MLB Player News

Jackson (forearm) completed a 10-pitch bullpen session Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The side session marks a step forward for Jackson after he missed a week of workouts at the start of camp due to forearm tightness, but manager Brian Snitker is still characterizing the right-hander as "day-to-day" as Opening Day nears. Atlanta hasn't yet ruled Jackson out from avoiding a trip to the injured list to begin the season, but he'll presumably need to advance to facing hitters within the next few days to have a shot at breaking camp as a member of the big club's bullpen.

The Athletics plan to have Puk open the season as a member of their bullpen, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Durability concerns have been the main reason why Puk has yet to make an MLB start, but after reporting to spring training healthy, he was expected to compete for a back-end spot in the Oakland rotation. At some point during the spring, the Athletics scrapped those plans, as all four of Puk's appearances to date have come as a reliever. He's tossed exactly two frames in each of his last three Cactus League appearances, a usage pattern that could signal that the Athletics envision him serving as a multi-inning fireman out of the bullpen. Though that role likely wouldn't put Puk in the mix for consistent save chances, he could have some fantasy value in deeper leagues as a ratio stabilizer if he can find a way to keep his walks in check. He hasn't shown the ability to do that so far in spring training, as he's issued six free passes over 6.2 innings.

Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Thursday that Chafin will be sidelined for "at least a couple of days" due to the groin injury that prevented him from pitching in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Chafin didn't participate in the team warmup ahead of Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, as he instead met with the training staff to receive treatment for the injury that has been described as "groin tightness." Hinch wasn't ready to speculate what the injury might mean for Chafin's status for Opening Day, but the lefty reliever will presumably need to throw a bullpen session without incident at some point within the next week to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the season.

Perez was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Perez was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in early November, though he failed to land a spot on the Opening Day roster after giving up eight runs in three innings across four relief appearances this spring. He'll begin the year in the minors but will be in the mix to provide bullpen depth at some point.

Fairbanks will receive a PRP injection to address his torn lat muscle, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Fairbanks has been shut down from throwing for six weeks and isn't expected to return to the active roster until July. The Rays will likely continue to plan their bullpen around high-leverage situations rather than traditional roles, but Fairbanks' absence leaves Andrew Kittredge looking more alone than expected as a top-tier option for the late innings.

The Diamondbacks optioned Frias to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

He was one of five players sent out from big-league camp in the Diamondbacks' latest round of roster cuts in advance of Opening Day. The 23-year-old right-hander had been vying for a spot in Arizona's bullpen to begin 2022 after he made three appearances for the big club last season following a Sept. 18 call-up from Reno.

Pearson won't appear in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers as scheduled after he experienced potential COVID-19 symptoms, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pearson reportedly tested negative for the virus, so assuming he shakes off his illness within a few days, he should be ready to go by Opening Day. Even if that's the case, Pearson might not find himself on the major-league roster. According to Matheson, Pearson has already been ruled out from winning a rotation spot, and it's unclear whether Toronto wants him in the big-league bullpen rather than continuing to build up as a starter at Triple-A Buffalo.

Bard will likely be part of a three-man closing committee to begin the regular season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Bard avoided arbitration with the Rockies in late November by agreeing to a one-year, $4.4 million deal, but the team also brought in Alex Colome during the offseason, while Carlos Estevez is also in the mix. Bard saw plenty of ninth-inning work last year and converted 20 of 28 save chances with a 5.21 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 65.2 innings across 67 appearances. The 36-year-old struggles against left-handed hitters, and manager Bud Black indicated Wednesday that he'll be able to ride the hot hand among the three pitchers since none of them have very expensive contracts. While Bard should get a chance at some ninth-inning duties early in the year, he'll need to improve against lefties if he hopes to remain in the committee.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Thursday that Romano is dealing with a mild left ankle sprain, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Romano recently slipped while walking his dog, but the injury isn't expected to affect his availability for Opening Day. Assuming the 28-year-old is fully healthy once the regular season gets underway next week, he's in line to serve as the Blue Jays' closer after he converted 23 of 24 save chances with a 2.14 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 63 innings last year.

Lee was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Lee made his big-league debut last season but threw just two innings, so he was likely always a long shot to break camp with the team. His excellent 54:6 K:BB and 1.54 ERA in 46.2 innings for Gwinnett last season means he should be one of Atlanta's top options whenever they need another lefty in the bullpen.