MLB Player News

Yamamoto was stretched out to over 60 pitches in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, allowing one run on two hits and striking out two over 3.1 innings, Deesha Thosar of The New York Daily News reports.

The right-hander, acquired from the Marlins in the offseason, came into camp competing for the No. 5 spot in the Mets rotation, but David Peterson remains the front-runner for that assignment. However, if Carlos Carrasco (elbow) isn't deemed ready for Opening Day, Yamamoto could still open the season in a starting role, though Joey Lucchesi is also an option. Home runs have been the biggest issue for Yamamoto in the majors -- after serving up eight in only 11.1 innings last season, he has a 1.9 HR/9 for his career -- and if he can't find a way to keep the ball in the park, he'll be fantasy poison no matter how he's deployed.

Rainey (collarbone) continues to throw bullpen sessions, and the Nationals have no timetable for his readiness to pitch in Grapefruit League games, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander is dealing with what manager Dave Martinez called a "minor" muscle strain along his right collarbone, but the team is taking no chances with Rainey and has limited him to bullpen sessions so far in camp. With Daniel Hudson and Will Harris available to handle setup duties in front of closer Brad Hand, the goal will likely be to make sure Rainey is healthy for the season rather than pushing him to get ready for Opening Day, but if he makes good progress over the next week the 28-year-old might still be able to avoid an IL stint to begin the campaign.

Abreu walked two batters and struck out one in a scoreless inning during a "B" game against the Nationals on Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Abreu, who made his first appearance since clearing health and safety protocols, walked the first two batters he faced before getting a strikeout and inducing a double-play grounder. Both he and Luis Garcia pitched in the game, and each may be needed early in the season as Houston's starting depth suddenly became an issue over the last week. Abreu, whose previous appearance was Feb. 28, will need time to be ready as a starter for the first week of the regular season.

Lambert struck out two over a scoreless inning in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.

Lambert made his Cactus League debut when he was the first of nine relievers to pitch Saturday. The 26-year-old right-hander will eventually be stretched out as rotation depth for the White Sox and will be a member of starting staff at Triple-A Charlotte, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Brasier is doubtful to be ready for Boston's April 1 season opener versus Baltimore while he works to catch up with the team's other relievers following his delayed arrival to spring training, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Brasier could still avoid being placed on the injured list to begin the season if he's close to being fully ramped up by the time camp breaks, but at this stage, he should be viewed as unlikely to be available at any point during Boston's three-game series with Baltimore. Cora noted that in addition to reporting late to spring training while tending to a personal matter, Brasier likely would have been behind the team's other pitchers in throwing progression after fracturing the pinkie finger on his right hand during the offseason. Brasier has since made a full recovery from that injury.

Bukauskas struck out three over a scoreless fifth inning in Saturday's spring game against the Padres.

Bukauskas, a starter in the minors, is being groomed as a reliever for 2021 and has excelled in four Cactus League outings. Saturday's appearance was his first during the middle of a game -- thus, facing more experienced hitters -- which is an indication of the team's growing trust in the right-hander, who has not allowed a hit, walk or run while striking out nine over four spring innings.

Sandlin has thrown 1.2 scoreless innings this spring with four strikeouts and two walks. He's made his first two appearances after not pitching in a game since July 2019 due to forearm surgery.

Sandlin did return to pitch at Cleveland's alternate site last season but did not appear in an official game. The sidewinder will likely need to show he's healthy at Triple-A before getting a shot at the majors. The 67th overall pick in the 2018 draft was dominant when last fully healthy in 2019 with a 1.56 ERA and 14.2 K/9 at Double-A.

Quezada was optioned to minor-league camp by the Cardinals on Saturday.

The 26-year-old was traded from the Phillies to the Cardinals in February but was unable to make the Opening Day roster with his new team. Quezada made his big-league debut with the Marlins in 2020 and allowed three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk over three innings.

Hartlieb recorded a scoreless inning Saturday against the Yankees, striking out a pair without permitting a hit or walk.

The righty, who hasn't allowed a run in three outings covering three spring innings, is likely a favorite to earn a bullpen spot. Hartlieb compiled a 3.63 ERA working relief in 2020, though he allowed 19 walks in 22.1 innings. He has yet to issue a free pass in Grapefruit League action. Most likely, he'll continue to work the middle innings in 2021.

Alvarado has looked good to start camp, retiring all nine batters he's faced thus far while striking out three.

The Phillies acquired Alvarado fairly cheaply from the Rays back in December, as he's posted a 5.08 ERA over the last two seasons while battling injuries. He's been in vintage form so far this spring, however, with his fastball touching triple digits and his conditioning looking much improved. His recent struggles mean he probably begins the year behind Archie Bradley and Hector Neris on the closer depth chart, but he could certainly add to his 15 career saves if he carries his spring success into the regular season. If the Phillies adopt a committee approach at any point this year, he should have a strong chance of picking up saves when opposing lefties are due up in the ninth inning, as both Bradley and Neris throw right-handed.