MLB Player News

Mariners rookie Brandon Maurer took the hill for his final tune-up of the spring Saturday against the Rockies.

Maurer gave up two solo home runs in the fourth inning. He was charged with two runs and five hits in six innings. He also struck out three and walked one as he finished spring training 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA.

"I was a little uncomfortable and only my slider was working out there today," Maurer said.

The right-hander is expected to open the season Thursday against the A's.

It may have taken him the entire spring, but Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore finally produced an encouraging performance. Moore yielded just one hit -- a single -- over four scoreless innings during Tampa Bay's Grapefruit League outing against Detroit on Saturday.

Most importantly, Moore also walked just one batter and struck out five as he trimmed his ERA under four for the first time in exhibition play (3.80). He needed 25 pitches to complete the first inning before firing 29 the rest of the game.

The left-hander had issued at least two walks in each of his previous five Grapefruit League appearances and finished with 14 total walks over 21 1/3 innings.

"That's what he's supposed to look like, that's what he can look like," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "As he regains his confidence, you'll see that on a more consistent basis."

Moore is slated to start the Rays' third game of the season Thursday against Baltimore. He was 2-2 with a 1.83 ERA in four starts versus the Orioles last year.

White Sox pitcher Hector Santiago earned his second start of the spring Friday night against the Brewers.

Santiago turned in a solid performance with three perfect innings while striking out five in a 7-2 victory. He has a 3.38 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in seven Cactus League appearances.

Twins starting pitcher Liam Hendriks, who was drilled by a line drive Tuesday, was able to test his right hand as he completed a bullpen session without any setbacks Thursday.

"[Special instructor Tom Kelly] said everything looked great, that he was kind of surprised he looked that good," manager Ron Gardenhire told MLB.com

Hendriks has posted a 4.15 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in seven starts this spring. He is expected to earn a spot in the rotation.

The A's announced Thursday reliever Fernando Rodriguez had successful reconstructive elbow (Tommy John) surgery. He will begin his rehab Saturday, but he will be out for the 2013 season.

Astros reliever Josh Fields -- a Rule 5 pick from Boston -- has officially made the team, which is an accomplishment by itself considering the odds that are stacked against Rule 5 guys. Step two is getting into the saves mix, which isn't really a tall order considering the team hasn't fully embraced Jose Veras yet. 

Fields, who has pitched out of the bullpen his entire career, struck out over a batter per inning each of the last two seasons in the minors, with a 2.83 ERA in that span. He didn't allow a run in a 10-game Triple-A stint last year, the highest level he had previously played. The more days that pass without Veras being named the closer, the better chance Fields has of slipping into that role. It's not time to snag him in mixed leagues yet, but AL-only players may want to take a closer look at him as a possible option if they're light on saves. 

Astros manager Bo Porter announced Thursday reliever Josh Fields made the opening day roster.

Fields, who has never pitched in a major-league regular season game, is 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 11 spring outings. He has struck out nine and walked seven in 10 2/3 innings. Fields was a 2008 first-round pick of the Mariners.

Rays closer Fernando Rodney struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 seventh inning Wednesday in his return to Grapefruit League action following a heavy workload in the World Baseball Classic. Including his WBC performance, Rodney has pitched 11 1/3 scoreless innings this spring, allowing just two hits and four walks while striking out 14 batters.

After a strong spring, Mariners’ starting pitcher Brandon Maurer has been named the team’s fourth starter. Maurer had a 0.90 ERA over 20 spring innings. Last season, Maurer had a 3.20 ERA over 137 2/3 innings in Double-A.

I'm really glad to see the Twins giving Liam Hendriks another chance in the major-league rotation. His career numbers in the majors have been ugly, but this kid has the stuff to pitch in the majors. His numbers in the minors were outstanding. He was 39-24 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, which included a 13-7 record, 2.95 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 25 starts at Triple-A. 

Hendriks also has been effective late in the spring. Including his shortened start Tuesday against the Orioles because of a bruised hand, Hendriks has allowed just three earned runs in his last 10 2/3 innings. I can't really suggest to most Fantasy owners to take a flier on Hendriks given his poor MLB track record, but I don't think it could hurt AL-only owners to use a late-round pick on the 24-year-old.