MLB Player News

Martin struck out six and walked three without allowing a hit in four scoreless innings Tuesday against the Pirates.

Martin drew raves from manager AJ Hinch, who thinks the young right-hander could pitch in Houston this season, Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press reports. "I love him," Hinch said. "I love what he can offer as a pitcher. He's got a lot of characteristics that we see in major-league starters and that's exciting to see." The 23-year-old Martin went 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) at Double-A Corpus Christi in 2018 and is expected to open this season at Triple-A Round Rock.

Hamilton (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Hamilton said Sunday he was about halfway through his expected spring workload, so starting the season on the IL isn't much of a surprise. The 23-year-old's spring schedule has been off track due to right shoulder soreness that cropped up following a car accident. It remains unclear when Hamilton is expected to return, but he'll be eligible to be activated April 4 as the move is retroactive to Monday.

Barria was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

Barria was expected to begin the season as the Angels' fifth starter with Andrew Heaney (elbow), Nick Tropeano (shoulder) and JC Ramirez sidelined, but that job will instead be taken by recent trade acquisition Chris Stratton. Barria started 26 games for the Angels last season and had a 3.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 98:47 K:BB across 129.1 innings, but will have to work his way back to the majors in 2019.

Moore allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits across three innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays. He walked one and struck out three.

Lined up against one of his former teams, Moore struggled and ran his final spring training ERA up to 5.48. The Tigers don't have a ton of better options for their rotation, so Moore should have a spot fairly well secured. However, after finishing the last two seasons with ERAs of 5.52 and 6.79, the lefty will have to show some improvement to garner attention from fantasy owners.

Borucki (elbow) played catch Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Borucki is set to open the season on the injured list due to a sore elbow, but his stay isn't expected to be a lengthy one. It sounds like the Blue Jays are going to play it safe and skip the youngster's first two turns through the rotation, putting him on track to return sometime in mid-April.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Thornton has earned a spot in the Blue Jays' Opening Day rotation, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Thornton will temporarily open the season in the rotation thanks to injuries to Ryan Borucki (elbow) and Clay Buchholz (elbow). The 25-year-old right-hander held his own this spring, compiling a 4.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 15 innings. With Borucki and Buchholz both getting healthier, however, Thornton may only have a few starts to prove he deserves to stick in the majors. His first start will come against the Tigers on Sunday.

VerHagen (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

As expected, VerHagen will begin the season on the shelf as he nurses a strained forearm. The issue isn't thought to be anything overly serious, though the right-hander remains without a timeline for his return. The move is backdated to Monday, making VerHagen eligible to return April 4. Joe Jimenez and Victor Alcantara should handle the bulk of setup duties in his absence.

Rodney was credited with a hold in an exhibition win over the Giants on Tuesday, firing a scoreless third inning in which he allowed no hits but issued a walk.

Rodney kept rolling Monday after putting in a pair of solid appearances during the season-opening series versus the Mariners in Japan. The veteran reliever fired a combined 1.2 scoreless innings in those outings while allowing one hit and two walks. Rodney proved he still had something in the tank last season at age 41, recording 25 saves and eight holds while generating a 3.36 ERA across 68 appearances with the Twins and Athletics. While Blake Treinen has a firm hold of the closer role in Oakland, Rodney could certainly figure in for the occasional save opportunity when Treinen needs a night off.

Hendriks was credited with his second spring victory in an exhibition win over the Giants on Monday, allowing a hit, a walk and a wild pitch over an inning while recording a strikeout.

Hendriks led off a nine-pitcher parade for the Athletics during the latest installment of the Bay Bridge series between the teams. The veteran right-hander is projected for a middle-relief role in 2019 after posting a 4.13 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 25 appearances (eight starts) last season.

The Rays informed Kolarek on Tuesday that he made the Opening Day roster, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Tampa Bay chose to keep Kolarek over Emilio Pagan as its last reliever, with manager Kevin Cash citing Kolarek's status a southpaw as the main factor in the decision. Kolarek, who made 31 appearances for the big club a season ago, will likely see the overwhelming share of his opportunities versus lefty-heavy lineups. He has held opposing lefties to a .234/.279/.313 slash line over parts of two seasons in the big leagues.