MLB Player News

Manning pitched two innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves. He allowed a hit and an unearned run.

Manning, who is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, received an invite to major-league camp after a dominant 2019 at Double-A. The 22-year-old will likely begin the season at Triple-A, but he could make his MLB debut at some point this year for a Tigers team that isn't expected to compete for a playoff spot and could turn to younger players down the stretch.

Cease threw two scoreless innings, striking out three and walking none in his spring debut Sunday against the Reds, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cease made a strong first impression in game action after focusing on a mechanical tweak in the early portions of camp. He touched 99 mph with his fastball multiple times while also executing his curveball, slider and changeup throughout the outing. A high-pedigree prospect, Cease will look to improve on his 5.79 ERA through his first 14 starts in the big leagues.

Kikuchi was happy with his fastball after his first spring start, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Kikuchi worked on mechanical adjustments in the offseason and relayed that the changes have felt natural. He also believes he will be able to reach his peak velocity more consistently during the season. Kikuchi closed his first outing of the spring after 1.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out two batters.

Giolito (chest) said he felt "100 percent" after completing a bullpen session Saturday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander is off to a late start in spring training due to a strained chest muscle, but he was able to mix in his off-speed pitches with no issues Saturday. Giolito never expressed any concern about his potential availability for Opening Day, and live batting practice could be up next this week following the successful bullpen.

Walker was solid in his first live batting practice session of spring Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I thought he looked pretty good," manager Scott Servais said. "Taijuan has changed a few things mechanically. He's cleaned up his arm stroke, so he's made some adjustments there."

This spring is a particularly relevant one for the 27-year-old right-hander, who is trying to come back from two injury-marred seasons. Walker did take a hard comebacker off his leg during the session, but he worked through it and threw his full allotment of pitches. Walker is considered to have a good opportunity at a back-end rotation spot as long as he's able to prove his fitness this spring.

Greinke reported to spring training Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Greinke reported late to camp as expected, but he is reportedly healthy and worked out Saturday. The right-hander could require some time to work with the team before being ready to compete in spring games, but it's unlikely that the veteran would face limitations going forward.

Paxton (back) is expected to be able to play catch in about 10 days, Marly Rivera of ESPN reports.

Throwing in 10 days would put Paxton near the early end of the 3-to-5-week range he was given in mid-February. The veteran lefty is hoping to return from the injured list by the start of May after recovering from back surgery.

Rodriguez slipped prior to a bullpen session Wednesday and is dealing with left knee soreness, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Rodriguez has dealt with right knee injuries in the past. He was able to throw two live innings in the bullpen after slipping, but his left knee felt sore the next day. Manager Ron Roenicke downplayed the severity of the injury, but the Red Sox will let Rodriguez rest for a few days before he perhaps letting him throw Monday. The southpaw had been scheduled to pitch in Sunday's game, but the team will now push him back as it works to determine his best path forward.

Ramirez pushed his fastball up to the 96 mph range in the Mexican Winter League, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

In his return to the big leagues following Tommy John surgery last season, Ramirez exhibited a significantly scaled-down fastball, averaging only 91.0 mph on his four-seamer per Statcast. If he is able to sustain the velocity he reportedly flashed over the winter, it would mark a return to his 2017 level. During that season, Ramirez averaged 95.6 mph on both his sinker and four-seam fastball, though the end result was still an unimpressive 16.9 K%.

Severino will be absent from camp for three days to undergo tests to figure out what's wrong with his forearm, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

After lat and shoulder issues limited him to just 12 innings last season, Severino already has a seemingly unrelated issue early in this year's camp. The fact that he'll fly to New York for tests would seem to indicate that the Yankees are quite concerned, though his expected recovery timeline won't be clear until the results of the tests are released.