MLB Player News

Cleveland manager Terry Francona suggested Saturday that Karinchak will get the chance to vie for the team's closing job in spring training, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "I know [Karinchak's] big goal this spring is to be pitching at the end of the game," Francona said. "We've got to see how our bullpen looks as it starts to come together and what makes our best bullpen."

Francona said that he isn't ready to define roles for his relievers this early in the spring, but Karinchak would seemingly represent the top internal candidate to replace last year's closer, Brad Hand, who signed with Washington this offseason after being non-tendered. Though Karinchak occasionally struggled with walks (14.7 BB%) in 2020 and saw his velocity drop a couple ticks from the year before, he was otherwise excellent in a setup role during his rookie campaign, submitting a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings while striking out 48.6 percent of the batters he faced. At a minimum, Karinchak should be locked into a high-leverage role out of the Cleveland bullpen in 2021, though he would lose some value if Francona prefers to use one of the veterans on the roster with prior closing experience (Nick Wittgren, Blake Parker, Heath Hembree and Bryan Shaw) as the team's main option in save situations.

The Diamondbacks placed Frias on the COVID-19 injured list Monday.

Frias didn't report to the Diamondbacks' facility last week for the start of spring training while he continues to recover from COVID-19. With Arizona making his move to the IL official Monday, the transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for newly-signed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera.

Rodriguez is a candidate to make his big-league debut this season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Though he has yet to pitch above the High-A level, Rodriguez has the type of arsenal that could make an immediate impact at the big-league level if he is able to put all the pieces together. The right-hander drew rave reviews from those who witnessed him work at the team's alternate training site last season, but he'll need to display his progress against minor-leaguers before becoming an option in the majors. Rodriguez is projected to be a front-end starter in time, though he could debut as a reliever with the big club if the need for a bullpen arm arises.

King spent the offseason focused on improving the third pitch in his arsenal, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

King acknowledged the need for a reliable third pitch in light of his struggles during the 2020 campaign, during which he posted a 7.76 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. "You need a third pitch to pitch in the big leagues, especially if you want to get through the order a second time," he explained while discussing his biggest takeaway from the shortened season. He is likely referring to his changeup, which he threw 14.9 percent of the time last season -- just below the 19.4 percent usage rate on his curveball -- and that batters hit .278 against. As much as King is able to improve his effectiveness with the offering, he'll first need to do a better job of getting batters out with his sinker -- he threw the pitch 59.5 percent of the time in 2020, yielding a .328 batting average to opponents.

Adam figures to be part of the Cubs' bullpen "core" this season, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Adam looked good in a small sample size last season, registering a 3.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 21 strikeouts across 13.2 innings. That audition will likely lock the 29-year-old into a setup role ahead of the likes of Rowan Wick (chest) and closer Craig Kimbrel. The latter has struggled some since arriving in Chicago, so Adam has an outside chance at closing some games depending on how things shake out.

Gott was designated for assignment by the Giants on Sunday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Gott recorded four saves for the Giants last season, but he also allowed 13 runs in 11.2 innings and posted an 8:8 K:BB. With a career 5.01 ERA in parts of six big-league seasons, he probably won't be a particularly hot commodity on the waiver wire.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Pivetta is not a lock to make the rotation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Pivetta, who was acquired from the Phillies in 2020, started two games late last season, allowing two runs on eight hits in 10 innings while striking out 13. He's squarely in the mix for the fifth starter's job -- or sixth if Boston goes with a six-man rotation early -- along with Tanner Houck, Matt Andriese and possibly Rule 5 pick Garrett Whitlock.

Palumbo (abdomen) is healthy again, but the Rangers are taking it slow with the left-hander, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Taking it slow means Palumbo, once considered a prime contender for a rotation spot, will probably be limited to the bullpen in 2021. Texas manager Chris Woodward isn't ruling out using him as a starter but said it would be a "progression" to get that point. Palumbo was shut down early and limited to 2.1 innings in 2020 due to ulcerative colitis.

Scrubb has drawn praise from pitching coach Brent Strom early during spring training, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "He's lost some weight. He's in great physical shape. He's worked on his slider," Strom said. "Andre is very unique. He led our team in innings pitched last year out of the bullpen. I firmly believe he's going to improve a great deal."

Scrubb is ostensibly vying for the final spot in the bullpen. He posted a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings during the truncated season, which would seemingly make him a lock for the pen, but the results came with warning signs. His 20 walks and 7.6 BB/9 were concerning as was his noisy delivery, which he's "quieted down" per Strom.

Pressly spent the offseason working on his direction to the plate, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pressly, who is competing to be the closer or part of a closing committee, is coming off a season in which he felt out of sync. Whether it was his fastball having too much cut, inconsistency with his curveball, or a slider that looked too much like his fastball, Pressly's performance suffered. He's thrown multiple bullpen sessions at Minute Maid Park with Trackman technology, and Pressly said everything was "spot on" and pitches were staying true. If the hurler recaptures his 2018 and 2019 form, he could be Houston's closer.