MLB Player News

Means allowed three runs on two hits and a walk during Tuesday's spring game against Tampa Bay.

Means appeared in one game with the Orioles in September and allowed five runs on six hits over 3.1 inning during his MLB debut. The 25-year-old is off to a rough start to spring training as he attempts to secure a spot in the Baltimore bullpen.

Boyd allowed two earned runs on three hits while retiring four batters in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday. He struck out two and walked one.

Boyd was limited to just 15 pitches in his first action of the spring. The lefty ended up being the ace of a subpar Detroit staff last season, leading the team in starts, quality starts, wins and strikeouts. Without a ton of great pitchers around him, Boyd figures to remain a stalwart in the rotation this year, though the 28-year-old isn't the most exciting option in fantasy leagues.

Miley threw two scoreless innings Tuesday against the Marlins.

Miley had been scheduled to pitch Wednesday, but was moved up a day due to forecasted rain. The left-hander pounded his cutter in a 36-pitch outing, walking one and inducing three groundball outs. Miley and Collin McHugh will take up the third and fourth spots in the rotation.

Cole threw eight pitches in a perfect inning Tuesday against the Marlins, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Cole is on a specialized throwing program, which is why he only pitched one inning while other starters are throwing two at this time of camp. Seven of his eight pitches were four-seam fastballs, the final of which clocked in at 97 mph. Following the abbreviated outing, the right-hander worked on some offspeed pitches in the bullpen.

Dunning is experiencing forearm discomfort, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

It's a discouraging development for Dunning, a player whose 2018 campaign ended prematurely in June due to a sprained elbow. Forearm issues are often the first diagnosis for an injury which is eventually deemed to be a serious elbow issue.

Kremer (oblique) remains a couple weeks away from throwing, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Reports nearly two weeks ago held that Kremer was two weeks from returning, but that time has almost come and he remains that far from a return. His status for Opening Day is now in serious doubt, though he had little-to-no chance of opening with the big-league club anyway as he's yet to reach the Triple-A level.

German is viewed as a candidate to fill what will likely be one of two openings in the Yankees bullpen heading into the regular season, George King of the New York Post reports.

The Yankees aren't pulling the plug on German as a starter, but there's no room for him in the rotation at present with Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia all healthy and assured spots. The 26-year-old opened his spring on an impressive note Monday in an exhibition versus the Blue Jays, tossing two scoreless frames in relief. If he fails to win a bullpen gig with New York this spring, German will likely continue his development as a starter as a member of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre rotation.

Paxton covered two scoreless, no-hit innings in his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Blue Jays. He gave up two walks and struck out two in the outing.

While Paxton did his job in keeping the Blue Jays off the board, he admitted after his Yankees debut that he wasn't satisfied with his control after struggling to pound the strike zone like he intended in the first inning, according to George King of the New York Post. Paxton said his curveball in particular lacked its usual sharpness, though he expects to have a better feel for that offering once he gets some more spring starts under his belt. As he makes the move from Safeco Field to Yankee Stadium this season, Paxton is unlikely to flirt with a sub-3.00 ERA, but the stellar offense and bullpen supporting him should allow him to blow past his previous career high of 12 wins if health prevails.

Oaks has been shut down with a right hip injury and may require surgery, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Oaks will receive a second opinion in early March. If surgery is required, he would be out for at least the first half of the season. The hip issue reportedly affected him last season, leading to a decrease in velocity. It had gone away over the offseason but reappeared early in spring.

Whitley made his spring debut Monday, striking out three over two perfect innings against the Mets.

Watching Whitley follow Justin Verlander's two perfect innings was a reminder of the talent and depth to this Houston team. "Whitley had a lot of poise, and he used all his pitches," Astros manager AJ Hinch told Alyson Footer of MLB.com. "His stuff is real, you can see that from the very beginning. He's got good stuff and pretty good mound presence, and he makes hitters uncomfortable. I can certainly see first-hand why everybody's impressed with him." Whitley, the Astros' top pitching prospect and considered the best in the minors, is unlikely to break camp with Houston.