MLB Player News

Soriano (elbow) has resumed throwing, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Soriano was placed on the 60-day injured list and will miss the start of the regular season as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in February 2020. However, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk revealed Wednesday that the right-hander has resumed throwing. Soriano posted a 2.55 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 77.2 innings at the Low-A level in 2019.

Strahm (knee) could miss the start of the regular season, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Strahm underwent patellar tendon surgery on his right knee in late October and has been playing catch during the first few days of spring training. However, he isn't expected to start throwing bullpens until at least next week. While the southpaw is pushing himself to be ready in time for Opening Day, he also acknowledged that he could miss the first several games in order to preserve his long-term health. Strahm posted a 2.61 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with three holds over 20.2 innings with the Padres last season.

Soto resumed training with the Tigers on Wednesday after clearing COVID-19 intake protocols, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

Soto is among a slew of international Tigers players who was delayed by visa issues to begin spring training, but he's officially in the fold now. He missed about a week of workouts, but that shouldn't put him too far behind his fellow relievers leading up to Opening Day. After posting a 4.30 ERA and a 29:13 K:BB while notching two saves over his 27 appearances during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Soto is one of multiple relievers competing for the Tigers' closing gig this spring.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Andriese is being targeted for a swingman role, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to stretch him as a starter and see where we go throughout spring training," Cora said. "He'll be ready to do anything. He'll be our utility guy in the pitching staff.

Cora mentioned Brian Johnson, who served in a similar role for the 2018 champion Red Sox, when discussing Andriese's likely role in 2021. Johnson threw 99.1 innings in 2018, making 13 starts and 25 appearances out of the bullpen. It should be a familiar role for Andriese, who has made 50 starts and 123 relief appearances during a six-year MLB career.

Pivetta threw an inning against teammates Tuesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Pivetta, who is battling for a rotation spot, featured a wicked slider that fooled Rafael Devers. "He did a good job toward the end of last season. He did a good job at the alternate [training] site and he just wants to keep improving. And this is a guy we trust," said manager Alex Cora. Pivetta had a nice two-start run at the end of 2020, allowing two runs and striking out 13 over 10 innings, and the Red Sox are excited about the right-hander they acquired from Philadelphia in 2020.

Chapman (suspension) will try out his splitter during spring training and plans to incorporate the pitch into his arsenal more frequently this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Chapman threw the splitter only three times last season, but he believes that he can effectively make it a more consistent part of his arsenal moving forward. "I believe it's definitely a pitch for me; I feel that I've incorporated that into my pitch mix," Chapman said through an interpreter. "I believe I'm going to use it more, unlike the changeup where I used it just a couple of times here and there. I feel really good with it." If he's able to find success with the pitch, Chapman could be even more dominant than he has already proven to be as one of MLB's top closers.

Diaz expects to close games for the Mets this season, though the team hasn't named an official closer and may not do so, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It's hard to post more closer-worthy numbers than the ones Diaz managed last season; he struck out 45.5 percent of opposing batters en route to a 1.75 ERA. Two of the five earned runs he allowed all season came in his first three outings, however, and combined with his 2019 struggles that proved to be enough for the Mets to drop him from closing duties for much of the year. He finished with just six saves. He remains the team's clear top reliever (especially with Seth Lugo likely to miss time following elbow surgery), but there's no guarantee he remains a true closer all season. Manager Luis Rojas kept open the possibility of using a more modern approach, sending Diaz out earlier in the game if a high-leverage situation pops up before the ninth or perhaps playing the matchups in the final frame, which could also limit his save numbers.

Floro was mentioned by manager Don Mattingly on Monday as someone he thought could handle save opportunities, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.

Anthony Bass and Yimi Garcia are thought to be the favorites for late-inning work in the Miami bullpen, but Floro might pitch his way into the picture with a strong spring. The right-hander is still looking for his first career save, but he's coming off a solid 2020 campaign with the Dodgers in which he posted a 2.59 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 24.1 innings.

Payamps was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox on Monday.

Payamps has had quite a busy offseason. He started it as a Diamondback before being waived in November and claimed by the Red Sox. The Blue Jays claimed him in mid-February after the Sox waived him, but he'll head right back the other direction less than two weeks later. The righty clearly doesn't have a firm grip on a roster spot but will hope to last the remainder of camp with the Red Sox as he pushes for a bullpen role.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Williams (shoulder) is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session of spring training Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Though Williams received full medical clearance in October after a sore right shoulder prevented him from competing in the Brewers' wild-card series loss to the Dodgers, the team has been deliberately easing him into workouts in the early stages of spring training. Counsell stressed that Williams isn't dealing with any setbacks, so assuming the right-hander checks out fine in Tuesday's throwing session, he should still be able to make his 2021 debut early in the Brewers' Cactus League schedule. Williams took home NL Rookie of the Year honors after dazzling in a setup role in 2020, finishing with a microscopic 0.33 ERA to go with a 0.63 WHIP and 53:9 K:BB in 27 innings.