MLB Player News

Diekman, a southpaw who re-signed with the Athletics on a two-year, $7.5 million contract this offseason, is expected to frequently work against both right- and left-handed hitters this season, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports. "There are times, especially for a guy like him, he just sees a clear lane against righties," manager Bob Melvin said. "And just sees the plate as opposed to throwing off the hitter."

Diekman arrived via trade from the Royals on July 27 last season and generated a 4.43 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 28 appearances. The southpaw was equally effective against batters of either handedness, holding both to a solid .303 wOBA and actually limiting right-handed bats to a lower batting average (.210) than he did same-handed hitters (.224). Melvin explains that Diekman's across-the-board effectiveness mainly stems from the fact he complements his mid-90s fastball with an extremely sharp breaking ball, a "biting slider" and a deceptive delivery. The 33-year-old could once again be an excellent source of holds, with Diekman having recorded a career-high 31 in 2019 and having produced double-digit tallies in that category in six of the last seven seasons.

Barnes signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles in late February, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.

The 30-year-old righty didn't appear in any games for the Orioles during the Grapefruit League slate before spring training concluded, so it appears his minor-league deal didn't include an invitation to big-league camp. Barnes, who last appeared in the majors in 2018 as a member of the Blue Jays, is expected to begin the upcoming campaign at Triple-A Norfolk.

Puk (shoulder) could have an opportunity to start the 2020 campaign in the starting rotation due to the significantly delayed start to the regular season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The towering left-hander appeared destined to start the regular season in the bullpen just over a week ago, but two subsequent postponements of the start of the regular season have exponentially increased his chances of opening the 2020 campaign as a starter. That had been the plan for Puk coming into spring training, and the No. 4 spot in the rotation seemingly awaits him if he's able to utilize the extra time now at his disposal to completely overcome the shoulder strain he's been dealing with.

Wittgren could be a candidate for saves if Brad Hand struggles, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports.

Hand will enter the season as the Indians' closer, but the team will need to have a backup plan in case his struggles from late in the 2019 campaign spill over into 2020. Wittgren would be among the candidates to claim the role, as James Karinchak has the arsenal for high-leverage work but lacks experience as a big-league closer while Emmanuel Clase (lat) is expected to be out until June. Wittgren recorded four saves and 12 holds for Cleveland last season, and posted a strong 2.81 ERA backed by a 1.08 WHIP.

Kay was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kay wasn't a favorite to secure an Opening Day rotation spot as he's thrown just 14 career big-league innings. After posting a 4.41 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 14 Triple-A starts last season, he likely still has something to prove in the minors.

May set a new personal high by hitting 99.8 mph with his fastball during Grapefruit League play, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

While that was on just one pitch, Park notes that May's average fastball velocity was also up over the 96 mph he averaged in 2019. Seemingly all the Twins relievers were throwing harder this spring. Taylor Rogers will be the closer, but May is also capable of getting high-leverage outs.

Littell set a new personal high by hitting 97.3 mph with his fastball during Grapefruit League play, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

He did not allow a run while striking out nine and giving up three hits and four walks over seven innings. Seemingly everyone in the Twins' bullpen upped their fastball velocity this spring, and while the 97.3 mph reading was on one pitch, Park notes that Littell's average fastball velocity was also up over his 94 mph average fastball velocity from 2019.

Rogers raised his average fastball velocity this spring and gave up one run on six hits and one walk over five innings while striking out seven, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Park did not specify how hard Rogers was throwing, but we can assume it was harder than the 95 mph he averaged on his fastball in 2019. Seemingly everyone in the Twins' bullpen was throwing a bit harder this spring, but Rogers remains the cream of the crop and should get the majority of the save opportunities when the season gets underway.

Smeltzer will use this shutdown period to improve his feel for a new slider, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

His 8.68 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and three home runs allowed in 9.1 spring innings are being attributed to him integrating that new pitch. He was a distant third behind Randy Dobnak and Jhoulys Chacin in the competition for the fifth starter's spot, but could be a better pitcher when play resumes if he gains feel for that slider. Even so, he still likely trails Dobnak in the pecking order, and Rich Hill (elbow) could be healthy enough to slot into the rotation sometime in June.

Cordero is projected to be part of the White Sox's bullpen to start the 2020 season, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. He's allowed one run on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out five over 4.2 spring innings.

The three organizations that employed Cordero in 2019 before he landed with the White Sox must be wondering what they missed. The flame-throwing right-hander allowed one earned run over 17.2 innings at Triple-A Charlotte before pitching effectively out of Chicago's bullpen (2.89 ERA) over the second half of the season. For a pitcher that throws mid-90s, Cordero doesn't strike out many batters, but the sink on it had opponents hitting balls into the ground (.189 BAA). He's expected to be part of a potentially good bullpen that should be able to shepherd leads from the seventh inning on.