MLB Player News

McHugh will most likely pitch out of the bullpen after manager A.J. Hinch set his starting rotation for the regular season, Glenn Sattell of MLB.com reports.

Once the Astros acquired Gerrit Cole from the Pirates, moving McHugh to the pen became the likely domino to fall out of the rotation. Hinch said the rotation will be Justin Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Cole and Charlie Morton. "We want to continue to lengthen him out," Hinch said. "He's going to pitch a little more regularly as if we're planning for the bullpen." McHugh made a couple of spring starts but was used twice in the span of four days out of the pen this past week. He'll be the first in line for a spot start but could also be used in a trade should Houston want an upgrade elsewhere on the roster or a more seasoned relief arm.

Reed was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic Minnesota reports.

Although Reed allowed just one run over six innings this spring, he struggled keeping the opposition off base, as he gave up seven hits and walked four batters in that time. He'll likely be used from the bullpen at Triple-A Rochester this season, where he threw to the tune of a 2.05 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 22 games (30.2 innings) last year.

Armstrong was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Once the season gets underway, Armstrong will likely report to Triple-A Tacoma. The 27-year-old threw 8.1 innings over six games this spring, during which he gave up one run on five hits and three walks.

The Rays reassigned Kolarek to their minor-league camp Sunday.

Kolarek reached the big leagues in 2017 and appeared in 12 games for the Rays, logging a 6.48 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 8.1 innings. Things went better this spring for the lefty, who tossed four scoreless frames, but Tampa Bay didn't have a need for an extra southpaw in the bullpen with Jose Alvarado and Dan Jennings in the fold.

The Rays optioned Stanek to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

Stanek's blazing fastball makes him more intriguing than the average reliever, but his lack of a quality second pitch hindered his success over 21 appearances in the majors last season. The 26-year-old finished with a 5.85 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 20 innings, with much of the damage coming on the six home runs he allowed. He'll need to display more consistent success with his off-speed stuff at Durham before earning another look with the Rays.

The Rays optioned Banda to Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

With manager Kevin Cash announcing earlier this spring that he intended to use a four-man rotation this season, Banda's odds of cracking the Opening Day roster took a significant hit. Injuries could eventually create openings in the rotation later this season, but Banda may not be first in line for an appointment with an experienced starter in Matt Andriese still kicking around in the bullpen.

The Rangers anticipate that Rodriguez will open the season on the 10-day disabled list due to right elbow inflammation, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Rodriguez earned his way to the big leagues last August after racking up 61 strikeouts to go with a 1.34 ERA and 0.72 WHIP across 47 innings with High-A Down East and Double-A Midland. The right-hander predictably found life in the majors more difficult, but his big fastball was expected to keep him in contention for an Opening Day spot in a Rangers bullpen lacking in impact arms. However, with the elbow issue having prevented him from pitching since March 6 and more rest on the docket, Rodriguez may have to settle for a minor-league assignment once he's activated from the DL.

The Athletics reassigned Puk to their minor-league camp Sunday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Athletics' top pitching prospect saw his chances of making the Opening Day roster improve with several rotation hopefuls struggling this spring and Jharel Cotton (elbow) requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery, but the organization wasn't quite ready to activate Puk's MLB service clock just yet. It likely didn't help Puk's cause that he endured his worst outing of the spring in his most recent start Wednesday against the Mariners, giving up four runs and walking three batters in 2.2 innings. Puk will seek to improve his secondary offerings as he returns to the high minors this season, but if he shows the growth the Athletics are expecting, he could be up with the big club at some point during the summer.

Pomeranz (forearm) tossed a 33-pitch, two-inning simulated game Sunday, with teammates Rafael Devers and Sandy Leon rotating turns against the southpaw, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports. "I felt good -- I don't know velocity-wise what it was, but it was carrying through and it was getting on them quick -- that's what I look for, the four-seam, the way it's coming out of my hand -- it was coming out good," Pomeranz said after the session.

Pomeranz hadn't faced hitters since March 2 after developing tightness in his left forearm during a Grapefruit League outing. The lefty noted the next step in his recovery from the injury is still to be determined, and Pomeranz is not guaranteed to be available for his first turn through the rotation during the regular season, which would likely fall April 1 against the Rays. In the event that Pomeranz, Steven Wright (knee) and Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) are all unavailable to start the season, Hector Velazquez and Brian Johnson would be temporarily plugged into the rotation.

Kimbrel (personal) is scheduled to rejoin the Red Sox on Monday and toss a live batting practice session, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Boston's closer has been away from the team since Feb. 28 after his four-month-old daughter required emergency heart surgery. With his daughter responding well to the procedure over the past three weeks, Kimbrel is ready to return to work and expected to go through an expedited spring training. Manager Alex Cora said he expects Kimbrel to be ready for the start of the season, so Boston's bench boss probably won't need to tab an interim ninth-inning man.