MLB Player News

An MRI on Fulmer's elbow showed no structural damage, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Soreness in the back of Fulmer's elbow prompted the Tigers to postpone his upcoming Grapefruit League appearance and send the soon-to-be 25-year-old for a precautionary MRI. Fortunately, everything came back clean, confirming he avoided a more serious injury. The Tigers will still likely proceed cautiously with Fulmer given how early it is in camp, so continue to consider him day-to-day until Detroit provides more information regarding his status.

An MRI on Saturday revealed Pomeranz is dealing with a left forearm flexor strain, Sean McAdam of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Pomeranz suffered the injury during Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. The encouraging news is that the strain is being deemed "mild" and the southpaw doesn't seem particularly worried about the diagnosis. "I'm not worried. I feel a lot better today," Pomeranz said Saturday. It's still unclear how long the issue will keep him sidelined at this point -- he missed 10 days to open the 2017 season with a similar issue -- but a timetable will likely emerge in the next couple days.

Whalen was named the starter for Saturday night's Cactus League game against the Angels in place of Felix Hernandez (forearm), Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

It will be the 23-year-old's first Cactus League start of the year, following a two-inning scoreless stint against the Dodgers in his spring debut on Feb. 25. Whalen endured a rough 2017 in which he cut his season short in July due to anxiety and depression, but he's been praised by Mariners staff early in spring training with what appears to be a renewed and brighter outlook. The right-hander's first two regular-season major-league stints have been rocky (6.57 and 6.14 ERAs with the Braves and Mariners, respectively), but he'll look to secure a role on the big-league staff this spring.

Lee (oblique) was sent to Triple-A Norfolk, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Lee, who suffered an oblique injury in Tuesday's game against the Rays, posted a 5.11 ERA in 116.1 innings for Norfolk last season, striking out 15.2 percent of batters while walking 9.9 percent.

Pomeranz will have an MRI on his injured elbow Saturday, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Pomeranz was removed from Friday's game against the Cardinals with forearm tightness. It was a potentially ominous diagnosis, as forearm tightness is often the first indicator of a more serious injury, but neither Pomeranz nor manager Alex Cora seems particularly worried. The full picture should become clear after the MRI results are made public.

Fulmer has been scratched from Sunday's scheduled start due to soreness in the back of his elbow, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

According to Beck, Fulmer is simply being pushed back a couple days, and the issue is unrelated to the ulnar transposition surgery he underwent last summer. That said, this is obviously a situation worth monitoring, as part of the main appeal with Fulmer is quantity of innings. He doesn't strike hitters out at a high clip and likely won't log many wins on this rebuilding club. Fulmer was sharp in his spring debut earlier this week, striking out two batters in two innings. He should be considered day-to-day for now.

Castro (knee) pitched two innings and allowed one run on two hits and no walks in a B-level game against the Pirates on Friday, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Prior to Friday's game, Castro had been battling tendinitis in both of his knees. While he did give up a run, which came via a solo home run, Castro said that he felt even better than expected. He was pleased with his level of control, and for good reason, as he logged three strikeouts over two frames.

Pomeranz (forearm) says his level of concern for his elbow injury is "very low," Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Pomeranz was removed from Friday's game against the Cardinals with forearm tightness but claims that the decision was merely precautionary. He has dealt with forearm issues in previous springs but has managed to start at least 30 games in each of the past two seasons. The diagnosis of forearm tightness often foreshadows serious injury, but Pomeranz's lack of concern suggests that the issue may not be as bad as initially feared. More should become clear after further tests.

Pomeranz was pulled from Friday's game against St. Louis with forearm tightness, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

"Forearm tightness" is sometimes the initial diagnosis made public before an eventual Tommy John surgery. Pomeranz suffered a late-season drop in velocity in 2017, a common indicator of an impending serious arm injury, so there's some concern here even though it's way too early to know for sure. The exact severity of the issue won't be clear until further tests are performed.

Pomeranz left in the second inning of Friday's game against St. Louis with an apparent injury, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.

The nature and severity of Pomeranz's injury are not yet known. The 29-year-old has been fairly durable in the past two seasons, making at least 30 starts each year, though he did suffer a drop in velocity late last season, which sometimes is a precursor to an arm injury.