MLB Player News

Yarbrough exited Thursday's spring training game against Minnesota due to left groin tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He struck out the lone batter he faced.

Yarbrough's removal from the ballgame was precautionary, so there's hope he won't miss much if any time while on the mend. He'll be considered day-to-day moving forward.

Shafer (elbow) is listed among the Blue Jays' available bullpen arms for Thursday's Grapefruit League game versus the Phillies, John Lott of The Athletic reports.

Shafer made his first appearance of the spring in Monday's 3-0 loss to the Yankees, giving up two hits in a scoreless inning of relief. It marked the 26-year-old's first competitive outing since Sept. 14, as the Blue Jays shuttered Shafer for the rest of the season following that appearance while he managed a Grade 1 flexor strain. Shafer entered spring training at full health and will get the chance to compete for a job in the Blue Jays' Opening Day bullpen, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot hurts his chances.

Lopez allowed two runs on five hits while striking out one over two innings against the Reds on Wednesday.

In his first Cactus League start, Lopez gave up four hits to the first five batters faced -- two of them bloop singles -- but avoided serious damage. Eugenio Suarez was thrown out at third base, and Lopez picked off Yasiel Puig at second base. He followed up with a scoreless second inning, allowing one hit and getting three conventional outs. He's projected third in the rotation, but could eventually move up. "Command of the breaking ball for him would be good. His fastball command has been consistent, and he knows how to elevate. The secondary pitches would be the ones to focus on," manager Rick Renteria responded when asked what Lopez needs to do to become a No. 1 or 2 starter. The right-hander was the White Sox's most consistent starter from April to September in 2018, although there were some growing pains. The 25-year-old Lopez finished 7-10 with a 3.91 ERA and walked 75 batters (10th in MLB) over 188.2 innings.

Brasier (toe) is scheduled to play catch Thursday, Guerin Austin of NESN reports.

Brasier has been sidelined for a little more than a week with an infection on his pinky toe, but he's finally ready to resume throwing. Once healthy, Brasier will look to stake his claim on the team's vacant closer role.

Fulmer allowed four runs on three hits and one walk through two innings Wednesday against the Yankees.

Fulmer actually came away with the win Wednesday, as the Tigers hung five runs on the Yankees in the bottom of the first inning. While it wasn't Fulmer's finest outing, it was encouraging to see him get through the outing pain-free, as he's returning from offseason knee surgery and hadn't pitched in a game since September of 2018. Per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News, the right-hander is wearing a brace on his surgically-repaired knee in spring not only to hold his meniscus in place, but also to help him adjust to new mechanics; he changed his delivery in an attempt to take some of the stress off his right knee following two surgeries in five years. "I was just focusing on my mechanics and making sure I was pain-free," said Fulmer afterwards. "Everything will come. I just need some reps."

Manager AJ Hinch said he has "zero" concern about McHugh's back, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "We hoped to get 12 or 15 more pitches out of him, but the first time out, it's not that alarming," the manager said. "We're going to err on the side of caution. This was a regular season game, he'd have gone back out there."

McHugh exited Wednesday's game against the Nationals after just one inning due to back soreness. Both McHugh and Hinch downplayed the issue afterwards, so it doesn't sound like anything that will affect his status for the start of the season at this point. Still, his status will be worth monitoring throughout camp seeing as he's dealt with back injuries on and off in the past.

McHugh left his Grapefruit League start Wednesday against the Nationals due to back soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh seemed to hurt his back while fielding a bunt by Adam Eaton, throwing the ball away into the first-base dugout. The veteran isn't particularly worried about the injury, as he's dealt with back problems from time to time throughout his career and may have remained in the game if not for the threat of rain. Still, it's not good news for the Astros, who also lost fellow starter Josh James earlier in the day due to a quad strain. Brad Peacock and Framber Valdez appear to be the primary competitors for the fifth starter spot in James' absence, and both could make the rotation should McHugh's injury prove worse than initially suspected.

Farquhar said that he's listed among the pitchers available out of the bullpen for Saturday's exhibition versus the Pirates, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Assuming that list remains accurate once the weekend arrives, Farquhar will make his first appearance in a competitive setting since April 20, when he suffered a brain hemorrhage that required emergency surgery. Farquhar received medical clearance in November to resume his career and signed with the Yankees later in the winter, but the club has still taken a cautious approach with his usage this spring. The lefty completed his second simulated game Wednesday and now looks ready to compete for a spot in the big-league bullpen, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.

Smith (elbow) met with Dr. James Andrews on Monday and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery this week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Tigers will likely confirm that Smith underwent the elbow operation within a few days, but Tommy John surgery was always the likely outcome after he ruptured his UCL last week. The 30-year-old is in line to miss the entire 2019 season and could be sidelined for a large portion of 2020 as well.

Infante has secured a visa to travel to the United States but has yet to report to camp while being evaluated for the illness he developed during the offseason, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that Infante met with team doctors in Miami, but no timeline was provided for the right-hander to arrive at spring training. Infante might be too far behind the rest of the team's other relief arms to make a serious run at winning an Opening Day roster spot.