MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Balazovic to their minor-league camp Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Along with Balazovic, fellow pitchers Dakota Chalmers, Jhoan Duran and Bailey Ober were also optioned as Minnesota made its first cuts of spring training. One of the Twins' top pitching prospects, Balazovic is expected to open the season at either Double-A Wichita or Triple-A St. Paul.

Abreu walked two batters and struck out one in a scoreless inning during a "B" game against the Nationals on Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Abreu, who made his first appearance since clearing health and safety protocols, walked the first two batters he faced before getting a strikeout and inducing a double-play grounder. Both he and Luis Garcia pitched in the game, and each may be needed early in the season as Houston's starting depth suddenly became an issue over the last week. Abreu, whose previous appearance was Feb. 28, will need time to be ready as a starter for the first week of the regular season.

Lambert struck out two over a scoreless inning in Saturday's spring game against the Angels.

Lambert made his Cactus League debut when he was the first of nine relievers to pitch Saturday. The 26-year-old right-hander will eventually be stretched out as rotation depth for the White Sox and will be a member of starting staff at Triple-A Charlotte, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Brasier is doubtful to be ready for Boston's April 1 season opener versus Baltimore while he works to catch up with the team's other relievers following his delayed arrival to spring training, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Brasier could still avoid being placed on the injured list to begin the season if he's close to being fully ramped up by the time camp breaks, but at this stage, he should be viewed as unlikely to be available at any point during Boston's three-game series with Baltimore. Cora noted that in addition to reporting late to spring training while tending to a personal matter, Brasier likely would have been behind the team's other pitchers in throwing progression after fracturing the pinkie finger on his right hand during the offseason. Brasier has since made a full recovery from that injury.

Sandlin has thrown 1.2 scoreless innings this spring with four strikeouts and two walks. He's made his first two appearances after not pitching in a game since July 2019 due to forearm surgery.

Sandlin did return to pitch at Cleveland's alternate site last season but did not appear in an official game. The sidewinder will likely need to show he's healthy at Triple-A before getting a shot at the majors. The 67th overall pick in the 2018 draft was dominant when last fully healthy in 2019 with a 1.56 ERA and 14.2 K/9 at Double-A.

Gomez was optioned to Low-A Tampa on Friday.

Gomez was added to the 40-man roster in November and has made one appearance this spring, notching one strikeout in a perfect inning against Philadelphia. He is likely a few years away from making his big-league debut.

Pearson (groin) felt good after throwing a bullpen session Saturday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday that Pearson won't have time to stretch out prior to Opening Day, but his throwing session Saturday went well. The right-hander will throw another bullpen in the coming days and could presumably advance to live batting practice or simulated games after that. It's not yet clear whether Pearson will begin the regular season in the bullpen or if he'll build up to a starter's workload away from the team.

Barlow has recorded two saves while allowing no hits and one walk while striking out four over three scoreless innings to begin spring training.

Barlow saw plenty of usage during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He converted on both of his save chances and posted a 4.20 ERA and 39:9 K:BB over 30 innings while making 32 relief appearances. Following his strong showing over a limited sample in 2020, Barlow worked during the offseason to physically prepare to pitch well over a full season, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports. The right-hander has performed well early in spring training, but he'll likely begin the regular season in a setup role with Greg Holland the favorite to serve as the closer early in the year.

Richards, who allowed two earned runs on two hits over two innings but recorded four strikeouts in a Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox on Friday, projects for multiple roles in 2021, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "Richie's done well this spring," Cash said. "[Rays pitching coach] Kyle [Snyder] is very excited [about] where he's at and how he can help us in multiple ways."

The 27-year-old swingman had his share of struggles in 2020, pitching to a bloated 5.91 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across nine appearances (four starts). However, Richards had shown some promise in 2019 in the form of a 1.93 ERA across 23.1 innings after arriving from the Marlins via trade, and despite Richards surrendering a pair of earned runs in each of his first two spring outings, the Rays seem to be high on his versatility.

Wittgren has allowed two hits and no walks while striking out one over three scoreless innings to begin spring training.

Wittgren served as one of Cleveland's top setup men in 2020 and has been effective across three relief outings this spring. The right-hander will likely serve in a setup role once again with James Karinchak the favorite to begin the season as the team's closer, but Wittgren could contend for save chances if Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase struggle early in the year, Ben Axelrod of WKYC reports.