MLB Player News

Harvey (forearm/shoulder) threw a short live batting practice Monday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Harvey faced hitters for the first time since June. He threw half as many pitches as other Orioles pitchers, as the team is being cautious with a player who has been hit with a long list of injuries. The 24-year-old only made nine starts last season, though that represented his highest number since 2014.

Fulmer (personal) returned to the Tigers' spring training facility Monday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer left camp late last week and returned to his home state of Oklahoma to be with his father, who underwent quadruple bypass surgery. The 25-year-old right-hander said his father is recuperating well, so it's not expected that Fulmer will miss much further time during spring training. He was absent for only two workouts while he was back in Oklahoma, so he won't be too far behind his fellow pitchers during camp.

Hand was confirmed as Cleveland's closer by manager Terry Francona on Saturday, Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports.

The announcement is hardly a surprise, as Hand is clearly the best reliever in Francona's bullpen. The Indians haven't been afraid to use their best reliever earlier in the game in the past few years, thanks to Andrew Miller's flexibility, but the team still had a dedicated closer in Cody Allen during that time. With both of those pitchers now gone, Hand will be called on to fill Allen's role, not Miller's.

Gibaut tweaked his right lat early in camp, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Gibaut will see a doctor, though the Rays don't believe the issue to be a serious one. The 25-year-old was shielded from the Rule 5 draft over the offseason and is a candidate to make his debut at some point this year after recording a 2.09 ERA in 56 innings of relief for Triple-A Durham last season.

Fulmer has been away from the Tigers for a few days for personal reasons, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Fulmer is reportedly attending to a family issue. The delay is unlikely to affect his preparation for Opening Day, as he's expected back as soon as Sunday.

Povse has been delayed in camp due to a sore shoulder, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Povse hasn't thrown yet in camp but is expected to do so in a few days. Assuming he's able to hit that timeline, he should still be ready to go by Opening Day, but he's unlikely to spend that day on the big-league roster, though, as he was designated for assignment in late January.

Fulmer is now viewed by the White Sox as a reliever, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Fulmer has made 13 starts and 11 relief appearances thus far in his major-league career but hasn't found much success, posting an ugly 6.68 ERA. He was moved to the pen at Triple-A Charlotte last season but didn't do much of note there either, finishing with an unimpressive 5.32 ERA in 67.2 innings. It may be easier for him to make the majors as a reliever, but he'll need to do considerably better than he has thus far if he's to work his way out of a low-leverage role.

Poche received an invite to major-league spring training and is attempting to earn a spot in the Rays bullpen, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Poche was the player to be named later in last spring's Steven Souza trade with Arizona, and compiled a 0.82 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and absurd 110:19 K:BB across 66 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018. The 25-year-old relies on a deceptive low-90s fastball and continued his dominance even after being promoted to Triple-A Durham in May. The left-hander still has a tall task ahead of him to crack the Rays' Opening Day roster, but if he performs remotely close to the level he did at Durham last season he is unlikely to remain in the minors for long.

Betances (personal) is expected to join the Yankees' camp Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Betances remained away from the team at the start of spring training after his wife gave birth Wednesday. He'll wind up being delayed for only a few days, which shouldn't affect his readiness for Opening Day.

Fulmer lost his arbitration case Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Fulmer filed for $3.4 million but will wind up making just $2.8 million. The 25-year-old had been on track for a good deal more than that after two strong years to start his career but stumbled significantly in his third season. Injuries limited him to just 24 starts as he slumped to a 4.69 ERA. After surgery to repair a torn right meniscus in September, he appears to be on track for Opening Day and perhaps a bounceback year.