MLB Player News

Fulmer will start the Tigers' fourth game of the season and home opener April 7 against the Red Sox, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

This was already hinted at, and now Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has confirmed Fulmer's first start. Ausmus said he wanted to push the young righty back in the rotation because the team "started him slower" this spring. Fulmer also missed some time due to a sprained ankle.

Smith (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday that manager John Farrell characterized as "surprisingly good," Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Smith showed good action and velocity, but Farrell tempered his excitement, noting there can be peaks and valleys for pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery. The timeline for his return hasn't changed; Smith is expected to come back in June.

Pomeranz overcame some early trouble and finished strong in Friday's start against the Blue Jays, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports. The left-hander allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over four innings in his first appearance since leaving a start early due to tightness in his triceps.

All of the damage against Pomeranz came in the first two innings, but his mechanics clicked while warming up to start the third. After realizing he was leaking out early with his curveball, Pomeranz stayed back on his left foot and, voila, the outing dramatically shifted. He retired six of the next seven hitters. He'll focus on those final two frames Friday and build on that next Wednesday when he's scheduled to pitch five innings while piggybacking on Rick Porcello's start. Manager John Farrell is hopeful Friday's performance represents a breakthrough, improving Pomeranz's chances of breaking camp on the active roster. His first regular-season start would be April 8 or April 9 in Detroit.

McHugh is expected to make his Grapefruit League debut Monday and throw three or four innings, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McHugh, slowed by a dead arm this spring, is still likely to begin the season with a short DL stint as he builds up his regular velocity, but Monday should provide a great sign of his progression. A firmer timetable may become clear depending on how this next week progresses, but it appears Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers will both see Opening Week starts if McHugh misses extended time.

Covey was mentioned as one possible candidate to fill in for starter Carlos Rodon (biceps), who is expected to start the season on the disabled list, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The right-hander is starting Saturday afternoon against the Indians in a start that takes on a bit more significance due to Rodon's injury. How the White Sox plan to replace Rodon depends on a second medical opinion due early next week. In the event that Rodon misses only a start or two, general manager Rick Hahn is unlikely to have one of the team's highly regarded pitching prospects make the Charlotte-Chicago-Charlotte shuttle. That leaves Covey, a Rule 5 pick from the Athletics -- along with Tyler Danish and David Holmberg -- as possible replacements. Predictably, Covey, who has just six games of experience above the High-A level, has been knocked around this spring. He's allowed 10 runs on 16 hits and three walks while striking out just three in eight innings.

McHugh may not be able to build up his arm in time to take the ball during the first week of the regular season, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports. "It's looking more and more likely that (McHugh) may be late for the season," manager A.J. Hinch said.

Hinch is not making a definitive declaration, but having McHugh start the season on the 10-day disabled list will allow the right-hander to build up his inning and pitch count. He most recently pitched three innings Wednesday and is scheduled to throw early next week, but would be limited to four innings and 60-65 pitches. That's a tight schedule to be ready for one of the first five games of the regular season. If McHugh opens on the DL, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers will make up the back end of the rotation.

Chavez will open the season in the Angels' rotation, the Orange County Register reports.

He was solid enough this spring to hold off competition from Alex Meyer and Bud Norris to make the rotation. Chavez's best years came in 2014 and 2015 with division rival Oakland, in which he posted a combined 3.83 ERA over 303 innings. If the Angels can get that level of performance from Chavez, they should be very happy with their investment.

Coulombe, battling to carve out a bullpen spot, pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in Thursday's 15-5 Cactus League victory over the Brewers, giving up just one hit and striking out two.

Coulombe looked like he was losing his grip on a roster spot just a week ago, but he's bounced back in his last two outings. The southpaw had surrendered at least one run in each of his first five appearances, but has now put together 4.1 scoreless frames across his last pair of trips to the mound.

Barnes was optioned to minor league camp on Friday, Blue Jays play-by-play announcer Mike Wilner reports.

Barnes carried a 5.79 ERA and 1.29 WHIP through 4.2 innings this spring. Given his low usage and unimpressive numbers, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that he's being sent down. The 27-year-old saw his first taste of major league action with the Blue Jays in 2016 -- posting a 3.95 ERA across 13.2 innings (12 appearances) -- and has a strong chance to earn a call-up again in 2017.

Chargois was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Chargois was competing for one of the Twins' final bullpen spots this spring, but his struggles assured that he would be sent down to Triple-A to begin the season. The 26-year-old allowed eight runs over 8.1 innings in camp, though his high-power arm did manage to strike out eight batters as well. He posted a 1.29 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 35.0 innings at Triple-A Rochester last year, and if he's able to show that stuff again to start 2017, it's very possible he'll spend some time in the Twins' bullpen.