MLB Player News

White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Sunday that Gomez has been temporarily shut down with a sore shoulder, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. "A little sore. Nothing of concern," Renteria said, regarding Gomez's status.

Gomez is expected to play catch Monday and could be cleared to return to spring action later in the week if he endures no setbacks in his recovery. The veteran opened last season as the Phillies' closer before quickly surrendering that role, then was released by the team after failing to find his footing in middle relief. After inking a minor-league deal with the White Sox in January, Gomez has put himself in the mix for a bullpen gig by rattling off five scoreless appearances to kick off the spring.

The Indians optioned Merryweather (elbow) to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Matt Kelly of MLB.com reports.

Merryweather underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month, ending any sliver of hope the 26-year-old had of cracking the Tribe's Opening Day roster. With the right-hander out for the season, expect Cleveland to eventually move him to the 60-day disabled list in order to open up an extra spot on the 40-man roster.

Manaea (1-0) allowed two earned runs on four hits over four innings while striking out two in Sunday's 7-2 Cactus League win over the Cubs.

The pair of blemishes on his final line came in the form of home runs, as Kyle Schwarber and Chris Gimenez went deep in the second inning off a slider and first-pitch fastball, respectively, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports. Otherwise, it was another sharp outing for the lefty, who's averaging a strikeout per inning over his first two spring outings. Manaea doubled his workload in terms of innings over that of his first appearance as well, lending credence to the notion that the back issues that delayed his spring training debut are squarely behind him.

Pomeranz (forearm) was not listed in manager Alex Cora's expected Opening Day rotation, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

Cora listed Chris Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez as his expected rotation to start the season, but noted that Pomeranz and Steven Wright had a chance to be ready by Opening Day. Pomeranz recently resumed his throwing program after suffering a flexor strain on March 2 and is reportedly making progress. He has stated that he believes he'll be ready by the start of the season, but the team appears to be expecting a slightly longer timetable for his recovery.

Edgin (personal) reported back to Orioles camp and is scheduled to pitch in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

Edgin was away from the Orioles for the last few days after his wife gave birth to the couple's third child. The time away from the team shouldn't dramatically affect Edgin's case for an Opening Day spot in the Orioles' bullpen, though his standing as a non-roster invitee makes it more likely than not that he'll open the campaign in the minors.

Montgomery (hand) is listed among the Tigers' scheduled pitchers for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Montgomery has been dealing with a blister on his throwing hand for much of the spring, but given his status as a non-roster invitee, he has continued to pitch through the issue as he looks to make a case for the Opening Day roster. At this point, Shane Greene, Joe Jimenez, Drew VerHagen, Alex Wilson, Daniel Stumpf and Warwick Saupold already seem to have secured places in the Tigers' bullpen, likely leaving only one or two spots for a number of pitchers. Montgomery has covered 4.1 innings over five Grapefruit League appearances, submitting a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 6:2 K:BB.

Infante (shoulder) is scheduled to pitch Monday in the White Sox's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Infante faced hitters Friday during batting practice without incident, prompting the White Sox to clear him for his first appearance of the spring. After a six-year hiatus, Infante returned to the big leagues last season and found success in the second half with the White Sox, emerging as a key piece in an otherwise unimpressive bullpen. Since the regular season is still two and a half weeks away, Infante should have enough time to put in a few more Cactus League outings and secure his roster spot heading into Opening Day.

Lopez allowed three hits and two walks while striking out one over 4.1 scoreless innings in Sunday's start against the Diamondbacks.

Lopez has shown a penchant for pitching out of jams this spring and did so again Sunday when he stranded three men in the first inning. He lowered his spring ERA to 0.96, but the right-hander has lived dangerously. Over 9.1 innings, he's given up five hits and walked seven. The seven free passes are eye-popping, but they weren't a problem for Lopez during his eight-start run in Chicago last season (2.6 BB/9).

Hildenberger has thrown 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks with two strikeouts through five spring training appearances.

Hildenberger doesn't look ready for Opening Day just yet, as he's sitting on a 5.79 ERA for the spring. However, look for the 27-year-old right-hander to round into form as camp progresses. Hildenberger is poised to be one of Minnesota's top arms out of the bullpen for the 2018 season and should see plenty of high-leverage situations.

Mengden allowed six earned runs on seven hits and a walk over four innings while recording four strikeouts in a Saturday Cactus League appearance against the Rangers, and he's having trouble separating from other contenders for one of two potential open starting rotation spots, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander was in trouble early and often, allowing five of his six runs after coming in to open the fifth inning. The spotty performance has been a bit of a running theme for Mengden this spring, as he has now allowed at least two earned runs in four of five appearances. Despite the unsightly final line, there were some positives to glean in the eyes of manager Bob Melvin, who saw his pitcher settle down over his final two frames and hit 95 mph on the gun with his fastball. "This was a little different too, where he's not starting a game," Melvin said. "He's had to come in a little bit later in the game, which is not something he's used to."