MLB Player News

Banda was traded to the Rays on Tuesday as part of a three-team deal, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

According to Piecoro, Banda is joining Yankees prospect Nick Solak in Tampa, while the Diamondbacks are getting Steven Souza from the Rays and sending Brandon Drury to New York. Banda, one of the Diamondbacks' top prospects, struggled mightily in 2017, posting a 5.39 ERA across 122 innings (22 starts) with Triple-A Reno while putting together a similarly poor 5.96 ERA across 25.2 innings in his first taste of the majors. Right now he projects as a No. 5 starter or high-leverage reliever, though that could change if his secondary offerings improve. The 24-year-old should have a chance to earn a rotation spot with the Rays if he impresses during camp.

Norris missed the Tigers' first full-squad workout of the spring Monday in order to receive a checkup in Philadelphia for the groin injury that hampered him for much of the 2017 season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. The left-hander received a clean bill of health and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday.

Despite missing a large portion of the second half with a strained groin, Norris finished the season on the field and stressed that he didn't have any renewed pain this offseason, suggesting his doctor visit Monday was merely precautionary. Norris added that he went through a training program to strengthen his groin during the offseason, which he hopes will help him avoid the disabled list and result in more start-to-start consistency. The 24-year-old looks to have an early line on one of the openings at the back of the Tigers' rotation but will probably need to produce during the regular season before he can be rostered with any confidence in most mixed leagues.

May (elbow) threw 30 fastballs during a bullpen session Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

As expected, the Twins officially placed May, who is recovering from March 2017 Tommy John surgery, on the 60-day disabled list Tuesday when the signing of Anibal Sanchez became official, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. It's believed that May is targeting a return from the DL in late May or early June, though a clearer timeline likely won't become available until after the Twins see how he performs in an extended rehab assignment. May could be ready to begin an assignment shortly after the start of the season if he resumes facing hitters before spring training ends.

Duffey will compete for a spot in the Twins rotation this spring, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Duffey's chances of claiming a starting gig to open the season looked more promising when pitchers and catchers reported to spring camp last week, but after the club acquired Jake Odorizzi from the Rays on Saturday, it appears only one rotation spot is truly up for grabs at this point. Though all 56 of Duffey's appearances came in relief last season, he was often called upon to record more than three outs and made 36 starts the prior two seasons for the Twins, so building up stamina to work more innings shouldn't be an issue for the right-hander. In addition to Duffey, free-agent pickup Anibal Sanchez and a healthy Phil Hughes look like the top candidates for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, with the pitchers' performances in spring likely to dictate whom receives the nod. Duffey's surface numbers over the past two seasons (5.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP in 204 innings) aren't impressive, but his 4.38 FIP, .334 BABIP and low 62.3 percent strand rate over that span suggest bad luck may explain some of his struggles.

Giles worked out in the weight room during the offseason, building himself up to endure a long season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Giles, 27, was as good a closer as there was during the 2017 regular season, but fell off in the playoffs. He never made an appearance after Game 4 of the World Series. This year will be another potentially long season, running from Valentines Day to Halloween, and Giles hopes having more muscle means more stamina to withstand baseball deep into October.

The White Sox outrighted Covey to Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

There was no corresponding transaction with the move, so the White Sox could just be earmarking a spot on the 40-man roster for one of their non-roster invitees. Regardless, Covey never had a realistic shot at breaking camp with the White Sox, as he was able to do last season almost solely on his status as a Rule 5 selection. The 26-year-old, who hadn't pitched above the Double-A level prior to last season, looked woefully overmatched during his time with the White Sox, submitting a 7.71 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 41:34 K:BB over 70 innings.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that the team will open the season with a four-man rotation and stick with that setup into May before adding a fifth starter to the mix, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Cash's revelation means that Honeywell will likely report to Triple-A Durham to begin the campaign.

There was some hope that Saturday's trade of Jake Odorizzi to the Twins might create an opening for Honeywell to break camp with the big club, but the team will instead forgo replacing Odorizzi's rotation spot and go with Chris Archer, Blake Snell, Jake Faria and Nathan Eovaldi as their Opening Day starting staff. A spring injury to one of the four aforementioned pitchers could provide renewed hope for Honeywell to get his first look in the majors, but for now, it appears the Rays want to see him get some further refinement in the International League. It wouldn't seem that Honeywell is in need of much more finishing, given that he posted a 3.64 ERA (2.84 FIP) and 152:31 K:BB over 123.2 innings in his first season at Triple-A in 2017.

Diekman is set to compete with Alex Claudio and Keone Kela for the Rangers' closing gig during spring training, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Diekman received some good news Saturday when free-agent pickup Seung Hwan Oh's agreement with the Rangers was nixed due to a failed physical, leaving three pitchers left to contend for the ninth-inning vacancy. Alex Claudio, who finished last season as closer while notching 11 saves in 15 opportunities, looks like the tentative frontrunner, though Diekman and Kela would offer harder-throwing options from the left and right side, respectively, if manager Jeff Banister wants more of a power pitcher at the back end. Diekman quickly established himself as a dependable setup arm for the Rangers upon making his season debut last September following an extended recovery from surgery to address ulcerative colitis. He turned in scoreless outings in 10 of his 11 appearances and collecting five holds and a save.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that Andriese would work in a multi-inning relief role through at least mid-May while the team deploys a four-man rotation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cash didn't rule out the possibility of Andriese making a spot start or two in scenarios where a fifth starter is required due to a heavier game schedule, but it appears the right-hander isn't being considered for the No. 4 spot in the rotation that looks to be up for grabs. Though Andriese has been far more effective as a reliever in the majors (3.54 ERA, .222 batting average against in 56 innings) than as a starter (4.55, .272), his fantasy value would take a hit if he ends up sticking in the bullpen for the bulk of the 2018 season.

Kimbrel will be deployed in non-save situations this season, per manager Alex Cora, Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports.

Cora explained his philosophy is to use his best reliever in the most important part of the game, whether that be the seventh, eighth or ninth inning. What constitutes as the 'most important' part of the game will change from game to game, but the manager doesn't feel it will cost Kimbrel too many saves. "People think it's a big adjustment. If you start looking at the numbers you don't lose too many saves if it's the way you want to use him," Cora said. "We're not talking about the lower third of the lineup. We're talking the middle of the lineup, eighth inning, certain situations. What I feel is game-on-the-line." Kimbrel had been off-the-charts bad in non-save situations in 2016 (5.12 ERA 14 BB, 19.1 IP), but improved dramatically last season when he posted a 0.64 ERA over 28 innings when a game was not on the line.