MLB Player News

The Astros optioned Martinez to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In addition to Martinez, the Astros also optioned Brandon Bielak to Triple-A, clearing the way for Ronel Blanco and Bryan Abreu to secure the final two spots in Houston's Opening Day bullpen, according to Rome. Martinez reached the big leagues for the first time late in the 2021 season, making three relief appearances for Houston and giving up five earned runs over three innings.

White allowed one hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Saturday's spring training game against Cleveland.

White, a highly regarded prospect drafted in the second round of the 2018 draft, made his Cactus League debut for the Rangers. He set down the side on eight pitches in his first inning, including a three-pitch strikeout, then worked around a single in his second frame. Tommy John elbow surgery and the canceled 2020 minor-league season set back White's development. He's expected to open the season at High-A Hickory and could move up a level at some point.

Montero (lat) is listed among the Astros' available relievers for Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He'll be pitching for the first time this spring after he was a delayed arrival at camp due to a visa issue. Montero missed the final two months of the 2021 campaign with a right lat strain, but after a full offseason of recovery, the 31-year-old is believed to be healthy heading into Opening Day. He'll likely serve as a middle reliever for Houston during the upcoming campaign.

Texas manager Chris Woodward said Saturday that Howard will be the team's fifth starter, Levi Weaver and Lindsey Adler of The Athletic report.

Howard had better spring performances than fellow young hurlers A.J. Alexy and Glenn Otto, and the Rangers apparently settled on Kolby Allard as a reliever. The 25-year-old Howard had a combined 7.43 ERA in 2021 for Philadelphia and Texas (9.70 in eight starts with the Rangers), so there's risk involved.

Burke will break camp on the major-league roster, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Burke made six starts in his major-league debut back in 2019, struggling to a 7.42 ERA. He missed all of 2020 due to shoulder surgery and was stuck at Triple-A for all of 2021, where he struck out 28.9 percent of opposing batters but finished with a 5.68 ERA. He appears lined up for a bullpen role for now, but his past experience as a starter makes him an option for spot starts as needed.

Abreu and Robert Ahlstrom were sent from the Yankees to the Rangers on Saturday in exchange for Jose Trevino.

Abreu had been expected to break camp in the big leagues, and that's presumably still true for his new team, as he's out of options. The 26-year-old righty tossed 26.2 innings of relief last season, struggling to a 5.15 ERA while walking 12.2 percent of opposing batters, so he's likely to find himself in a low-leverage role.

Karinchak (shoulder) will begin the season on the injured list, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Karinchak is currently shut down from throwing as he recovers from a teres muscle strain in his right shoulder. He should resume throwing soon but presumably won't be ready for game action right away. His poor season last year and Emmanuel Clase's emergence put some distance between Karinchak and the closer role, though a bounce-back performance should at least position him to be one of the top options if Clase gets hurt.

Pilkington has made Cleveland's Opening Day roster, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Pilkington has been a starter throughout his minor-league career, but the Guardians don't appear to have a rotation spot open for now, so he'll presumably work in relief. He's yet to pitch above Double-A, but his 3.04 ERA and 30.8 percent strikeout rate in 22 appearances at that level last season suggest he should have the stuff to get major-league hitters out.

Bazardo was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday.

Bazardo made a pair of relief appearances for the Red Sox last year, but he'll be forced to begin the 2022 campaign in the minors. Across 11 relief appearances in Worcester last season, he posted an 8.74 ERA and 1.89 WHIP in 11.1 innings.

Crochet (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Crochet sustained an injury in Thursday's Cactus League matchup against Cincinnati, and he'll be forced to miss the 2022 campaign and a sizable portion of next season following his procedure. The White Sox had hoped that the southpaw would be able to transition to a starting role by 2023, but his lengthy layoff could affect that plan.