Alcala threw a scoreless inning in Wednesday's spring training game and reached 99 mph with his fastball, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Alcala has given up one run with three strikeouts and three walks in three innings this spring.
Alcala had a 2.63 ERA with a 30 percent strikeout rate and respectable 8.9 percent walk rate last season, powered by a fastball that topped out at 100.7 mph. He could have some growing pains, though, as Alcala had pitched just 9.1 innings above Double-A before last year. For the time being, he looks set to have a prominent role among Minnesota's setup corps.