MLB Player News

Jansen (lat) allowed three runs on three hits and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's spring game against Minnesota.

Jansen surrendered a pair of home runs in his Grapefruit League debut but wasn't worried about the results. "It's my first outing, and we'll sharpen things up as we go," Jansen told Ian Browne of MLB.com. He's particularly focused on getting his cutter in shape. Jansen estimates he'll need another four outings to be ready for the regular season, and he should have enough time to ramp up before Opening Day. His next scheduled outing comes Monday.

Jax has thrown six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks this spring.

He's in midseason form and ready to return as the primary setup man to closer Jhoan Duran. Jax's barrel rate allowed was in the 97th percentile last season (3.3 percent), while his hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity and 56.8 percent groundball rate were all well above average. He should be a significant source of holds (23 last season) this year while nabbing an occasional save when Duran is unavailable.

Berroa (shoulder) has been cleared to resume throwing Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Berroa had a right shoulder issue crop up earlier this week, but everything checked out fine and the reliever is "on pace to crank it up," per White Sox manager Pedro Grifol. It sounds like the hard-throwing reliever could have a chance to be ready for Opening Day, which would be a pleasant surprise. If healthy, Berroa should be in the late-inning mix for the White Sox.

Wingenter was removed from Friday's appearance versus Atlanta after being struck in the leg by a comebacker, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Wingenter had thrown just five pitches in the appearance before having to exit due to the injury. The 29-year-old right-hander is competing for a bullpen job in camp and has a 6:4 K:BB through 5.1 spring innings, allowing only one run on two hits.

A's manager Mark Kotsay said Friday that Alexander (ribs) isn't expected to resume mound work before the end of camp, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The veteran left-hander was diagnosed with a left rib stress reaction after he struggled in three spring appearances, allowing eight earned runs over 2.1 innings. Alexander is now poised to begin the campaign on the injured list, and it's unclear how long he'll be unavailable.

Manager Ron Washington said Stephenson continues to deal with right shoulder discomfort and may not be ready by Opening Day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 31-year-old appeared back on track for a high-leverage role to start the season after being slowed early in camp by shoulder soreness, but the renewed discomfort puts his availability in jeopardy. Stephenson's outlook will depend on how quickly the issue subsides, but a trip to the injured list to begin the campaign wouldn't be surprising.

The Rays optioned Lopez to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lopez had been listed as a possible rotation candidate with Taj Bradley (pectoral) out, but he'll head back to Durham for now. The left-hander permitted three runs with a 7:6 K:BB across 6.1 innings of work during Grapefruit League play.

The Rays selected Waguespack's contract from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Waguespack had inked a minor-league contract this offseason following a two-year stint in Japan and has earned a spot on the major-league roster after allowing three runs with a 6:1 K:BB over five innings this spring. The 30-year-old right-hander is a candidate to make some starts early on in the season while Taj Bradley (pectoral) is sidelined.

Gott has allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk while also recording three strikeouts over three innings in three Cactus League appearances.

The third time was the charm for Gott this spring, as he was able to pitch a clean inning with two strikeouts against the Diamondbacks on Monday after surrendering three earned runs over his first pair of turns. Despite the struggles, Gott could be utilized in some high-leverage spots this season, although Mason Miller and Dany Jimenez project to be the top options for ninth-inning work.

Jimenez, who fired a scoreless sixth inning Thursday against the Cubs during which he recorded two strikeouts, owns a 3.18 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB across 5.2 innings over six Cactus League appearances this spring.

The right-hander hasn't been scored upon in five of his exhibition outings, only slipping up against the Brewers last Friday by allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and a walk over one inning. Jimenez has garnered three wins, 12 saves and 11 holds across 59 appearances over the last two seasons with the Athletics, despite dealing with some injuries over that span. If he remains healthy, the 30-year-old should be in line for a heavy workload, one that could include more save opportunities than he's seen previously, as manager Mark Kotsay has indicated that Mason Miller will be eased gradually into closing duties.