MLB Player News

Diekman has not allowed an earned run in three of four spring outings, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Diekman made quite a splash at the tail end of 2017 when he held opponents scoreless in 10 of his 11 outings, mostly in a setup role. If the left-hander continues to throw zeros, manager Jeff Banister could slot him in at closer. That would allow him to deploy Alex Claudio, the incumbent closer, in a multiple-inning bridge role, one in which Banister thinks he could be more valuable to the team. "There are opportunities for [Claudio] to come in any inning and help preserve a win for us," Banister said. The battle appears to come down to Claudio or Diekman, with Keone Kela (shoulder) also in the mix.

Santiago allowed three runs on six hits without a walk while striking out three in a B game Wednesday against the Dodgers, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Santiago has put together a nice body of work this spring, putting himself in position to usurp the No. 5 starter spot from Carson Fulmer. While Santiago's outing Wednesday was his worst of the spring, it was miles better than Fulmer's -- Fulmer allowed three home runs and seven runs total over 1.2 innings in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers. Manager Rick Renteria hasn't made any decisions about the back end of rotation, but based purely on spring results, Fulmer looks like he needs more work in the minors.

Fulmer allowed seven runs on five hits and three walks over 1.2 innings in Wednesday's start against the Brewers.

Fulmer was tagged for another three home runs Wednesday, raising his total to seven homers allowed over 6.2 spring innings. He's also walked 10 batters. Fulmer, the White Sox's putative No. 5 starter, now has a spring ERA of 18.90 and appears to have pitched himself out of the job. Hector Santiago, Fulmer's likely replacement, threw in a B game Wednesday and allowed three runs on six hits over 2.1 innings against the Dodgers.

VerHagen blew a Tigers lead in Tuesday's 2-2 tie with the Yankees in Grapefruit League play. He yielded two runs on two hits and a walk over 1.1 innings while striking out three batters in the outing.

VerHagen's box-score line obscures how dominant he was in the seventh inning, when he struck out the Yankees' new Murderers' Row of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez in succession. The right-hander wasn't able to carry that momentum into the eighth inning and retired just one of the four batters he faced in the frame, but his showing earlier in the contest is a prime example of why the Tigers are earmarking him for a prominent setup role this season. Given the control issues closer Shane Greene has exhibited throughout his career, it's not difficult to see him losing the ninth-inning gig at some point and opening the door for VerHagen or another hard-throwing reliever to step in.

Whalen compiled nine strikeouts while allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks over five innings in Tuesday's 8-7 Cactus League loss to the Rockies.

The emerging right-hander was masterful over his time on the mound, particularly utilizing his curveball with great effectiveness, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Whalen has now racked up 19 whiffs over 13 spring innings, putting himself squarely in consideration for the fifth starter role if Erasmo Ramirez (lat) remains sidelined for the start of the regular season as expected. Manager Scott Servais seemed especially impressed with the fact that Whalen made an outing where he may have not been at his sharpest look like his best of spring through prudent use of his breaking ball. "Awesome outing by Whalen, highlight of the day. He probably didn't have his best stuff. He had a really good curveball. I thought the velocity was a tick back from what we've seen earlier in camp. But the curveball was outstanding."

Graveman (1-2) allowed four earned runs on five hits and a hit batsman over three-plus innings in Tuesday's 9-8 Cactus League win over the Royals. He struck out four.

The right-hander picked up his first victory of spring, but he unraveled some in his final frame after being staked to a 7-0 lead. Graveman faced only two hitters over the minimum over his first three innings, but his plunking of Cheslor Cuthbert to open the fourth set off a troublesome chain of events. The 27-year-old wasn't able to notch another out after that point and allowed four runs overall, one which was charged to him after he exited. It was thus a true mixed bag for Graveman, as his impressive work was offset by a third straight appearance in which he allowed at least three earned runs. Time is running out for him to get matters straightened out before the onset of the regular season. He'll look to bounce back in a likely start against the White Sox on Sunday.

Kimbrel (personal) is set to throw a live batting practice session Thursday in Boston, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Kimbrel remains away from the team while tending to his daughter, who is recovering from a second heart surgery that she underwent a couple days ago. The reliever was able to throw a bullpen last week and looks to be in top shape heading into Opening Day.

Axford "should be pitching in the big-leagues, no doubt," according to manager John Gibbons, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Axford is in camp with the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal. He wasn't considered a favorite to earn a bullpen role, as he posted an ugly 6.43 ERA in 21 innings last season with Oakland and hasn't put up an ERA below 3.95 since 2011. The Blue Jays aren't stacked with experienced relief arms, so he certainly has a chance to make the team, though it's hard to imagine him being a significant fantasy asset.

Jimenez lost weight in the offseason and worked on developing a more repeatable, consistent delivery, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

After posting a 12.32 ERA and 2.11 WHIP in 19 innings at the MLB level last season, Jimenez looks like a new pitcher in spring training. Through five innings of work, he hasn't allowed an earned run and has struck out eight. "I feel a lot better now," Jimenez said. "Just mechanically, my arm feels good. Everything just seems right." Of course, spring training success doesn't always carry over into the regular season, but it's at least a positive sign that the 23-year-old could take a step forward this year.

De Leon underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After seeking a second opinion on his elbow last week, De Leon ended up having the surgery, as expected. He'll be out all season and should be taken off of draft boards in single-season leagues. His dynasty-league appeal is very limited as well, as he was a mediocre prospect to begin with and is now out for over a year with no guarantee that he'll return to his former self once his rehab is complete.