MLB Player News

Junis was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

Junis allowed two hits and no walks while striking out four in four scoreless innings across two Cactus League appearances this spring, but he was unable to land a spot in the Giants' bullpen to begin the year. While the 29-year-old will begin the year in the minors, he'll be among the top candidates for a call-up if San Francisco needs a spot starter or long reliever.

Pivetta allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out six over five innings in Sunday's spring start against the Braves.

Pivetta made his final Grapefruit League start and is in position to pitch the second game of the season, Saturday, April 9, against the Yankees. He had a lot of traffic, including a hit batsman, but he was touched only by Matt Olson's first-inning solo home run. The right-hander finished spring training with eight runs allowed (six earned) on 15 hits and six walks while punching out 22 batters over 15.2 innings.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora believes the team discovered a mechanical flaw in Barnes' delivery may that may be the cause of a drop in velocity, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Barnes' four-seamer has been sitting in the 92-93 mph range compared to the 96-97 range in which it usually lives. "I think it's something about his leg kick," Cora said. "Last year, he was a lot tighter. Now, he's loose. If you want to use a reference, it's like a figure skater. When you're open, it slows you down. When you're closed, you're actually faster, quicker." Barnes will work on his mechanics and is slated for two more Grapefruit League appearances. If the velocity comes back by eliminating the flaw, Barnes should be considered a prime candidate to close for Boston.

The Marlins reassigned Yacabonis to minor-league camp Sunday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Yacabonis joined Miami on a minor-league deal in November after he spent the 2021 season in Seattle's organization. He spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Tacoma, accruing a 2.17 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 37.1 innings. The 30-year-old is expected to slot into the bullpen at Triple-A Jacksonville in Miami's organization to begin the upcoming season.

The Athletics optioned Martinez to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

Oakland formally sent Martinez to the minors after he was one of two prospects acquired from the Padres earlier Sunday in the deal that sent Sean Manaea to San Diego. Though he won't immediately step into the big-league rotation as a replacement for Manaea, Martinez should have a good chance to make his MLB debut later in 2022, given his status as an advanced minor-league arm who's on the 40-man roster of a rebuilding organization. After a second-half promotion from Double-A San Antonio last season, Martinez delivered a 5.28 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 44.1 innings with El Paso in his first exposure to the Triple-A level.

The Reds reassigned Wingenter (elbow) to minor-league camp Sunday.

Wingenter's chances of breaking camp with the Reds were dashed after he was shut down with elbow soreness a few days ago. Fortunately, Wingenter's MRI checked out fine, and he's expected to continue his rehab program at the Reds' extended spring training facility before eventually settling in the bullpen at Triple-A Louisville, according to Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bickford (arm) tossed a perfect inning against San Francisco in a Cactus League contest Saturday. He struck out two.

Bickford entered camp battling arm soreness, so he wasn't able to get into his first spring contest until Saturday. Despite the delayed start, the right-hander pitched as if he was in midseason form, needing only 13 pitches to get three outs -- two of which came via strikeout. Bickford isn't expected to be ready for Opening Day, but he should occupy a key role in the Dodgers' bullpen once he's fully ramped up.

The Padres optioned Weathers to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday.

Even with Mike Clevinger (knee) set to begin the season on the injured list, Weathers' slim chances of breaking camp as a member of the Padres' rotation were dashed after the Friars acquired Sean Manaea from the Athletics on Sunday. With MacKenzie Gore turning heads in spring training, Weathers may not be the first prized young arm to get a call-up to the majors if San Diego has an opening at the rotation at some point early on in 2022. The Padres will likely want the 22-year-old lefty to first find some extended success at Triple-A after he faded badly down the stretch for the big club in 2021 to finish with a 5.32 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 10.5 K-BB% across 94.2 innings.

Kimbrel allowed four runs on four hits and struck out one over one-third of an inning in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Saturday.

Kimbrel's tenure as a Dodger got off to an inauspicious start, as he allowed a hit to each of the first four batters he faced. Two of those left the yard, and he was ultimately charged with four earned runs. The veteran did end his outing on a positive note with a punchout, but it wasn't the type of performance Los Angeles envisioned when acquiring him via trade Friday. Of course, spring training blowups don't tend to mean much in the big picture, and Kimbrel remains penciled in to begin the campaign as the Dodgers' closer.

Littell has allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout in three innings across three Cactus League games.

Littell was very effective in 2021, working in everything from an opener role to a fill-in at closer occasionally. He posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 63:24 K:BB with a 4-0 record, two saves and five holds in 61.2 innings. Entering 2022, Giants manager Gabe Kapler still hesitates to give strictly defined roles to his relievers. Jake McGee, Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers are expected to be in the closer committee, while Littell's versatility will see him often work in the middle innings. Given his 3.86 FIP from last season, he'll likely face a little regression in 2022.