MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Henriquez to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Henriquez was one of six pitchers optioned to minor-league camp as the Twins made their first round of cuts. Acquired earlier this month from the Rangers in the deal that sent Mitch Garver to Texas, Henriquez will move up a level to begin his tenure with a new organization. He split time between Double-A Frisco and High-A Hickory in 2021, compiling a 4.71 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 105:25 K:BB in 93.2 innings between the two stops.

The Twins optioned Balazovic to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Balazovic was one of six pitchers optioned to minor-league camp as the Twins made their first round of cuts. The 23-year-old right-hander will move up a level to begin the 2022 campaign after he turned in a 3.62 ERA and 102:38 K:BB in 97 innings at Double-A Wichita in 2021.

The Twins optioned Sands to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Sands was one of six pitchers optioned to minor-league camp as the Twins made their first round of cuts. The 24-year-old right-hander was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason after he turned in a 2.46 ERA and 96:35 K:BB in 80.1 innings at Double-A Wichita in 2021.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Wednesday that Garcia (visa issues) has arrived at the team's big-league camp and could throw a bullpen session Friday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Though he's missed nearly two weeks' worth of workouts while looking to secure a visa, Garcia shouldn't require much ramp-up time, considering that he's a reliever who historically hasn't worked more than one or two innings per appearance. He's expected to fill a setup role for Toronto in 2022 after he went 15-for-18 in save chances while posting a 4.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB in 57.2 innings last season between stops in Houston and Miami.

Winder (shoulder) is listed as Minnesota's starter for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Boston.

Winder is one of the Twins' top pitching prospects and was shut down in August due to shoulder fatigue, and he's now with the team for big-league camp. He made his way to Triple-A St. Paul for four starts in 2021, but he spent most of the campaign at Double-A Wichita, where he posted a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 65:10 K:BB across 54.2 innings. The 25-year-old was added to the 40-man roster in November could made his major-league debut this season.

Barnes struck out one over a perfect inning in Tuesday's spring training game against the Rays.

Barnes worked the fifth inning and made quick work of Curtis Mead, Yandy Diaz and Ji-Man Choi during his first Grapefruit League outing. The goal for the Red Sox in 2022 is to build back a better Barnes, so to speak. The right-handed reliever cruised as Boston's closer through the first half of last season, but he faltered spectacularly down the stretch and lost the job altogether before being left off the ALCS roster. Tuesday was a promising start toward the goal of reclaiming his old role, but manager Alex Cora suggested earlier in camp that he may not name a closer until just before the start of the regular season.

Jimenez agreed to a one-year contract with the Tigers on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The terms of the deal remain unclear, but Jimenez and Detroit were able to come to terms without the need of an arbiter. The 27-year-old struggled in 2021 with a 5.96 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 57:35 K:BB over 45.1 innings.

Green agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Yankees on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Green recorded six saves and 19 holds with a 3.12 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 99:17 K:BB across 83.2 innings last season, leading to a nearly $2 million raise for 2022. The veteran right-hander should remain a key piece of New York's bullpen again this season.

Holmes agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Yankees on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Holmes was acquired by the Yankees from the Pirates ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, and he's now officially under contract for the upcoming campaign. The right-hander appeared in 25 games for New York last year and had a 1.61 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 34:4 K:BB across 28 innings.

Alexy allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over two innings in Tuesday's spring training game against Arizona.

Alexy came in after starter Kolby Allard tossed two innings, but he's expected to compete for a rotation spot this spring. He made his major-league debut in 2021, making four starts and one piggyback outing over the final month of the season. The right-hander made a couple of nice starts to begin his career before running into adversity over the final three outings when he issued 12 bases on balls over 12 innings. He's not a lock to make the rotation, so guys like Allard will also build up innings during the truncated spring training.