MLB Player News

The Rangers designated Sadzeck for assignment Thursday.

Sadzeck didn't have any minor-league options remaining, so after failing to break camp with the big club, he'll lose his spot on the 40-man roster. In the event the right-hander goes unclaimed off waivers, he'll stick in the organization and report to Triple-A Nashville to begin the campaign.

The Rangers selected Gomez's contract Thursday and will include him on the Opening Day roster.

Gomez was one of three non-roster invitees to break camp with the Rangers, joining infielder Logan Forsythe and outfielder Hunter Pence. The 31-year-old right-hander is expected to work in middle relief for Texas to begin the season.

The Blue Jays placed Borucki (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Borucki is expected to miss at least his first two turns through the rotation while he recovers from left elbow inflammation, a condition that first surfaced during a minor-league spring start March 22. The southpaw has since resumed throwing off flat ground, leaving the Blue Jays optimistic he'll be ready to return from the IL before the end of April.

The Yankees officially placed Heller (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Heller underwent Tommy John surgery last April and likely won't be ready to pitch in games until the middle of the season, so his move to the IL was fully expected. The Yankees will likely shift him to the 60-day IL at some point later in the season when the team needs to add another player to the 40-man roster.

The Yankees officially placed Betances (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Betances is one of six Yankees who will open the season on the IL as the team set its roster ahead of Thursday's opener against the Orioles. The reliever is working through a right shoulder impingement that affected his velocity early in spring training before the Yankees elected to shut him down. The right-hander has since resumed a throwing program but has yet to progress to mound work and seems likely to miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Moore will start the fourth game of the season for the Tigers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Tigers will roll out Jordan Zimmermann, Matt Boyd, Spencer Turnbull and then Moore. This lines the lefty up to face the Blue Jays in Toronto on Sunday. Fantasy owners should tread carefully with Moore, as he struggled each of the last two seasons and didn't show much improvement this spring.

Lopez is expected to start the third game of the season March 31 against the White Sox, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

There had been some speculation that Lopez would remain in extended spring training for his first turn in the rotation, but the Royals won't be following through with that plan. He'll enter the season as the third starter behind Brad Keller and Jake Junis, meaning his spot should be safe even after Danny Duffy returns from his shoulder injury.

Yacabonis appears to have secured a spot on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Baltimore could still do some tinkering with its roster prior to Thursday's opener against the Yankees, but Yacabonis looks in line to fill one of eight bullpen spots for the big club. The right-hander has worked as a swingman over parts of two seasons in the big leagues, so he'll be able to provide length out of the bullpen for the Orioles as needed. Manager Brandon Hyde has already said that the team will use Nate Karns as an opener for Saturday's game, so Yacabonis and fellow long man John Means will likely be tasked with filling some innings in relief that day.

Rumbelow allowed a hit over a scoreless ninth inning in an exhibition loss to the Padres on Tuesday but recorded three strikeouts.

Rumbelow wrapped up a stellar spring with a dominating ninth-inning performance Tuesday, sandwiching strikeouts of Jose Pirela, Greg Garcia and Franchy Cordero around an Austin Hedges single. Rumbelow scuffled in a couple of stints with the Mariners in 2018 (6.11 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) and also was tagged for three earned runs on two hits and a walk over a third of an inning by the Athletics in last week's season-opening series in Japan. However, he offered reason for optimism with his body of work this spring, during which he posted a 1.50 ERA over five appearances. Rumbelow projects for a middle-relief role, with his near-mid-90s fastball giving him some strikeout upside.

Yarbrough was credited with a victory while allowing an earned run on five hits across four innings in an exhibition win over the Tigers on Tuesday. He struck out five.

Yarbrough turned in a strong effort to close out spring, as he prepares to once again serve as a "bulk reliever" during the Rays' bullpen days this coming season. The 27-year-old logged 147.1 innings last season across 38 appearances, including six as an opener. He compiled an impressive 16-6 record overall and projects for a similar workload in 2019.