MLB Player News

Moore left the Tigers' spring camp Tuesday due to the impending birth of his child, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Moore is expected to be away from the team for the next few days to spend time with his wife and the newest addition to their family. The missed time shouldn't put him too far behind the rest of the Tigers' other pitchers, though it could result in him making one or two fewer starts in Grapefruit League play. Guaranteed $2.5 million this season after striking a deal with Detroit in November, Moore is likely in the driver's seat for a back-end rotation spot but will be far from a dependable fantasy option after delivering a 6.79 ERA and 1.66 WHIP across 102 frames with Texas in 2018.

Ortiz reported to camp Tuesday at 247 pounds, a drop of 22 pounds from what he tipped the scales at last spring, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Ortiz may have been motivated to get his conditioning in order after he battled hamstring injuries on multiple occasions in 2018, including one in mid-September that ended his season prematurely. The 23-year-old enters spring training at full health and should be one of the top candidates to claim a back-end rotation spot in a wide-open competition. The right-hander has an encouraging long-term outlook thanks to a three-pitch repertoire highlighted by a mid-90s fastball, but he struggled to regularly generate swings and misses with the offering between stops at Double-A, Triple-A and the majors last season.

Puk (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Puk and Jharel Cotton (elbow) have both been cleared for mound work to begin the spring as the two hurlers work back from Tommy John surgery. Of the two, Puk appears to be the quicker healer, given that he's at the same place as Cotton in his rehab despite undergoing the elbow procedure one month later in 2018. Prior to requiring surgery last April, Puk was viewed as Oakland's top pitching prospect and was on track to earn a look in the big-league rotation, so he'll offer plenty of intrigue if he incurs no significant setbacks over the next few months. The Athletics are tentatively tabbing him for a mid-summer return and may have no qualms about bringing him on to the 25-man roster if he excels during what will likely be an extended minor-league rehab assignment.

The White Sox are talking more about Colome as their closer than Kelvin Herrera, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The White Sox acquired Colome and Herrera during the offseason and fueled speculation about Chicago's closer role. Both hurlers have endgame experience, but Colome cost them a good-hitting catcher in Omar Narvaez. The price to acquire him, plus Herrera getting over surgery to repair a Lisfranc ligament injury, gives Colome a slight edge. However, we still expect it to be a legitimate competition in spring training. Ultimately, whether it's Colome or Herrera as the closer, the White Sox feel they've locked down the eighth and ninth innings.

Hendriks said Sunday that he lost around 20 pounds during the offseason and feels good heading into spring training, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Hendriks relayed that he followed a ketogenic diet over the winter, perhaps with the hope of improving his conditioning in anticipation of more usage this season. The lefty covered only 49.1 innings in 48 appearances between the Athletics and Triple-A Nashville in 2018 but looks primed for added responsibilities after emerging as one of manager Bob Melvin's preferred opening pitchers in games. When used in those scenarios in the second half of last season, Hendriks typically worked an inning or less before Melvin turned the game over to the bullpen once a lefty hitter stepped in for the opposition.

Fulmer (knee) threw off a mound Monday, The Detroit News reports.

Fulmer underwent knee surgery to repair a torn right meniscus in mid-September. Though he was reportedly behind schedule at one point during the offseason, he was still expected to be ready by the start of spring training, and he has indeed been able to hit that timeline. Barring setbacks, he should be fully up to speed by Opening Day.

Puk (elbow) is hoping to return around the midway point of the 2019 season, Julian McWilliams of The Athletic reports.

Puk underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2018. No word of a setback has come forth, so it seems like the Athletics are simply setting a conservative timetable for their highly touted pitching prospect. More information regarding an exact return date will likely come forth as Puk progresses further in his rehab program.

Manaea (shoulder) is expected to begin a throwing program later this week, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw has been out since late August with a shoulder injury and could miss the entire 2019 campaign as a result of shoulder surgery he underwent in September. That said, it seems that Manaea is making steady progress in his rehab program. It's unclear if this positive development moves his return timetable at all, but things should clear up as he makes more progress toward a return to the mound.

Hudson (forearm) signed a minor-league deal with the Angels on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The contract will pay Hudson $1.5 million if he makes the roster, with another $1.5 million available in incentives. The veteran has recorded a 3.99 ERA over the course of his nine-year career and posted a 4.11 ERA in 46 innings for the Dodgers last season. A forearm issue cost him most of the last two months of the season.

Collins signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw spent 2018 in the Nationals organization, posting a 3.94 ERA in 32 Triple-A innings and a 4.37 ERA in 22.2 MLB innings. Collins has good strikeout numbers in his career (career 9.3 K/9), but his walk issues (career 5.1 BB/9) could keep him from cracking the Twins' roster as a middle reliever or LOOGY out of spring training.