MLB Player News

Manaea is working to hone his slider in spring training, Joe Stiglich of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old southpaw, currently penciled in as the A's' No. 2 starter, is working on the slider as a third pitch to go with his fastball and changeup. His progress has already caught the eye of manager Bob Melvin, who remarked that Manaea "really impressed" with the pitch in a Friday throwing session. Both Melvin and Manaea feel the third pitch will help take the promising hurler to the next level after a promising 2016 rookie season. The lefty hopes to build on the momentum he generated over his final nine starts, during which he went 4-3 with a 2.41 ERA, with victories in three of his last four trips to the mound.

Duffey will compete for a spot in the Twins' rotation this spring but is open to moving to a relief role in order to stay with the big league club, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Duffey's sophomore slump in 2016 resulted in him starting the year at Triple-A and subsequently posting a disastrous 6.43 ERA over 26 starts with the Twins. He'll be vying with several candidates for one of the final rotation spots this spring, including the likes of the promising Jose Berrios and the veteran Ryan Vogelsong. According to Bollinger, Duffey's background as a reliever from his days in college makes him a candidate to start the year in the pen if he does not lock down a spot in the rotation.

Hart is one of a few options to fill a left-handed specialist role on the team's Opening Day roster, Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday that the team could break camp with three southpaw relievers, and the current options include Hart, T.J. McFarland and Jed Bradley. The 26-year-old Hart was impressive in his first taste of big league ball, appearing in 22 games (18.1 innings) and allowing just one earned run while notching 12 strike outs. In four minor league season, he's 26-for-34 in save opportunities while sporting an 8.9 K/9 during that span. Hart, if he makes the 25-man roster, could offer a return in leagues that value holds.

Matzek signed a minor league deal with the White Sox on Friday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

The former Rockie struggled as a starter with the Rockies in 2014 and 2015 before spending the 2016 campaign in the minors working as a reliever. The former highly touted lefty continued to struggle in the minors, however, as he worked a 6.75 ERA across 33 appearances last season. He figures to latch on with one of the White Sox's minor league affiliates at the end of spring training.

Although Barnes is a longshot to make the Opening Day roster, he's slated to bounce between Triple-A Buffalo and Toronto this season, SB Nation reports.

One reason Barnes is destined to begin 2017 in the minors is because he's one of the team's few bullpen choices that still has options remaining on his contract (unlike Darrell Ceciliani and Bo Schultz). The right-handed Barnes, who made his MLB debut last year, has had a successful minor league career and is closing in on a permanent big league gig. In terms of fantasy return, Barnes, who has notched 65 saves in the minors, could be a sneaky source for a handful of holds when he eventually gets the call up.

De Leon threw a bullpen session Friday, and his back didn't appear to bother him, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander missed a Wednesday workout due to back tightness but looks to have rebounded in his preparation for 2017. It's best, however, to wait to see how he feels in the coming days. When he's back, he'll compete for a rotation spot in camp, which adds to his already intriguing fantasy stock.

Fulmer said he wants to pace himself in spring training and work on his fastball command, The Detroit Free Press reports.

Last season, Fulmer said he went full speed out of the gates, as he was trying to make an impression as a prospect. Now that he's secured a spot in the rotation, he's trying to take a bit more moderate approach to spring training. "I can work on a bunch of feel things," he said. "Especially command -- fastball command -- and working all parts of the plate now. I remember last year, I'd get a bullpen and, honestly, just throw as hard as I could, try to get some eyes going my way. But hopefully, this spring is a little different story and I can actually take the time to work on my changeup and my slider and, obviously, fastball command being the biggest one."

Pomeranz (elbow) is focused on winning one of the two available spots in Boston's rotation, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports. The left-hander is one of three pitchers, along with Steven Wright (shoulder) and Eduardo Rodriguez (knee), competing for a rotation spot.

The conventional wisdom is that Pomeranz and Wright will open the season in the starting rotation, if healthy. Rodriguez, who still has minor-league options remaining, can be easily stashed at Triple-A Pawtucket to start the season. However, Pomeranz pitching in relief is a possibility due to his previous bullpen experience, and the possibility that Rodriguez is pitching too well to keep down at Triple-A. Manager John Farrell and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski prefer Pomeranz be used as a starter, though.

Puk, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 first-year player draft and non-roster invitee, made a strong impression on manager Bob Melvin in his first bullpen session of spring training, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports. "Early in spring you're looking for fastball command, and he had command of that," Melvin said. "He showed a good changeup. I know his breaking ball came a long way last year. He's one of those guys that's free and easy. He's closer to you once he releases the ball (because of his height) and he's got good life on him. It's a good start for him to have a good showing in his first bullpen."

The towering lefty, who checks in at 6-foot-7, will get a valuable opportunity against a higher level of competition this spring and got matters off on the right foot Thursday by all accounts. Puk made a good first impression in live game action last season as well, posting a 3.03 ERA over 10 starts in short-season Low-A Vermont, along with a 1.07 WHIP and 40 whiffs in 32.2 innings. Following spring training, Puk wil begin the 2017 campaign toiling away at either the Low-A or High-A level.

Burdi began throwing bullpen sessions in late January is feeling good as he prepares for spring training, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The 2014 second-round draft pick was limited to just three relief appearances with Double-A Chattanooga due to a bruised humerus, but it seems like that injury is completely behind the flamethrower. He also made an adjustment to his arm slot, which he hopes will take some stress off his arm in the upcoming campaign. Burdi didn't receive an invitation to big league camp, so he doesn't have to report to spring training until March 7 when the rest of the minor leaguers return to action. However, as it stands now, the 24-year-old Louisville product should be all systems go once he does arrive to Fort Myers in the coming weeks.