MLB Player News

Honeywell (elbow) could be activated from the injured list in May, but likely wouldn't make his big-league debut until June or later, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This makes sense for a pitcher who has never reached the big leagues. Once Honeywell is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, the Rays will likely have him make a handful of starts in the minors to prove he's back to form before summoning him to the majors. This timetable also lines up well for Tampa Bay avoiding a fourth year of arbitration with Honeywell.

Yarbrough (groin) threw a successful bullpen session Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It is unclear when Yarbrough will return to game action, but this was a positive step. Topkin reported Thursday that the Rays will have three starting pitchers and two spots for openers at the outset of the season. Yarbrough would figure to be one of the primary pitchers on the days when an opener starts if he can get up to speed by the start of the season.

Johnson (illness) has been confirmed as the starting pitcher for Thursday's spring game against the Twins, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

Johnson was sidelined a few days by his illness, but he is ready to get back on the bump. Barring any setbacks the rest of the way, he has a chance to make an early-season start for the Red Sox with the team playing 11 straight days to kick off the regular season, but it is expected that he will primarily be used as a reliever.

Miller allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 1.2 innings Wednesday against the Giants.

Miller had trouble locating his pitches Wednesday and allowed six of the 10 batters he faced to reach base. This was his second spring start after being limited to nine appearances over the last two years due to Tommy John surgery and the subsequent recovery from the procedure. The Rangers don't have much starting pitching depth, so Miller is expected to be part of the rotation when the regular season kicks off.

General manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that King (elbow) would undergo an MRI in a few days, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Yankees are likely just trying to glean more information about the stress reaction in King's throwing elbow, which has sidelined him for most of spring training. At this stage, King doesn't look like he'll be ready for Opening Day, though he wasn't viewed as a realistic candidate for the big-league rotation anyway.

Loaisiga has a good chance to open the season in the Yankees' rotation with both Luis Severino (shoulder) and CC Sabathia (knee) expected to open on the injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Loaisiga and Domingo German were expected to compete for the temporary fifth-starter job after Severino's injury, but both have a clear path now that Sabathia is due a short stint on the IL as well. Neither player is expected to be stuck on the IL for a long time, so Loaisiga's stay could be short, though he'll likely have more opportunities throughout the season whenever a Yankee starter goes down.

Manager Kevin Cash said that Yarbrough (groin) would throw off a mound Wednesday or Thursday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Assuming Cash's plan comes to pass, Yarbrough could be ready to face hitters at some point over the weekend, which would mark the final hurdle he would need to clear before returning to competitive action. Yarbrough has been sidelined since Feb. 28 after experiencing tightness in his left groin during a Grapefruit League appearance against the Twins.

McHugh (back) is scheduled to start Saturday's exhibition game against the Cardinals, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

McHugh was scratched ahead of his previously scheduled turn Monday for precautionary purposes while he tended to a sore back. The right-hander experienced no unexpected discomfort during his bullpen session Tuesday, so he'll be ready to make his next turn through the rotation as expected.

The Rays will not designate a closer this season, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times thinks Alvarado will "get lots of save opportunities."

Alvarado racked up eight saves for the Rays last season, finishing third on the team behind Sergio Romo and Alex Colome, and the skills are certainly closer worthy. He pumps the fastball in at 97 mph on average and gets plenty of swinging strikes. The southpaw was even more of a headache against right-handed hitters than he was against lefties, holding them to a .218 wOBA. It sounds like he will be primarily a ninth-inning arm, but Alvarado will be used earlier in the game when needed, creating some save chances for the likes of Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Emilio Pagan and perhaps others.

The extension Leclerc signed Wednesday with the Rangers is worth $14.75 million over four years and includes club options for 2023 and 2024, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Leclerc's deal is worth a maximum value of $27 million and allows the Rangers to buy out his first two years of free agency, should the team choose to exercise the options. It's a sizable investment for a reliever with limited major-league experience in high-leverage spots, but Leclerc's utter dominance in 2018 made the Rangers more than comfortable with making the long-term commitment. After emerging as the team's closer in the second half of last season and finishing with a 1.56 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 57.2 innings, Leclerc will get the chance to supplement those sterling ratios with a full share of save opportunities in 2019.