MLB Player News

Jimenez is one of several options to close out games for the Tigers to begin the season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

It once seemed Jimenez was destined to take the closer role in Detroit and run with it, but the 26-year-old has endured some struggles, including a 7.37 ERA across 22.2 innings last season. The Tigers have a new manager in A.J. Hinch, so it might be a clean slate of sorts for Jimenez, but he'll need a strong spring to overtake the likes of Gregory Soto and Bryan Garcia in the bullpen pecking order.

Cisnero is one of several options to close out games for the Tigers to begin the season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

New Detroit manager A.J. Hinch doesn't have an established closer, so it'll be worth watching how the bullpen shakes out in spring training. Lefty Gregory Soto and righty Bryan Garcia are probably the frontrunners to close, but Cisnero will be in the mix after posting a solid 3.03 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 29.2 innings in 2020. He's never earned a save at the MLB level, however.

Schreiber was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox on Thursday.

Schreiber was designated for assignment by Detroit on Friday, but he'll join the Red Sox to begin spring training. The right-hander made 15 relief appearances for the Tigers in 2020 and put up a 6.32 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over 15.2 innings. He should compete for a role as a middle reliever in Boston's bullpen ahead of the 2021 campaign.

Soto has arrived at camp but still has to clear intake protocols before joining his teammates, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Travel issues slightly delayed Soto's arrival, as they have for a handful of other international players. He'll miss a bit more time due to health protocols but should still have time to ramp up for the start of the regular season.

Brasier has yet to arrive at camp but is expected to do so within a few days, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

There will likely be a handful of players around the league who are delayed due to intake testing, though it's not clear that's the reason for Brasier's absence. He's reportedly gone due to "personal reasons" and hasn't been placed on the COVID-19 injured list. It doesn't appear as though his readiness for Opening Day is under serious threat.

Puk put on an impressive showing during his first throwing session of camp Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "He looked great. I think surgery really did a lot for him," manager Bob Melvin said. "There were times last year that you'd watch him and you could tell he was kind of feeling a little something and guarding his shoulder. That was not the case today at all. The ball had a lot of life, and he looked really good."

The glowing report from Melvin is obviously music to the ears of many holding Puk in keeper and dynasty formats, a practice that's often proven frustrating over the last couple of seasons due to the left-hander's assortment of injuries. Puk was slated for a rotation spot last season before shoulder issues derailed those plans, but the Athletics are planning to build him up as a starter in spring training with an eye on deploying him in some sort of multi-inning capacity to open the season. Whether that immediately equates to a rotation spot remains to be seen, however, as there is also the option of having Puk initially operate in a long-relief role that he performed well in during his first taste of big-league action in 2019. "We're still kind of figuring out what we're going to do with A.J.," Melvin said. "Whether or not we use him out of the bullpen or in a starting role, we're not sure yet. But you can't have enough depth as far as the starters go, and if someone like A.J. isn't ready to start, then he's a good fit for the bullpen."

Diekman, who was previously projected to serve as the Athletics' primary closer to open the season, is now likely to remain in the set-up role he frequently filled in 2020 with Trevor Rosenthal agreeing to terms with the Athletics on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Rosenthal is unsurprisingly now expected to get the majority of save opportunities after agreeing to a one-year, $11 million pact with Oakland, following a dominant 2020 with the Royals and Padres during which he recorded 11 saves in 12 chances and generated a 1.90 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Rosenthal also has a pair of 40-plus save seasons on his resume, while Diekman, highly impressive in his own right a year ago, has largely made his living at the big-league level as a solid seventh- and eighth-inning option. Gallegos notes the left-handed sidearmer's elite velocity could still earn him some ninth-inning chances when Rosenthal is unavailable or a particular matchup calls for it, but for the moment, it appears Diekman will revert to having optimal value in fantasy formats that factor in holds.

Poche (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB..com reports.

The move was purely procedural, as Poche is expected out until at least early September after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late July 2020. Poche's transfer to the 60-day version of the IL makes room for offseason acquisition Rich Hill, whose signing was made official Wednesday, as well as that of the returning Oliver Drake (elbow), who also inked a deal.

Munoz (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions but is not expected to appear in any Cactus League games, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Munoz came over from San Diego in an August trade which sent Austin Nola the other way despite the fact that he was sidelined while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He underwent that procedure back in March, so it's no surprise that he won't quite be ready for game action during spring training. The fact that he's advanced to bullpen work is certainly a positive, though, so he should be on track to return sometime around June.

Burke (shoulder) is not expected to be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Burke endured a 12-month recovery timeline coming off shoulder surgery in February of 2020. As such, the left-hander is not expected to pitch off a mound until mid-March, putting his availability for the April 1 season-opener in doubt.