MLB Player News

Kimbrel made his debut with his new team Friday, allowing an unearned run in one inning against the Rays, the Boston Herald reports. "I felt like it went good. I was controlling my fastball and tried to throw some offspeed pitches over the plate," Kimbrel said. "With spring training that will come, but I was really pleased with how my fastball was today."

There's no secret to where Kimbrel fits in Boston's bullpen -- he's the closer who possesses a high-90s four-seam fastball. The Red Sox lacked power arms in the bullpen last year and acquiring Kimbrel from San Diego was one move to remedy that.

Kelly pitched two scoreless innings Friday, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out one against the Rays.

Like all pitchers at this time of the year, Kelly worked on his fastball command primarily and sprinkled in a small sampling of offspeed stuff. The right-hander is the leader for the final spot in Boston's rotation, but he won't be given a long leash if he's not performing well. When he's been bad, Kelly has fallen into the habit of throwing his fastball too much. It's key for him to mix in the offspeed stuff, as he did during an impressive eight-game run at the end of last season when he went to his slider and changeup more often.

Lee increased his fastball velocity to the mid-90s last season during his rise to Double-A, MASN Sports reports.

Lee threw at three different levels for the Orioles last season, rising from Low-A to Double-A. He seems likely to begin the season at Double-A, with a chance to get to Triple-A by the end of the season. Lee had a 2.03 ground out to air out ratio last season and allowed just two home runs. If he can get to Baltimore in the future, his knack for inducing grounders could play well in a hitter's park.

Manaea was effective in his initial spring start on Friday, striking out four over two inning while allowing zero runs.

Manaea is the top A's pitching prospect and is expected to start the season in Triple-A Nashville. Manaea showed a lot of movement in his repertoire on Friday and hit 97 with his fastball. If the A's were to have a couple of injuries in the spring to starting pitchers, it is possible Manaea could make the team out of the spring, but the more likely scenario will be Manaea spending a month or two in the Minors.

Hultzen is expected to make his spring training debut early next week, Bob Dutton of The News Tribune reports.

The Mariners have put Hultzen on a "go-slow" program and are being cautious with him due to his history of shoulder injuries. The former second overall pick has only pitched in 29 games since 2012 as a result of his injuries and will look to save his career in 2016 by staying healthy and transitioning into a reliever. He appears to be too much of a risk to be a viable fantasy option this season.

Loup has been diagnosed with a flexor tendon strain and will be shut down for two weeks, Sportsnet's Barry Davis reports.

While Loup's injury will cost him two weeks of preparation and could land him on the disabled list to open the season, the good news is doctors did not find any ligament damage in his forearm, so he is not looking at a lengthy recovery period.

Harvey threw an inning Thursday and allowed two hits with a strikeout.

This was Harvey's first game action since last spring before ankle and elbow injuries ruined all of his regular season. The Orioles should take another look or two at him this spring before reassigning him to minor league camp. The good news is it seems he is fully healthy at this point. An innings limit is a certainty. Look for Harvey to start at High-A and if all goes well he will move up to Double-A.

Loup resumed throwing Thursday after experiencing some forearm tightness but reportedly didn't feel good afterward, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsbet reports.

It's unclear when the tightness in his forearm emerged, but apparently it's affecting him quite a bit at the moment. The Blue Jays are going to assess his arm to determine the next steps, so we should know fairly soon how long Loup will have to stay out of action.

Loe signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Loe had trouble finding a team due in part to poor performance in recent years, but also due to a 50-game suspension he received in January. The contract does not include an invitation to major league spring training, which means the tall right-hander will likely begin the 2016 campaign in the minor leagues.

May enters spring training as a candidate for the fifth starter role but could also return to a relief role, manager Paul Molitor told MLB.com. May threw two scoreless innings with a strikeout in his spring debut Wednesday.

May thrived in relief by posting a 2.87 ERA and 37:8 K:BB ratio in 31.1 innings last season but his strong 8.6 K/9 rate and good control (2.0 BB/9) could make him one of the team's top starters. Still, the team appears to prefer him in relief. And his appearance as a reliever rather than starter in the first spring game could indicate he's a long shot for the rotation.