MLB Player News

Scott is a candidate to see save opportunities to begin the season, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The absence of Hunter Harvey (oblique) until at least late May has opened the door for early-season saves in Baltimore. Manager Brandon Hyde has already stated that he won't name a closer, though Scott is seemingly a leading candidate for the role. As a lefty with 96.5 mph velocity, he certainly has the potential to succeed but will need to improve his control to perform at a consistently high level.

Manaea was credited with his third win of spring in Wednesday's Cactus League victory over the White Sox, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, two walks and two hit batsmen across 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

The left-hander worked up to just under 80 pitches while facing a dangerous White Sox lineup that boasted plenty of regulars. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports both Manaea and manager Bob Melvin came away pleased with both the veteran's ability to consistently pound his fastball inside and the movement on his slider. "He was good again," Melvin said. "He used all his pitches. We're just trying to get his pitch count up, and he continues to improve and pitch better."

Anderson (elbow) has a partial tear of his elbow ligament and is likely to remain out beyond the All-Star break, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Anderson has been battling an elbow issue since March 17 and showed decreased velocity in his latest spring training appearance. Surgery has not been recommended, leaving open the possibility that he could return at some point late in the season. The injury removes Anderson from the Rays' closer picture, leaving Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks as the most likely pitchers to account for saves.

Yates underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Gregor Chisholm of the Toronto Star reports.

Yates had already been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to an elbow injury, and the 34-year-old officially underwent his second Tommy John surgery of his career Wednesday. Yates will face a lengthy recovery timetable but could be back on the mound at some point in 2022. Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis are the leading candidates to take over as Toronto's closer in 2021.

The Twins reassigned Hamilton to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Hamilton was attending camp as a non-roster invitee after the Twins outrighted him off the 40-man roster in February. He made four appearances out of the White Sox bullpen in 2020, giving up two earned runs over four innings.

Thornton gave up three hits and a walk over three scoreless innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Making his first start of the spring, Thornton tossed 47 pitches (31 strikes) and shut down a lineup that featured all of the Yankees' big bats aside from Luke Voit. The right-hander's late start to camp has prevented him from factoring into the rotation mix to begin the regular season, but Thornton could provide valuable innings in long relief behind a potentially shaky starting five aside from Hyun Jin Ryu.

King is projected to make the Rangers' bullpen, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

King, who made his MLB debut in 2020 despite never pitching above High-A, has allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven over 7.1 Cactus League innings. The Rangers are hurting in the bullpen and dealing with injuries to Jose Leclerc (elbow) and Jonathan Hernandez (elbow). The relievers still standing do not have defined roles at this time, but King should land in a middle-relief role with the capability of contributing more than three outs.

McHugh fired two scoreless innings out of the bullpen in a Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing a hit and recording three strikeouts.

The veteran was able to put together his first scoreless effort in three trips to the mound this spring, an encouraging development after he'd already shown some improvement following a rocky debut by allowing an earned run over two frames the prior time out. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports manager Kevin Cash noted that pitchers which have the ability to serve as bulk relievers will be particularly valuable as starter's innings are managed more carefully coming off the abbreviated 2020 campaign, adding that he "can't imagine scenarios" where a versatile arm like McHugh isn't on the Opening Day roster.

Garcia pitched three innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus Toronto, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out a pair.

Garcia struggled with his command and was stung by a pair of homers in his worst outing so far this spring. It couldn't have come at a worse time for the right-hander as he appears to be falling behind Domingo German in the battle for the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation. Though Garcia has shown well overall with a 3.86 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 14.0 innings, German has dominated with nine scoreless frames and a 13:1 K:BB.

An independent arbiter ruled Wednesday that the Angels are to be granted another option year on Peters, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

According to the ruling, Peters' 1.2 innings of big-league action during the abbreviated 2020 campaign should not count toward one of his three option years. As such, the left-hander can be moved freely between the majors and the minors without being subjected to waivers if he is placed back on the 40-man roster at some point during the campaign. Peters is expected to open the season in the minors.