MLB Player News

The Mariners optioned Povse to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Povse's move to the minors likely leaves Erasmo Ramirez (lat), Marco Gonzales, Ariel Miranda and Hisashi Iwakuma (shoulder) to compete for two spots at the back of the Seattle rotation. The 24-year-old Povse will probably have to master the Triple-A level first before earning another look in the big leagues. He was roughed up in 31.2 innings with Tacoma in 2017, posting a 7.39 ERA and 1.70 WHIP.

The Angels optioned Paredes to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Paredes probably removed himself from consideration for an Opening Day bullpen gig with the Angels after he recorded just two outs and was tagged for three runs on five hits and a walk in his Cactus League appearance Sunday against the Giants. The 23-year-old should get another look in the big leagues at some point in 2018, but he'll need to iron out the command issues he showed this spring before receiving a promotion from Triple-A.

The Astros reassigned Hauschild to their minor-league camp Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old broke camp with the Rangers in 2017 as a Rule 5 selection, but didn't stick around in the big leagues for long after yielding 10 runs on 14 hits and two walks over just eight innings. That showing coupled with his mediocre numbers at Triple-A Fresno upon being returned to the Astros likely prevented Hauschild from gaining serious consideration for an Opening Day bullpen gig with Houston this spring.

The Astros optioned Boshers to their minor-league camp Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old has bounced on and off the Twins' 40-man roster the past two years before landing with Houston via a January waiver claim. Boshers was unable to win an Opening Day spot with the Astros, but could be among the first relief callups from Triple-A Fresno this season when Houston requires another lefty bullpen arm.

The Rays reassigned Weber to their minor-league camp Sunday.

As a member of the Mariners organization last season, Weber tossed 35.1 innings between Triple-A Tacoma and the big leagues while missing extended time with a right biceps injury. Though he entered the offseason healthy, Weber's relatively unimpressive track record in the majors and minors resulted in him settling for a minor-league deal with the Rays. Look for him to settle into a rotation role or work in long relief for Triple-A Durham for most of the 2018 campaign.

Palumbo (elbow) has moved from throwing off flat ground to a mound, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Palumbo, who is one of the organization's better pitching prospects, underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2017. The Rangers are hoping for a full recovery by mid-June.

The Blue Jays optioned Borucki to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Borucki rose quickly through four levels of the Blue Jays' system last season and entered spring training as one of the organization's top pitching prospects, but the lefty wasn't in serious contention for an Opening Day rotation spot. With few innings available for him in Grapefruit League play, Borucki will face minor-league hitters in spring games as he prepares for a likely assignment to Triple-A Buffalo to begin the 2018 campaign.

Manager A.J. Hinch said he'll prepare his bullpen to bring in a pitcher whenever he wants to and that includes Giles, Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle reports. "If I bring (Ken) Giles in for a huge matchup in the seventh or eighth inning, (Hector) Rondon's closed, (Chris) Devenski's closed, (Will) Harris has closed, (Brad) Peacock could close. We really don't have a guy that I wouldn't go to in the ninth inning," said Hinch.

Giles should be considered the primary closer, and we don't expect his save opportunities to diminish much. However, it's worth considering how Hinch's planned bullpen usage may play itself out during the regular season before going all-in on Giles. It might be helpful for owners of Giles to marry him to another Astros reliever, though that could lead to more harm than good given how many save-worthy arms Houston carries, and over-investing on a single bullpen could harm a team's overall fantasy potential.

Rodriguez was reassigned to the Red Sox's minor-league camp Sunday.

Rodriguez, who last appeared in the majors in 2016 with the Athletics, was sidelined for much of the 2017 campaign while recovering from shoulder surgery. The 33-year-old still looked a little rusty in the Grapefruit League with a 9.00 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over eight innings, so he'll need to prove healthy and effective in the upper minors before getting a serious look from the Red Sox.

The Red Sox optioned Jerez to Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday.

A former hitting prospect, Jerez has slowly moved up the Red Sox's minor-league ranks since converting to relief duty in 2015. Though he didn't distinguish himself enough in camp to earn an Opening Day roster spot with the Red Sox, Jerez's first promotion to the big leagues could come quickly if he's able to impress out of the Pawtucket bullpen.