MLB Player News

McHugh (back) allowed three runs on three hits and recorded two strikeouts over two innings during Saturday's spring game against the Cardinals.

McHugh, who was scratched from Monday's scheduled start due to a sore back, was able to make a pain-free return to the mound Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle reports. The 31-year-old had a clean first inning but gave up two singles and a home run during his second frame. McHugh should be on track for the start of the regular season despite the brief layoff.

The Rays optioned Gibaut (lat) to their minor-league camp Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Gibaut's slim chance of cracking the Rays' Opening Day bullpen effectively ended when he was diagnosed with a mild lat strain early in camp. The right-hander has yet to resume throwing and could open the 2019 campaign on Triple-A Durham's injured list.

De Leon (elbow) is scheduled to face hitters in live batting practice Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

De Leon has thrown off the mound on multiple occasions over the past few weeks and after experiencing no complications while doing so, he'll move on to the next phase of his recovery from Tommy John surgery. It's not expected that De Leon will be ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment until the back half of May, so he'll likely open the season on the 60-day injured list.

The Rays optioned Honeywell (elbow) to their minor-league camp Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Shortly before the demotion was announced, Honeywell threw another bullpen session as he continues to progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Honeywell is scheduled to face hitters Tuesday for the first time since undergoing the elbow procedure and is targeting a late-May return to competitive action. The right-hander could be an option for the big-league rotation at some point in the middle of the season.

The Astros optioned Abreu to their minor-league camp Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston added Abreu to its 40-man roster over the winter, but that was merely to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The promising pitcher has yet to pitch above the Low-A level and is likely a couple years away from contributing for the big club.

Fulmer was mostly sitting in the 89-91 mph range with his fastball in his Grapefruit League start Saturday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer allowed two runs and struck out three over three innings in the outing, and he now has a 7.88 ERA this spring. The 25-year-old previously said he's confident his velocity will ramp up closer to the start of the regular season. Fulmer averaged 95.8 mph on his fastball in 2018, and it will be worth monitoring his radar readings in his next handful of starts.

Pruitt (personal) reported back to Rays camp Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pruitt had been away from the Rays since early Wednesday to be with his wife, who gave birth to the couple's first child. The time off shouldn't impact Pruitt's chances of winning a long-relief job with the Rays this spring.

VerHagen said Saturday that tests confirmed that he's experiencing inflammation around his throwing shoulder, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

VerHagen complained off a dead arm earlier this week, leading to some fears that he may have suffered a recurrence of the symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a condition he experienced a few years ago that required surgery. Fortunately, an MRI cleared him of any structural damage, so he'll merely treat his shoulder with anti-inflammatory medication before starting up his throwing program again. A long-term absence thus doesn't look to be in store for VerHagen, though he may need to resume mound work within the next week to avoid opening the regular season on the injured list.

Barnes will make his spring debut Saturday against the Mets, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Barnes had been scheduled to debut next week, but he was deemed ready to go sooner. The 28-year-old right-hander is the leading candidate to close games for Boston or be the primary closer with Ryan Brasier (toe) still in the mix. Barnes has been an important bullpen arm the last three seasons, but his track record as a closer is limited and spotty. He has a career 5.22 ERA in the ninth inning (29.1 IP). Barnes can bring the heat but has battled control problems during his career and walked 4.5 batters per nine innings in 2018.

Martin allowed six runs on six hits in a third of an inning Friday against the Rockies.

Martin was having an uneventful spring until Friday's implosion, which leaves his ERA at 16.20. Texas manager Chris Woodward is kicking around the idea of carrying eight relievers, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, and Martin will have a spot despite his unsightly spring numbers. He dealt with a number of nagging injuries during 2018 and was limited to 41.2 innings, in which he posted a 4.54 ERA (3.56 FIP).