MLB Player News

Quijada (not injury related) reported to camp Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Quijada experienced visa issues in his native Venezuela this spring, but he'll join the Angels for the final week of camp prior to the regular season. The southpaw shed 30 pounds during the offseason and was expected to compete for a bullpen role this spring, but he'll likely begin the year at the team's alternate training site.

Law has pitched well enough during Graperfruit League play to potentially garner an Opening Day bullpen spot, manager Rocco Baldelli told MLB.com. Law has thrown six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and one walk this spring.

Law would seem to be a longshot, but the Twins may have found a way to improve his mechanics. Law didn't receive a call-up to the majors at any point in 2020 after being included in the Rangers' 60-man player pool, but the reliever made 58 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2019, compiling a 4.90 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. He'd likely work in middle relief if he does make the final roster, but he would need to be added to the 40-man roster considering he was a non-roster invitee to spring training.

Heuer allowed one hit and struck out three over one inning in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.

Heuer permitted a leadoff triple before striking out the side to finish off the eighth inning. He's fanned 13 batters without a walk over eight Cactus League innings. Heuer, who's pitched multiple innings in two of his six spring outings, will be part of a deep White Sox bullpen, likely in a middle-relief role.

Chapman (suspension) is slated to pitch every other day through the end of spring training, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran closer tossed a scoreless inning in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Philadelphia, allowing one walk while striking out a pair. He has not allowed a run or a hit while posting a 5:1 K:BB in spring play, though he has hurled only four innings. It appears Chapman will get more work going forward as he prepares for his 12th big-league campaign.

Hatch's elbow discomfort isn't tied to his UCL, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Elbow issues are always worrisome for a pitcher, but it looks as though Hatch has avoided the worst-case scenario. The Blue Jays remain hopeful that he won't miss too much time.

Pearson (groin) has resumed throwing and will throw a bullpen session within the next few days, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

While Pearson is making good progress, the Blue Jays are proceeding cautiously since he already had a setback last week. He doesn't appear to have time to make the Opening Day roster, but Pearson could join the rotation at some point early in the year.

Yates' elbow injury is serious enough to shut him down for the season and will probably lead to his second Tommy John surgery, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Previous reports indicated that Yates would miss multiple weeks with a flexor pronator strain in his right arm, but it appears as though the diagnosis is far more serious than that. It's not yet confirmed that he'll require Tommy John surgery, but there doesn't appear to be any hope of him pitching this season even if he avoids the procedure. He underwent the surgery once already back in 2006, prior to the start of his professional career, and it's tough to have much optimism for his future given that he'll be 35 years old when he eventually returns. Jordan Romano and Rafael Dolis are the leading candidates to close for the Blue Jays in his absence.

Lopez will continue to stretch out as a starter at the team's alternate training site, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The desire to keep Lopez stretched out was part of the decision to send him to the alternate site rather than keep him with the big-league squad as a long reliever. That's probably just part of the story, however, as his 9.00 ERA in 11 spring innings didn't do anything to suggest that Lopez was suddenly becoming something other than the guy who struggled to a 5.52 ERA in 41 starts over the last two years. He'll serve as rotation depth in case the White Sox get hit by an injury crisis this season.

Wittgren has impressed manager Terry Francona this spring and could be a candidate to close games to start the season, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

James Karinchak is being drafted as if he's Cleveland's most likely closer, and while he could certainly fill the role, there hasn't been much of an indication from the team that he's the clear favorite. Karinchak struck out an incredible 48.6 percent of batters last season but also walked 14.7 percent, and he's been no different this spring, striking out 18 batters in eight innings while walking six. Wittgren, by contrast, offers a far less extreme package. Both his 28.6 percent strikeout rate and 6.1 percent walk rate last season were strong but not particularly noteworthy, and his 6:1 K:BB in six scoreless innings this spring is similarly solid. If Francona prefers stability over dominance in the ninth inning, it could well be Wittgren who earns the majority of the team's save opportunities this year.

Yarbrough still has manager Kevin Cash's confidence despite his rocky third spring start against Atlanta, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "The reason Yarbs is good is because his stuff's good," Cash said. "He can really pitch. His changeup's been a weapon that he can throw at any point, any count, [and] I always feel like the cutter has been the equalizer for him to the right-handed hitter."

Yarbrough had a bit of a rollercoaster outing against Atlanta's regulars Sunday, retiring the first and last four batters he faced but also allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk over four innings while getting pulled twice by Cash. However, Yarbrough had mostly breezed through his first two spring starts; moreover, he owns a combined 28-16 record and 3.94 ERA over the last three seasons and has generated the lowest average exit velocity (84.6 mph) of any pitcher with at least 300 innings since 2018.