MLB Player News

Graterol has yet to throw to live hitters this spring and may not be ready for game action by Opening Day, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers have not indicated that Graterol is injured, and manager Dave Roberts has explained vaguely that the reliever wasn't able to throw bullpens during the offseason due to "a lot of things that took place this winter." While Graterol was initially expected to have time to ramp up by Opening Day, the fact that he still hasn't faced live hitters with just over two weeks to go casts doubt upon that outlook. Roberts was again vague about a timeline for Graterol, stating only, "I would assume that he'll take down some live hitters at some point in time." Even if he isn't ready by the start of the campaign, Graterol should fill a high-leverage role in the team's bullpen when he is able to return.

Norris will likely fill a long-relief role for the Tigers this season, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

After dealing with injuries the past few seasons and a bout with COVID-19 in 2020, Norris settled in as a primary pitcher last year, posting a 2.77 ERA across 13 multi-inning relief appearances. A similar role seems to be on tap for the lefty in 2021, which curtails his fantasy appeal but could make him a solid real-life option for the Tigers, especially as they look to monitor the workloads of starters such as Michael Fulmer, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal.

Puk will start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Royals and is expected to throw 45-50 pitches, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

This confirms a Monday report that indicated matters were trending in this direction for Puk, whose velocity and breaking ball both stood out in a Saturday sim game. The urgency to get the big left-hander stretched out has gone up a notch, considering he's the leading candidate to take Mike Fiers' (hip) place in the starting rotation to open the season if the veteran is sidelined as expected.

Flores was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old struggled in three spring appearances, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks over 2.1 innings. Flores will look to get back to the big leagues in 2021 after making his debut in the majors with two appearances last season.

Stiever was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old has been talked up by new manager Tony La Russa and is expected to contribute for the White Sox in 2021, but he won't make the Opening Day roster. Stiever made his major-league debut last season and allowed seven earned runs across 6.1 innings.

Burdi was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old appeared in eight games for the White Sox last season and surrendered nine earned runs with an 11:3 K:BB over 7.1 innings. Burdi is a likely bet to join the big-league club at some point in 2021.

Ramirez allowed two earned runs on two hit batsmen and a walk over one inning in a Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday.

The outing marked Ramirez's spring debut following a bout with COVID-19 earlier in the month. The hard-throwing right-hander was a surprisingly pivotal part of the Mariners bullpen in 2020 with three saves, a hold and a 2.61 ERA across 20.2 innings (16 appearances), but control was also a significant concern (8.7 BB/9). His initial struggles aside, that body of work last season is likely to help Ramirez latch onto an Opening Day roster spot, with Daniel Kramer of MLB.com including the 25-year-old as one of the team's relievers in his latest roster projection.

Johnson was removed from Tuesday's spring game against the White Sox due to groin tightness, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old recorded two outs and gave up one run with two walks and one strikeout before leaving the field with an athletic trainer. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but Johnson figures to be unavailable for a few days regardless.

Webb owns a 3.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 5:1 K:BB and three holds across the 4.2 innings covering his first five Grapefruit League appearances.

The veteran southpaw has also held hitters to a cumulative .176 average while posting three scoreless one-inning outings in his five trips to the mound. Webb is coming off a career-best 2020 campaign during which he recorded a 2.08 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, one save and two holds across 21.2 innings (21 appearances).

Cabrera, who allowed three earned runs across two innings over his first pair of Grapefruit League appearances, has now tossed consecutive scoreless, one-inning outings.

Cabrera seems to be settling in after battling some of his trademark control issues during his first two trips to the mound this spring, when he issued four walks across his initial pair of frames. The 24-year-old southpaw was a revelation in 2020 with a 4-1 record, 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 33.7 percent strikeout rate across 19 appearances, and he profiles for a similar high-usage bullpen role again this coming season.