MLB Player News

Giles added muscle over the offseason in the hope of increasing his durability, and he worked on changing his mechanics to improve his fastball, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Giles couldn't provide an exact figure of how much muscle he packed on, but Kaplan said the "extra bulk is noticeable." As for the fastball, it averaged 97.2 mph last year, so possibly adding more "zip," as Giles said, could make him even more dangerous. He may give up the occasional save chance to Will Harris or Luke Gregerson, but Giles looks primed to continue his late-season improvements from 2016 and cement himself as a No. 1 fantasy closer.

Jimenez is expected to take on a setup role for Puerto Rico in next month's World Baseball Classic, MLB.com reports.

Jimenez figures to be the bridge to Mariners closer Edwin Diaz. Jimenez is also competing this spring for a role in Detroit's bullpen to start the season, though he's likely to being the year at Triple-A. The 22-year-old projects as a future closer for the Tigers.

Kimbrel has been asked by the Red Sox to focus heavily on improving his command this spring, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports. Boston's closer walked 5.1 batters per nine innings in 2016.

Kimbrel has been an elite closer since he became one for Atlanta in 2011, but his performance for Boston last season was less than elite. Many statistics indicated he was the same old Kimbrel -- opponent batting average of .150 and 14.1 K/9 stand out -- but command got him in trouble. Of the 22 pitchers that recorded at least 20 saves, he ranked 17th in ERA. "That comes with alignment, delivering the ball to home plate," manager John Farrell said. "He got into a little bit of a habit where his posture might not have allowed him to stay in line, he'd end up being a little bit side-to-side, and that's where you saw some pitches yanked down and away from right-handers or he'd miss up to the arm side to left-handers." He's in no danger of losing the closer's job, but more consistent command is the goal for 2017.

Johnson threw his sixth bullpen session of the spring Wednesday and said his "arm feels great," a marked difference from last spring, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports,

Johnson's healthy offseason is a pleasant change relative to last offseason when elbow discomfort and nerve irritation that sabotaged a promising 2015 season compromised his ability to build arm strength. The diminished stuff, coupled with a toe injury, had shaken the left-hander's confidence, which morphed into an anxiety episode that required Johnson to leave the organization for two months last summer. While he was able to return and pitched effectively, the stop-and-start nature of his season impacted his fastball velocity and the bite of his curve. He's now back on a normal schedule and will be on the short list of names if the Red Sox need to reach down to Triple-A for an emergency or fill-in starter.

Girodo was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The southpaw will remain with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster. He will still get to attend major league camp for spring training, but Girodo will face long odds to earn his spot back with lefties J.P. Howell, Aaron Loup and Matt Dermody all ahead of him in the bullpen hierarchy.

Armstrong will compete this spring for one of the last vacancies in the team's bullpen, Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com reports.

The recent signing of Boone Logan means the Tribe is down to just one or two bullpen openings. There's a stable of potential choices, and Armstrong is in the middle of the pack. The right-hander owns an impressive 2.29 ERA over 263.1 minor-league innings since 2011, and a good spring could propel him to a photo finish. Armstrong appeared in eight big league games for the Indians in 2015, and 10 last season. He's proven to be effective at inducing ground-ball outs throughout his career, a valuable attribute for any reliever, and he's capable of nailing down a handful of holds if given the chance.

De Leon did not throw at Wednesday's workout due to back tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The injury doesn't seem to be serious at this point and manager Kevin Cash says De Leon may throw Thursday, depending on how he feels. The young right-hander has drawn great interest since being acquired from the Dodgers this offseason and is expected to compete for a roster spot out of spring training.

Diekman (abdomen) expects to be pitching by the All-Star break, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Diekman underwent colon surgery in January and is scheduled to have another operation in April. The 30-year-old reliever has been with Texas for the past two seasons, posting a 3.01 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 92 games. Diekman's absence opens the door for Alex Claudio to get more opportunities as the only returning left-handed reliever. He compiled a 2.79 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 51.2 innings for the Rangers last season.

Flynn (ribs) has also been diagnosed with a lumbar vertebal fracture and was placed on the 60-day disabled list Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

The Royals revealed earlier this week that Flynn fractured his rib after falling through the roof of his barn, but it appears he may have also wrenched his back in the process. Flynn was initially given an eight-week recovery timetable, but his placement on the 60-day DL means that he'll now be sidelined through at least early June. Even if Flynn is fully recovered from the injury by mid-April, he'd still probably need at least a month to rebuild arm strength and improve his conditioning, so it's probably a prudent move for the Royals to delay a potential return until June while opening up a 40-man roster spot in the process.

Mengden, who had right foot surgery on Feb. 8, is scheduled to be out of a walking boot on Mar. 26, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander remains without a firm timetable for return, but the expectation that he'll shed his walking boot in late March at least provides an approximation of when Mengden will take the next major step in his recovery. The 23-year-old's injury knocked him out of contention for the fifth starter role for the time being, leaving him with an uphill climb once he's fully recovered.