MLB Player News

Morejon hurled three innings in Saturday's Cactus League contest versus Arizona, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out five.

Morejon surrendered a leadoff home run to Ketel Marte, but he had little trouble with the Diamondbacks thereafter. The southpaw has allowed only two runs through seven innings this spring while striking out 10. His six walks are worrisome, but Morejon eased some of that concern by refusing to yield a free pass Saturday. The 22-year-old is expected to break camp with San Diego, though his role has yet to be laid out. Morejon is in contention for a rotation spot, but he could also function in a multiple-inning relief role.

Ponce de Leon started Saturday's Grapefruit League win over the Marlins, allowing an earned run on four hits, a walk and a hit batsman across 3.2 innings. He struck out two.

Ponce de Leon entered spring training as a candidate for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, which, at the time, was the only projected vacancy. Subsequently, No. 3 starter Miles Mikolas (shoulder) has seen his chances of Opening Day availability diminish significantly, and more recently, No. 2 hurler Kwang Hyun Kim has been temporarily sidelined with back tightness after struggling with velocity early. Consequently, Ponce de Leon's chances of earning some early-season starts seem to have gone up, and Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports Saturday's outing naturally served to fuel his candidacy. "I was really encouraged by Ponce's start tonight," manager Mike Shildt said postgame. "His arsenal was quality tonight. Really big league quality for sure."

Brogdon was removed from his relief appearance in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates due to a back injury, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

After striking out the first batter he faced, Brogdon asked out of the contest when manager Joe Girardi and a team trainer visited him on the mound. The 26-year-old can be considered day-to-day until the Phillies provide another update on his condition.

Fulmer was claimed off waivers by the Reds on Sunday.

The 27-year-old spent time with the Tigers, Orioles and Pirates last season, and he'll now receive a chance with the Reds after being waived by the Pirates. Fulmer appeared in 10 games during 2020 and gave up five runs with an 11:5 K:BB over 10.1 innings.

Manaea, who allowed an earned run on three hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts over three innings in a Cactus League win over the Reds on Saturday, saw his fastball top out at 94 mph during the outing, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The radar-gun reading is particularly relevant when considering Manaea's velocity was down in recent seasons as he focused on improving his command. Manaea was able to combine both power and location consistently Saturday, and his ability to keep the fastball at no less than 93 mph was partly a testament to an offseason workout regimen that focused on mobility and durability.

Foster retired one of the five hitters he faced in his Cactus League debut during Saturday's 6-5 win over the Angels, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks.

According to James Fegan of The Athletic, Foster said that a tweaked groin was behind his delayed start to spring training, but he appears to be healthy again after the White Sox cleared him to make his first appearance of 2021. Foster attributed his poor results Saturday to relying too much of his remodeled slider, so he'll look to iron things out over his remaining handful of relief appearances before Opening Day. Foster was a key piece in the White Sox bullpen as a rookie last season, posting a 2.20 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over 28.2 innings.

Graveman is one of the relievers the Mariners plan to utilize in "the highest-leverage innings" of games this coming season, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The versatile veteran's career has hit several rough patches over the last three seasons in the form of a 2018 Tommy John surgery that led to a missed 2019 and a benign spinal tumor that caused him to miss part of the 2020 campaign. Graveman finally rediscovered his stride when he returned as a reliever late last season, with his fastball velocity even ticking up to career-high levels (96-97 mph). That heater is part of what makes him a potentially effective late-inning asset again this season, and it worked well for him through his first two scoreless Cactus League appearances before he allowed four earned runs on four hits and a walk over an inning in his third outing Wednesday.

Honeywell (elbow) said he was pleased with how he pitched Saturday during his first live batting practice session of spring training. "That was sick, that was awesome. Had the fastball going, had all the secondary stuff going for the first time in a while, so kind of got the reactions I was looking for," Honeywell said, referring to teammates who observed the throwing session.

Facing hitters marked a significant milestone for Honeywell, who has been sidelined for much of the past three seasons due to an assortment of arm injuries. According to Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network, manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that he doesn't expect Honeywell to be ready to pitch in any games during the Grapefruit League season, but the skipper indicated he was impressed with the right-hander, who sported a fastball that sat around 92-to-94 miles per hour and touched 95. Once fully cleared, Honeywell will likely open his season at Triple-A Durham.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that Williams will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday before likely making his Cactus League debut late next week, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Though Williams received a clean bill of health early in the offseason after a sore right shoulder prevented him from pitching in the Brewers' wild-card round series loss to the Dodgers, the coaching staff has been deliberately easing the reigning National League Rookie of the Year along during spring training. At this stage, the Brewers haven't voiced any concerns about Williams, who Counsell said looked good during his most recent live BP session Saturday. Josh Hader remains in line to save games for Milwaukee in 2021, but Williams profiles as the top non-closer reliever in fantasy baseball after delivering unparalleled ratios (0.33 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 44.0 K-BB% over 27 innings) during his first full season in the majors.

Devenski (elbow) made his third Cactus League appearance in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Padres, striking out two over a perfect inning in relief.

Devenski required surgery last September to remove a bone spur in his right elbow, but he reported to spring training at full health and looks well on his way to winning a spot in Arizona's bullpen, despite his status as a non-roster invitee. He's now tossed three scoreless frames so far this spring while allowing only three baserunners.