MLB Player News

Alexander will start for the Tigers in their first Grapefruit League game Sunday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Alexander is one of a handful of pitchers competing for a spot in the back of Detroit's rotation. The lefty made headlines last year when he set a MLB record with nine consecutive strikeouts in a game, and he finished the year with a solid 3.96 ERA across 14 games (two starts). The Tigers may continue to use him in more of a swing role, but Alexander is capable of decent numbers if he gets an extended look in the rotation.

Junis has worked on a cutter and changeup this offseason, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported.

Junis is known for his slider, which has dominated his pitch mix the last few seasons. However, he's struggled with his fastball and had inconsistent overall results, so a new pitch would theoretically help keep opposing batters more off balance. Junis will be competing for a role in the Royals' rotation throughout spring training.

Bummer arrived late to spring training but is not behind other pitchers, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Bummer was with his wife for the birth of their first child and missed the beginning of camp, but knowing his daughter's delivery date was scheduled near the start of spring training, he went to Arizona during January and worked out a specific routine with the training staff. "Everything feels good. I feel pretty confident with where I'm at, that I'm not behind and I'm really right where I want to be," said the pitcher. Bummer, who had a biceps injury that limited him to nine games in 2020, is expected to serve as a top setup man in the White Sox's bullpen.

Hill is still in the process of recovering from the offseason surgery he required on his right wrist, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Hill went under the knife to address an injury he picked up in a November car accident. While the right-hander is confident that everything is on track with his recovery, he could face an uphill battle to make it back for Opening Day. The reliever made 18 appearances out of the Cleveland bullpen in 2020, posting a 4.91 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

Soto resumed training with the Tigers on Wednesday after clearing COVID-19 intake protocols, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

Soto is among a slew of international Tigers players who was delayed by visa issues to begin spring training, but he's officially in the fold now. He missed about a week of workouts, but that shouldn't put him too far behind his fellow relievers leading up to Opening Day. After posting a 4.30 ERA and a 29:13 K:BB while notching two saves over his 27 appearances during the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Soto is one of multiple relievers competing for the Tigers' closing gig this spring.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Andriese is being targeted for a swingman role, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. "We're going to stretch him as a starter and see where we go throughout spring training," Cora said. "He'll be ready to do anything. He'll be our utility guy in the pitching staff.

Cora mentioned Brian Johnson, who served in a similar role for the 2018 champion Red Sox, when discussing Andriese's likely role in 2021. Johnson threw 99.1 innings in 2018, making 13 starts and 25 appearances out of the bullpen. It should be a familiar role for Andriese, who has made 50 starts and 123 relief appearances during a six-year MLB career.

Pivetta threw an inning against teammates Tuesday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Pivetta, who is battling for a rotation spot, featured a wicked slider that fooled Rafael Devers. "He did a good job toward the end of last season. He did a good job at the alternate [training] site and he just wants to keep improving. And this is a guy we trust," said manager Alex Cora. Pivetta had a nice two-start run at the end of 2020, allowing two runs and striking out 13 over 10 innings, and the Red Sox are excited about the right-hander they acquired from Philadelphia in 2020.

Chapman (suspension) will try out his splitter during spring training and plans to incorporate the pitch into his arsenal more frequently this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Chapman threw the splitter only three times last season, but he believes that he can effectively make it a more consistent part of his arsenal moving forward. "I believe it's definitely a pitch for me; I feel that I've incorporated that into my pitch mix," Chapman said through an interpreter. "I believe I'm going to use it more, unlike the changeup where I used it just a couple of times here and there. I feel really good with it." If he's able to find success with the pitch, Chapman could be even more dominant than he has already proven to be as one of MLB's top closers.

Payamps was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox on Monday.

Payamps has had quite a busy offseason. He started it as a Diamondback before being waived in November and claimed by the Red Sox. The Blue Jays claimed him in mid-February after the Sox waived him, but he'll head right back the other direction less than two weeks later. The righty clearly doesn't have a firm grip on a roster spot but will hope to last the remainder of camp with the Red Sox as he pushes for a bullpen role.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona suggested Saturday that Karinchak will get the chance to vie for the team's closing job in spring training, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "I know [Karinchak's] big goal this spring is to be pitching at the end of the game," Francona said. "We've got to see how our bullpen looks as it starts to come together and what makes our best bullpen."

Francona said that he isn't ready to define roles for his relievers this early in the spring, but Karinchak would seemingly represent the top internal candidate to replace last year's closer, Brad Hand, who signed with Washington this offseason after being non-tendered. Though Karinchak occasionally struggled with walks (14.7 BB%) in 2020 and saw his velocity drop a couple ticks from the year before, he was otherwise excellent in a setup role during his rookie campaign, submitting a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings while striking out 48.6 percent of the batters he faced. At a minimum, Karinchak should be locked into a high-leverage role out of the Cleveland bullpen in 2021, though he would lose some value if Francona prefers to use one of the veterans on the roster with prior closing experience (Nick Wittgren, Blake Parker, Heath Hembree and Bryan Shaw) as the team's main option in save situations.