MLB Player News

Kikuchi walked one and struck out four without allowing a hit over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

It was a strong first appearance in a Blue Jays uniform for Kikuchi, who signed with the club earlier this month for three years and $36 million. The 30-year-old lefty couldn't find consistent success in the majors over three seasons with the Mariners, but if he can stick in the Toronto rotation he could be a source of wins and strikeouts in deeper fantasy leagues, even if his ratios may be erratic.

Berrios gave up six runs on seven hits and a walk over 1.2 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out two.

Facing what looked to be most of Philadelphia's Opening Day lineup, Berrios got hit hard, with a third-inning homer by J.T. Realmuto being the big blow. The results are less important than the fact Berrios got his work in, but fantasy investors would probably like to see a couple better outings before spring training wraps up. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he posted a career-best 3.52 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 26.1 percent strikeout rate over 32 starts and 192 innings between the Twins and Blue Jays, and Berrios is expected to be one of the rotation anchors for a Toronto team with title aspirations.

The Red Sox have not yet set a timetable for Sale (rib) to resume throwing, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Sale sustained a stress fracture to his right rib cage in February and remains sidelined. Browne indicated injuries of this nature often take 6-to-8 weeks to heal, which means the left-hander may not resume throwing for another couple of weeks. At this point, projecting a date for Sale to take the mound in game action is simply guesswork. Browne believes Sale won't pitch for the Red Sox in a major-league game before May.

Eovaldi did not allow hit or walk while striking out six over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring training game against Minnesota.

Eovaldi increased his innings count in what was a dominant Grapefruit League performance against several Twins regulars. He was also dominant for two innings of his first spring start before tiring in the third. There's time remaining for two more Grapefruit League starts, so Eovaldi should be ready for five or six innings on Opening Day. Across seven spring innings, the right-hander has allowed two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts and zero walks.

Springs (knee) is listed among the Rays' available relief options for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays have been easing Springs along slowly in camp while he makes his return from a torn ACL suffered July 31 of last year, but the 29-year-old southpaw has seemingly reached the finish line in his recovery. Springs completed a live batting practice session Monday and is believed to have tested out his surgically repaired knee by fielding bunts over the past two days, which was the final hurdle he needed to clear before being available for games. Assuming he can make at least two or three relief appearances before the Grapefruit League slate comes to a close, Springs should be in good position to break camp as a member of the Rays' Opening Day bullpen.

Rodriguez added a slider toward the end of last season and said he feels "really good with it" to begin 2022, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Rodriguez said he started using the pitch during the 2021 postseason with Boston and got comfortable with it. "I was looking for a slider all my career, and I feel like I've finally found one," he added. The lefty is locked in as Detroit's No. 1 starter after joining the Tigers in the offseason, and he could take a step forward if he continues to make strides with his slider. In his second spring start Wednesday, Rodriguez allowed one run over four innings while striking out five.

Groome was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Groome spent most of 2021 at High-A Greenville before a late-season promotion to Double-A Portland, and he's now set to open 2021 at Triple-A. The 23-year-old had a 5.29 ERA and 108:32 K:BB over 81.2 innings at High-A and 26 strikeouts in 15.2 frames at Double-A.

Seabold was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Seabold will shift to minor-league camp after opening spring training with the big club. The right-hander made his MLB debut last season with a three-inning appearance but spent most of the year with Worcester, where he had a 3.50 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 52:19 K:BB over 54 frames.

Kopech (not injury related) is throwing a bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled for two innings of live batting practice Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kopech is behind schedule in spring training due to an illness that affected his buildup program over the winter, but he's progressing toward game action. The 25-year-old primarily pitched out of the bullpen last season in his first MLB action since 2018 and had a 3.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 103:24 K:BB over 69.1 innings. The White Sox figure to be cautious again this season given his lack of innings over the past couple years, but he's expected to work as a starter, or at least a primary pitcher in 2021. Whenever he's ready to go, Kopech figures to be on a rigid pitch count for his initial appearances.

The Tigers optioned Wentz to Double-A Erie on Wednesday.

Though Wentz was participating in big-league camp, he was never a realistic option for the Opening Day roster. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020, Wentz made his return to game action last May, ultimately picking up 13 starts for Erie. Over his 53.1 innings with the affiliate, Wentz submitted a 3.71 ERA and 58:33 K:BB. He may need to do a better job of curbing his walks at Erie early on during the upcoming season before a promotion to Triple-A Toledo is considered.