MLB Player News

Abreu has been optioned to the Yankees' alternate training site.

As expected, Abreu will not break camp with the big-league club, though he should continue to develop as part of the team's satellite squad. The right-hander could be called over to the big-league club at some point this season if the need for a bullpen arm arises.

Adams is one of 11 relievers that could make the Mariners' 30-man roster, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Adams has a good chance of picking up a few saves, though Yoshihisa Hirano just reported back to camp. This highlights just how crowded the Mariners' bullpen will be, though there's a good chance that saves could be shared by multiple relievers again this season.

Andriese indicated that he has added a cutter and two-seam/sinker to his arsenal now that he has shifted back to starting, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Andriese has utilized both the cutter and the two-seamer in the past, most notably early in his career as a starter with Tampa Bay. The right-hander was used exclusively in relief with Arizona last season and consequently relied almost entirely on his four-seamer (49.6 percent usage) and changeup (37.0 percent usage). Andriese has posted a 4.64 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 202:63 K:BB over 236.2 innings in 49 career starts.

Yarbrough will start the second game of the season Saturday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Charlie Morton will take the mound Opening Day, and Yarbrough will follow him in the rotation. The 28-year-old started in 14 of his 28 appearances last season in addition to often operating as the primary pitcher behind an opener. Yarbrough had a 4.13 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 117:20 K:BB over 141.2 innings in 2019.

Anderson struck out two of the three batters he faced in the final half-inning of Sunday's intrasquad game, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

He looked strong and pitched as the team's closer in the informal scrimmage. The Rays are not naming a closer, and they will likely give multiple relievers save chances this season, but there is a decent chance Anderson leads the team in saves.

Barnes is expected to begin the season as the setup man for closer Brandon Workman, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Workman was officially named Boston's closer to start the season, but Barnes should still see plenty of high-leverage opportunities. The 30-year-old has recorded 20-plus holds in each of the past three seasons and has continually increased his strikeout total, finishing with 110 strikeouts over 64.1 innings last season. Given those numbers, Barnes should still have some fantasy value as a high-leverage reliever, especially since he's likely the next man up for saves behind Workman.

Rodriguez (lat) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Rodriguez's rehab is moving ahead better than anticipated, but he's still not going to make the Opening Day roster. Once healthy, Rodriguez will be one of the lefty setup men for closer Jose Leclerc.

Montero was dealing with forearm soreness when he arrived in camp, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Montero entered camp late because he was at home in the Dominican Republic while his wife was giving birth. As such, he was behind other relievers, then the forearm soreness set him back further. "When he got back, it didn't feel right," Woodward said. "He said he is feeling better now. So hopefully from this point, he can progress to get back to full strength." Once back to full health and fitness, Montero should be one of the Rangers' top setup men.

Poche demonstrated good control during a brief simulated game appearance Saturday, throwing seven of 10 pitches for strikes, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "The internal stuff that we had on Poche was really encouraging," manager Kevin Cash said. "He needed to have a good outing, and he did."

While it was a small sample, Cash was pleased with what he saw from Poche, who's projected for a bullpen spot but has caused some concern with location issues in summer camp. The 26-year-old southpaw generated an elevated 4.70 ERA over 51.2 innings last season, but he also provided an excellent 72:19 K:BB that provided a glimpse at his swing-and-miss upside.

Beeks, who is competing for a bullpen spot, recorded four strikeouts over 3.1 innings and 50 pitches in a simulated game Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "His velocity looks awesome," manager Kevin Cash said of Beeks. "His stuff, he's worked really, really hard. I don't think we'll go much past the four-inning mark with him unless there was an immediate, urgent need. With the stuff that he's showing, he's going to help us a lot."

Cash's comments certainly imply Beeks is on track to make the Opening Day roster, and it isn't surprising by any stretch for a number of reasons. The southpaw demonstrated his value last season by making three starts among his 33 appearances and fashioning a 6-3 record. Beeks did exhibit some control issues with a 3.5 BB/9, but he demonstrated sharp location while pitching to a 1.93 ERA over 9.1 innings during Grapefruit League play this spring. Beeks ability to cover multiple innings will be particularly valuable in a season as unique as 2020, especially with Yonny Chirinos and Brendan McKay both still out of summer camp for undisclosed reasons and consequently looking uncertain to be available for the start of the regular season.