MLB Player News

Gomez was optioned to Low-A Tampa on Friday.

Gomez was added to the 40-man roster in November and has made one appearance this spring, notching one strikeout in a perfect inning against Philadelphia. He is likely a few years away from making his big-league debut.

Pearson (groin) felt good after throwing a bullpen session Saturday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Friday that Pearson won't have time to stretch out prior to Opening Day, but his throwing session Saturday went well. The right-hander will throw another bullpen in the coming days and could presumably advance to live batting practice or simulated games after that. It's not yet clear whether Pearson will begin the regular season in the bullpen or if he'll build up to a starter's workload away from the team.

Barlow has recorded two saves while allowing no hits and one walk while striking out four over three scoreless innings to begin spring training.

Barlow saw plenty of usage during the abbreviated 2020 campaign. He converted on both of his save chances and posted a 4.20 ERA and 39:9 K:BB over 30 innings while making 32 relief appearances. Following his strong showing over a limited sample in 2020, Barlow worked during the offseason to physically prepare to pitch well over a full season, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports. The right-hander has performed well early in spring training, but he'll likely begin the regular season in a setup role with Greg Holland the favorite to serve as the closer early in the year.

Richards, who allowed two earned runs on two hits over two innings but recorded four strikeouts in a Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox on Friday, projects for multiple roles in 2021, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "Richie's done well this spring," Cash said. "[Rays pitching coach] Kyle [Snyder] is very excited [about] where he's at and how he can help us in multiple ways."

The 27-year-old swingman had his share of struggles in 2020, pitching to a bloated 5.91 ERA and 1.72 WHIP across nine appearances (four starts). However, Richards had shown some promise in 2019 in the form of a 1.93 ERA across 23.1 innings after arriving from the Marlins via trade, and despite Richards surrendering a pair of earned runs in each of his first two spring outings, the Rays seem to be high on his versatility.

Wittgren has allowed two hits and no walks while striking out one over three scoreless innings to begin spring training.

Wittgren served as one of Cleveland's top setup men in 2020 and has been effective across three relief outings this spring. The right-hander will likely serve in a setup role once again with James Karinchak the favorite to begin the season as the team's closer, but Wittgren could contend for save chances if Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase struggle early in the year, Ben Axelrod of WKYC reports.

Cleveland is looking at Clase as an impact reliever who could pitch in the late innings this season, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com reports.

Pluto speculates that Clase, whose cutter has touched 99 mph this spring, could work in the seventh and eighth innings this season. Clase's goal is to be the team's closer, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Manager Terry Francona has already suggested that James Karinchak could be used to get outs at the highest-leverage moments of the game, even if that happens prior to the ninth inning, so it could be any of Clase, Nick Wittgren, Phil Maton or Blake Parker who ends up with the save in those instances.

Abreu will pitch in a "B" game Saturday against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Abreu will be making his first appearance since finishing his quarantine. He has not thrown in a game situation since going two innings against the Marlins on Feb. 28. The state of Houston's starting rotation is getting dicey already at the mid-point of March. There's still an ongoing evaluation of Framber Valdez (finger), Jake Odorizzi is unlikely to build up his pitch count in time for Opening Day and several depth starting candidates, including Abreu, lost time due to being in quarantine.

Pearson (groin) will throw a bullpen session Saturday but won't be ready to start by Opening Day, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

Pearson's spring buildup has been interrupted by a groin strain. While the issue isn't a particularly worrisome one, it's disrupted his preseason preparation to the point that he won't have time to stretch out as a starter by the time the regular season begins. It's not yet clear whether he'll start the year in the bullpen or continue building up to a starter's workload while off the roster.

Harvey suffered a left oblique injury Friday against the Phillies, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Harvey winced in pain following his first pitch of the outing and left the game with team trainers. It's a positive in some ways that he's not dealing with yet more arm troubles, though oblique issues can be worrying as well. His recovery timeline for his latest in a long line of injuries is not yet clear.

Harvey winced after throwing his first pitch Friday against the Phillies and left the game without throwing another one, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Injuries have unfortunately been the story of Harvey's career, as he's thrown just 154.1 total innings over the last six years. The exact diagnosis for his latest issue remains to be seen, but his track record leaves little reason to be anything other than pessimistic. If he's sidelined to start the year, Tanner Scott and Cesar Valdez could emerge as the top closing options in Baltimore.