MLB Player News

Poche (elbow) said Saturday that he received clearance to resume pitching ahead of fall instructionals, and he expects to be a full participant when the MLB lockout ends and big leaugers report to spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 28-year-old hasn't pitched in a competitive setting since the 2019 postseason after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in July 2020. The track record of pitchers returning from two reconstructive elbow injuries isn't a promising one, so the Rays could still look to limit his usage this spring out of an abundance of caution. When he was last healthy during his rookie season in the majors, Poche was one of the top strikeout artists among relievers, whiffing 34.8 percent of the batters he faced.

Bracho signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Sunday.

Bracho will move on to his third organization in as many seasons after spending the entire 2021 campaign at Triple-A Sacramento in San Francisco's system. Over 49 relief appearances for the affiliate spanning 50 innings, Bracho submitted a 4.14 ERA and 1.56 WHIP while striking out 65. Prior to last year, Bracho spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Diamondbacks from 2015 through 2020, posting a collective 4.82 ERA in 89.2 frames.

Pardinho (elbow) has been throwing off the mound at Blue Jays camp, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pardinho underwent Tommy John surgery back in February of 2020. He returned to make two rookie-ball appearances in July of last year but was quickly shut down again due to setbacks. The Brazilian righty was seen as at least a moderately interesting prospect prior to his arm troubles, but he'll have to prove that he still has that potential after spending two full years on the sidelines.

Nittoli signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Dec. 15.

The 31-year-old right-hander is expected to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the 2022 season. Nittoli made his MLB debut for the Mariners last June, giving up two earned runs over a lone inning out of the bullpen before he was outrighted off the 40-man roster just over a month later.

Weigel signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.

Weigler appeared in three games out of the bullpen for Milwaukee in 2021, surrendering two runs on four hits and four walks while fanning nine over four frames. He didn't fare much better while at Triple-A Nashville, accruing a 7.27 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with a 48:38 K:BB over 43.1 innings. Weigel will likely need to show vast improvement in his command to make it back to the big leagues in the future.

Powers signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Tuesday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 29-year-old righty has yet to make his major-league debut. He had a poor 5.40 ERA in 48.1 innings at the Triple-A level in the Diamondbacks' and Padres' systems last season, though his 28.4 percent strikeout rate was at least somewhat encouraging.

Weiss signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Nov. 28.

After being cut loose by Cleveland last May, Weiss landed a minor-league deal with the Mariners and finished the campaign at Triple-A Tacoma, with whom he posted a 4.31 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 39.2 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander, who last appeared in the big leagues in 2018 with the Reds, will likely report to Triple-A Salt Lake with his new organization.

Ponce de Leon signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Tuesday.

Ponce de Leon recorded a 3.31 ERA in 12 starts and 12 relief appearances across his first two MLB campaigns (2018 and 2019), but he's been unable to get back to that level since then. Over the last two seasons, he owns a 5.59 ERA in 66 innings of work. He could potentially enter the Angels' rotation at some point this year if he proves he's back to somewhere close to his previous form, but the fact that he was stuck settling for a minor-league deal indicates that teams don't have particularly high expectations for him.

Weber agreed to a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Friday, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.

Weber made four MLB appearances in 2021 between the Mariners, Red Sox and Brewers, and he'll now join the Yankees heading into 2022. He spent most of last season at the Triple-A level and posted a 4.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 102:13 K:BB across 103.1 innings.

Barraclough has signed a minor-league contract with the Angels, Chris Kilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.

Barraclough made 10 relief appearances with the Twins in 2021 but spent most of the year in the minors. Across 32 outings at the Triple-A level, he logged a 2.75 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 39.1 innings. The right-hander will likely compete for a spot in the major-league bullpen this spring.