MLB Player News

Perez was placed on the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Perez has spent the beginning of camp on the 60-man roster, but he'll now be sidelined for at least 10 days for an undisclosed reason. It's unlikely that he'll be ready for Opening Day. The southpaw allowed 10 runs with a 7:2 K:BB over nine innings with the Astros in 2019.

Borucki looked sharp during an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

With Chase Anderson (oblique) on the shelf, the Jays will have a vacancy in their Opening Day rotation. Nate Pearson is the most talented option but the front office may prioritize service-time concerns with the top prospect, opening the door for someone like Borucki to fill in for a turn or two instead. The 26-year-old southpaw barely pitched last season due to elbow trouble which resurfaced in February just as spring training began. If he can stay healthy, however, he could provide useful innings given his 3.87 ERA, 3.73 FIP and 67:33 K:BB through 97.2 frames in 2018.

Poche tossed a scoreless inning in Sunday's simulated game and looked much sharper than in his first outing Thursday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Poche needed just 13 pitches to get through the frame, with two flyouts and a strikeout. Poche mentioned he'd been working on upping his use of the slider after his first sim game Thursday, but he'd been notably less precise with his control in that appearance. The 26-year-old southpaw is looking to solidify his bullpen spot after a rocky six-appearance Grapefruit League stint (7.94 ERA across 5.2 innings).

Alvarado, who struggled some with control in a simulated game Friday, was more effective during a Sunday appearance, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "Better," said Rays manager Kevin Cash. "His last outing that he had he was fine, but he just wasn't filling up the strike zone like he's capable of. We put in an emphasis to fill it up, fill up the zone with the fastball, because as soon as he does that, then those 55-foot breaking balls [come] -- which catchers can't stand but hitters swing at. So you don't tell him not to throw those."

Alvarado has been talking up his readiness and enthusiasm for the coming season since back in training camp, but the on-field results haven't always been commensurate to his ebullient mindset. Sunday, the left-hander, who sets up as a key late-inning component of the bullpen, managed to wiggle his way out of some minor trouble in his one inning by recording a strikeout. Alvarado also mentioned to Cash he'd picked some things up with his mechanics during the outing that he plans to tweak, and both the Rays skipper and pitching coach Kyle Snyder remain encouraged with where the burly southpaw is "from a strike-throwing ability" at this point.

Johnson tossed three innings in an intrasquad game Sunday, throwing 38 pitches (24 strikes), Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Johnson was removed from the 40-man roster during the offseason, but the left-hander is looking like a candidate to be added to the 40-man as the team's No. 4 starter, per manager Ron Roenicke. "Yes, I do," the manager responded when asked whether he sees Johnson as a potential fourth starter. "We all do. Hopefully he continues [to progress]. We can build him up and then see where we are at the end." The Red Sox have two rotation spots open with Eduardo Rodriguez (illness) doubtful to be ready for the start of the season. Even if Johnson doesn't land in the rotation, it looks like he'd be part of the bullpen with two left-handers, Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez, recovering from COVID-19.

Alexander could fill the Tigers' fifth rotation spot with Daniel Norris on the COVID-19 injured list and likely to miss the start of the season, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

With Norris away from the team, the Tigers have an open rotation spot, at least temporarily. Michael Fulmer (elbow) seems poised to start games at some point, though the club could ease him into action in a relief role out of the gates with the righty returning from a lengthy absence due to Tommy John surgery. Shao-Ching Chiang is another option after making 26 starts for Triple-A Columbus last season. If Alexander is able to join the rotation, it will likely be a brief stay, especially with prospects Casey Mize and Matt Manning in the wings as well. Alexander figures to spend most of 2020 in more of a long-relief role, limiting his fantasy appeal.

Tate was diagnosed with a sore right forearm after an MRI returned negative Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Tate will likely be barred from throwing for at least a few days, but with the MRI detecting no structural damage, he doesn't look to be in danger of a long-term absence. The 2015 first-round pick is vying for a spot in the Orioles' Opening Day bullpen and is expected to work mostly in lower-leverage spots this season.

Weber threw 79 pitches across four innings during Saturday's intrasquad game, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Weber was effective for the first three innings before tiring in the first fourth inning he's pitched since spring training. "Yeah, I got tired, but it was a mechanical adjustment I will fix in my next bullpen and carry it on into the game," said the soft-tossing right-hander. Weber had a dominant spring, pitching nine scoreless innings, walking none and striking out 11 over three starts. That performance stands in contrast to his career statistics in the major leagues (5.04 ERA), but he's worked his way into a rotation spot in 2020. With Eduardo Rodriguez (illness) possibly headed to the injured list, Weber is expected to start the third game of the season.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Sunday that Blach will receive a second opinion on his left elbow injury, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Blach complained of elbow soreness during Thursday's summer camp workout and was sent in for an examination Friday, but his initial test results were apparently inconclusive. As a result, Blach will receive another opinion in the coming days, after which the Orioles should have a better idea of how long he might be sidelined. Blach doesn't possess a spot on the 40-man roster, so he was already looking like a long shot to win a spot in the Orioles' Opening Day bullpen before the elbow injury surfaced.

Orioles pitching coach Doug Brocail said Sunday that Harvey remains in the mix to close, but Baltimore has yet to decide on a top option for the ninth inning, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Along with Harvey, Brocail named Mychal Givens as a candidate to close for Baltimore, with southpaw Richard Bleier also viewed as a potential end-game option against lefty-heavy lineups. Unless the Orioles confirm a closer prior to Opening Day, fantasy players will have to take something of a leap of faith in Harvey, who boasts the best skills of the three contenders for saves. Durability concerns prompted the Orioles to move the 2013 first-round pick to the bullpen last season, and the 25-year-old thrived in his first taste of the big leagues, giving up one run and striking out 11 over 6.1 innings. Harvey's big fastball and above-average curveball should at least allow him to deliver quality production in the ratio categories if the Orioles elect to use Givens or someone else as their primary closer.