MLB Player News

Montgomery has been dealing with a blister issue throughout most of spring camp, Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group reports.

Montgomery remains in a limited capacity while working his way back from this ailment. Consider him day-to-day. The right-hander posted a 2.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 66.2 innings of relief with Triple-A Memphis last season and it was expected that he would battle for a spot in the Tigers' bullpen this spring. If he's unable to get onto the field soon, the 27-year-old will likely be back at the Triple-A level for the start of the 2018 season.

The Twins optioned Littell to Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday.

Littell, who was acquired from the Yankees in the trade that sent Jaime Garcia to the Bronx last summer, was one of six players sent back to the Twins' minor-league camp. The 22-year-old right-hander submitted a 2.12 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 157 innings between two levels last season, but isn't viewed as one of the higher-end pitching prospects in the Minnesota farm system.

Lopez allowed one hit and walked three while striking out three over three scoreless innings in Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Alan Eskew of MLB.com reports.

Lopez was making his second spring start and once again had to work around first-inning trouble. From the standpoint of stranding baserunners, it's been a successful two starts for Lopez, who's allowed just one run and two hits, but walked five over five spring innings. The right-hander said he had early trouble commanding his fastball, but was pleased with his curve. He'll open the season in the middle of Chicago's rotation.

Mengden, tentatively projected to open the season as the No. 3 starter, has generated a 9.00 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and .423 BAA over six innings across three spring training appearances.

The right-hander has sandwiched two particularly poor efforts around a three-inning scoreless outing versus the Cubs last Wednesday. Mengden's worst outing came Monday in a 9-9 tie with the White Sox, as he allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings, while also recording a pair of strikeouts. The 25-year-old wrapped up 2017 on a strong note -- going 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA over his last five starts -- helping earn him the designation of presumed starter coming into spring training. He'll look to start inspiring more confidence in his ability to handle the job in a likely turn against the Brewers on Saturday.

Fulmer (elbow) threw around 40 pitches in the bullpen Tuesday and did not experience any issues, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer was scratched from his start Sunday with soreness in his throwing elbow, with that outing getting bumped to Friday. After getting through the bullpen session without any setbacks, Fulmer seems on track to make his Friday start and potentially line up as the Opening Day starter.

Kelly was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The 25-year-old righty had success in 84.2 innings for Double-A San Antonio in the Padres' system last season, putting up a 2.98 ERA with a 26.5 percent strikeout rate. He hit a wall upon promotion to Triple-A El Paso, though, with an ERA that ballooned to 6.64 and a strikeout rate that sunk to 18.7 percent. If he can conquer the Triple-A level this season, he could be in line for a summer promotion to the majors.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister said Monday that while he intends to use a six-man rotation this season, Moore, Cole Hamels and Doug Fister will remain on normal pitching schedules in 2018, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Banister didn't say so explicitly, but Martin Perez (elbow) is also set to receive his usual four days of rest between starts once he's healthy, meaning that back-end rotation candidates Mike Minor, Matt Bush and Bartolo Colon would be more affected by the six-man setup. Assuming Banister sticks to his word, Moore can generally be expected to take the hill once every five or six days, which would put him on track for 30-plus starts if he's able to avoid the disabled list in 2018. Moore was able to do that last season and submitted a 5.52 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 174.1 innings, so it's hard to imagine him providing much fantasy utility now that he's trading the pitcher-friendly AT&T Park for a hitter haven in Globe Life Park.

Manaea (back) is officially starting Tuesday's spring game against the Rangers.

As anticipated, the southpaw will toe the rubber to start Oakland's Tuesday tilt after being scratched last week due to back tightness. It's unclear how many innings he'll log in this particular game, but it's possible that the Athletics could hold him back a bit to ensure his back doesn't flare up again. However, Manaea should be 100 percent for Opening Day barring any setbacks.

Merryweather has a sprained UCL in his right elbow and will get a second opinion Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

This doesn't sound good, as it checks a lot of the boxes of a report that often precedes the announcement of Tommy John surgery. Merryweather was an under-the-radar late-blooming pitching prospect who had a chance to make an impact in redraft leagues in 2018. The 26-year-old righty notched a 6.58 ERA in 78 innings at Triple-A last year, but he dealt with some bad luck, and his 3.89 xFIP is more indicative of how he handled the level. He doesn't have monster stuff, but he has a good enough repertoire to profile as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter. He should not be drafted in redraft leagues, given news of this injury.

Merritt is competing with Josh Tomlin for the final spot in the Indians' rotation, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Merritt was viewed as a long shot entering camp, and perhaps he still is, but Danny Salazar's shoulder injury has improved his odds. A 16th-round pick in 2011, Merritt has struck out all of 13 batters in 31.2 innings at the big-league level and has averaged just 6.2 K/9 on the farm, but his ability to limit walks has helped him post a sub-3.50 ERA at virtually every stop. Chances are, Merritt will at least make some spot starts over the course of the 2018 season while also seeing some work out of the bullpen.