuesday but found little luck with his lone plus being a strikeout. The 41-year-old is coming off an up-and-down season in which he posted a 3.36 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 70:32 K:BB over 64.1 innings between the Twins and Athletics.

Garrett has shown good velocity in camp, but Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said the right-hander's breaking stuff will determine whether he makes the Opening Day roster, Glenn Sattell of MLB.com reports.

"We know he's got velo," Gardenhire said. "We know he throws it near 100 mph when he's on his game. But you still have to spin it in this league. You can't just power through it." Garrett was snagged in the Rule 5 draft back in December, meaning the Tigers will have to keep the 26-year-old on the 25-man roster all season or waive him. Garrett will probably start in a low-leverage bullpen role if the Tigers keep him around, but his velocity makes him someone to keep an eye on for later in the season, especially if he makes strides with his breaking pitches.

Boxberger allowed three runs on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning during Tuesday's loss to the White Sox.

Boxberger's first unofficial appearance as a Royal was less than stellar as his outing included a wild pitch, a stolen base and a two-run home run given up to Yonder Alonso. The veteran right-hander signed with the Royals this offseason and should be ticketed for a high-leverage role at the back of the bullpen.