MLB Player News

McHugh (arm) threw 25-30 pitches off a mound at about 70 percent Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 29-year-old reportedly felt good after throwing his first bullpen session of spring training, and he's hoping to progress to live batting practice soon in a Grapefruit League game. Despite being delayed considerably due to a dead arm at the beginning of camp, the Astros and McHugh feel optimistic that he'll be in their rotation come Opening Day.

Sadzeck was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Sadzeck never had much realistic hope of winning a 25-man roster spot to begin the season, and it didn't help matters that he served up two runs on five hits and a walk over four innings in his two Cactus League appearances. Look for him to occupy a spot in the Round Rock rotation for much of 2017.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said that Fulmer (ankle) wouldn't be available to pitch for Team USA in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old hurler had been lined up to start in the second round, but after spraining his right ankle Sunday, he'll need some further time off to recover. It appears that Fulmer is also a "long shot" to pitch in the third round of the tournament, so Team USA may ultimately elect to just replace him on the roster. Fulmer's ankle injury doesn't seem to put him at risk of missing the start of the regular season, but it appears the Tigers are content to act cautiously with the reigning American League Rookie of the Year.

Duffey threw two scoreless innings in Sunday's spring training outing and his fastball reached 96 mph on the radar gun, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Duffey bounced back after six runs (four earned) while retiring just two batters in his first spring outing. He's in the mix for a spot in the rotation, but will more likely move to the bullpen or Triple-A.

Santiago threw 2.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts Sunday in his second spring start. His next outing will be with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Santiago bounced back from an ugly first spring start in which he gave up five runs on two home runs over an inning of work. Santiago is assured of a spot in Minnesota's rotation to begin the season, but he could have a short leash if he struggles early after career worsts last season in ERA, FIP and K/9.

Lopez allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out three over three innings in Sunday's game against Arizona.

The right-hander was much better in his second Cactus League start than his first last Tuesday, when he allowed five runs and four hits in 1.1 innings. Lopez said he was much more focused Sunday and was able to keep his pitches down in the zone. He's expected to open the 2017 at Triple-A Charlotte with a trip up to Chicago at some point during the regular season a real possibility.

McHugh is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session of the spring Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports. The 29-year-old right-hander has been delayed this spring after he reported to camp in mid-February with a dead arm.

After Monday's session, McHugh said he'll be better able to gauge how many more bullpens he'll need before he throws a live batting-practice session. Under that schedule, it's sounding like McHugh's preparation will bump up with the first week of the regular season, but he and the Astros are optimistic he'll be ready for the rotation's first turn in April.

Puk was reassigned to minor league camp Sunday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Puk's usage was very slim during his first ever spring training with the big club. However, he was solid in his single outing. During said game, he pitched one inning and struck out three batters. Oakland has yet to say where it'll assign him at the start of the upcoming season, but it seems likely he'll be sent to the team's High-A affiliate in Stockton.

Pomeranz (elbow) is expected to make his spring debut March 13, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Boston plans to have Pomeranz throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, then have him pitch in a game five days later. If healthy, Pomeranz is expected to start the 2017 season at the back end of the rotation, at which point he'll look to improve on 2016's subpar showing with the Red Sox. After being acquired from the Padres, he proceeded to post a 4.59 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 14 games (68.2 innings).

Manaea (0-1) gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits and one walk over 1.2 innings in Saturday's 15-5 Cactus League loss to the Indians. He struck out two.

Manaea's Saturday effort was in sharp contrast to his stellar spring debut Monday, when he'd stymied the Giants over two innings and had been especially effective with his changeup. The 25-year-old southpaw experienced the polar opposite against the Indians, surrendering RBI doubles to Abraham Almonte and Lonnie Chisenhall and an infield single to Chris Colabello in a 33-pitch first inning. He also yielded another two-bagger to Brandon Guyer in the second before exiting and pinpointed command issues with his changeup as one of the biggest culprits in his regression Saturday. "I just wasn't throwing it for a strike," Manaea said. "It's something I've got to work on, something that needs to be executed a lot better than it was today. It's what I guess spring training (is about), working out all those kinks and hopefully by the season be ready to go."