MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged Tuesday that Brasier (conditioning) may not be ready to go for Opening Day, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Following his late arrival at spring training due to a personal matter, Brasier has yet to catch up with Boston's other bullpen arms. Brasier has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, and with Cora indicating that the team won't rush the right-hander back into action, he could be in store for a brief stint on the IL to begin the season while he ramps up. The fact that Brasier isn't dealing with any sort of injury is encouraging, but his absence from Grapefruit League games could take him out of the running for Boston's up-for-grabs closer job. Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes currently look like the frontrunners for the gig.

Leclerc has a clearer path to reclaiming the closer role in Texas after Jonathan Hernandez was diagnosed with a sprained UCL on Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc was delayed by visa issues to start camp but has since arrived, though he's yet to pitch in a spring-training game. Though he's saved 29 games in his career, he wasn't a lock to win the closer role, as the last two seasons have seen him struggle to a 4.33 ERA in 2019 and then make only two appearances in an injury-abbreviated 2020. The Rangers' bullpen isn't exactly loaded with proven options, however, and Hernandez was shaping up to be his top competition. It hasn't been officially confirmed that Leclerc will win the job, but his path is now a lot clearer with Hernandez shut down from throwing for four weeks.

The Rangers announced Tuesday that Rodriguez (ankle) is on track to resume throwing off a mound later this week, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Rodriguez will likely have to complete multiple bullpen sessions before he's cleared to face hitters again, but if he avoids any further setbacks this spring in his recovery from the ankle sprain, he should be able to avoid the injured list and win a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen. After a one-year stint in Japan, Rodriguez signed with Texas last winter and was effective over his 12 appearances during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, submitting a 2.13 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 12.2 innings. If healthy, the lefty should be in the mix for a key setup role with the Rangers this season.

The Rangers announced Tuesday that Palumbo has been dealing with back spasms in recent days, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram repots.

Palumbo is expected to be rested for the next few days before he resumes throwing. Assuming the injury proves to be nothing more than a day-to-day concern, Palumbo's bid for a spot in the Rangers' Opening Day rotation shouldn't be completely derailed.

Hernandez was diagnosed with a low-grade UCL sprain Tuesday and won't throw for at least four weeks, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hernandez isn't currently expected to require surgery, but he'll likely miss a meaningful portion of the regular season. He won't throw until early April at the earliest and will need several weeks to build his arm back up once he's cleared to do so, making late May the most realistic target date for Hernandez to make his 2021 debut. That's bad news for the Rangers, as Hernandez was expected to be at minimum a high-leverage reliever, and at best, the team's top candidate to close games. Jose Leclerc now seems to have a clearer path to reclaiming that role after he missed most of last season due to shoulder issues.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Tuesday that Wells (oblique) continues to advance through a throwing program but remains without a clear timeline for his Grapefruit League debut, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The Orioles have been taking things slowly with Wells this spring while he manages a sore oblique. The fact that he hasn't been shut down and is continuing to throw suggests that he's making some progress in his recovery, but the time he's already missed during camp will make it difficult for the 24-year-old to secure a spot on the Orioles' Opening Day pitching staff.

Baker (elbow) will be examined by a doctor Tuesday and could be cleared to resume throwing soon, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Baker is dealing with a Grade 1 right elbow strain which reportedly involves some ligament damage, but the Blue Jays still seem hopeful that he can get back on a mound soon. He's yet to make his big-league debut and isn't on the 40-man roster, however, so he isn't expected to break camp with the team even if fully healthy.

The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that Merryweather is dealing with lower-back tightness and is considered day-to-day, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Merryweather is expected to be held out of Grapefruit League action as a result of the injury, but the Blue Jays are hopeful that a few days of rest will be all the right-hander needs to overcome the issue. The 29-year-old made his MLB debut in 2020, making eight appearances (three starts) and logging a 4.15 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB across 13 innings.

Pearson (groin) threw long toss from 120 feet Tuesday and is slated to repeat the activity Thursday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Pearson had most recently been playing catch from 90 feet, so he's apparently taken a marginal step forward in his throwing program. If Pearson comes out of Thursday's long-toss session without incident, he could be cleared for a bullpen session this weekend. The 24-year-old may still be facing an uphill battle to make it back for Opening Day, but he shouldn't miss much regular-season action.

Puk will throw in simulated games Tuesday and Saturday and should get into Cactus League action soon after that, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics are treating Puk with extreme caution -- a sensible plan given that injuries have limited him to just 36.2 innings over the last three years combined. Shoulder issues wiped out the entirety of his 2020 campaign. He's expected to open the year in the bullpen as the team looks to manage his workload.