MLB Player News

Moore retired the first six batters faced before getting fatigued and was unable to complete a third inning, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Moore followed up his sterling first two innings by allowing three of the first four batters faced in the third inning to reach base. "I didn't have the fresh feel of the first two innings,'' Moore said. "Moving forward, I expect those things to clear up." As a projected member of the Rangers' rotation, Moore needs to maintain his effectiveness deeper into his starts as the spring progresses. He'll get another three or four spring starts to ramp up to a regular-season workload.

Manager A.J. Hinch will use Devenski as a multiple-inning reliever in 2018, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Devenski is considered an important bullpen piece, but that doesn't mean he'll pitch exclusively in a setup role. He became an All-Star in 2017 largely because he was effective as a long reliever who pitched in high-leverage spots, anywhere from the fifth inning to the eighth inning. The trick will be keeping him effective all season. Devenski lost a feel for his slider in 2017 and had his workload reduced during a second-half dip.

Fulmer (elbow) is scheduled to start Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Fulmer had his previous start postponed after experiencing some soreness in his elbow, but an MRI revealed no structural damage and the soon-to-be 25-year-old is set to return to the mound after taking some additional time to rest and recover. This will certainly be a situation to monitor throughout the rest of camp, but barring any setbacks, it appears Fulmer should have plenty of time to get up to speed before the start of the season.

Almonte (shoulder) has yet to allow a run in three innings this spring.

The pitching prospect missed the tail-end of last season with a rotator cuff strain, but it seems like the injury is in the rear-view mirror at this point. The early results are promising, as Almonte has three strikeouts in his brief spring action so far. He did allow one hit and hit a batter, but his control has been a problem in recent seasons (5.0 BB/9 in 114.2 career Triple-A innings). There's a good chance that he'll start the season back in Omaha, but the 24-year-old will likely be back in the majors at some point in 2018, although he may be destined to end up in the bullpen.

Andriese, who worked a scoreless, one-hit inning in which he surrendered a walk during Sunday's 9-1 Grapefruit League win over the Yankees, has generated a 2.70 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 3.1 innings in three spring appearances.

Andriese is slated to work out of the bullpen for at least the first month of the season with the Rays reportedly planning to go with a four-man starting rotation in April. The results thus far this spring have been right in line with the 28-year-old's typically solid work, as he's allowed one earned run on three hits over his trio of trips to the mound while compiling four strikeouts. Andriese has put in significant time as both a starter and reliever over the his three-year major-league career, logging 44 starts against 28 appearances out of the bullpen. Given prior usage, he's likely to see time in both capacities again over the course of 2018.

Santiago allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out four over 3.0 innings in Sunday's game against San Diego.

Santiago, in camp on a minor-league deal, cleaned up a mess left for him by expected No. 5 starter Carson Fulmer. The run scored off him was the first one allowed in his eighth spring inning. Fulmer has struggled over two spring starts and could be pitching his way out of the White Sox rotation. In that event, Santiago is a logical replacement.

Fulmer allowed four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out one over one-plus innings in Sunday's game against the Padres.

Fulmer was unable to put hitters away with two strikes and struggled for a second straight spring start. He's allowed eight runs (five earned) on nine hits and five walks over 2.0 spring innings, allowing doubt to creep in about his readiness to serve as the White Sox's fifth starter. In looking at others who could wrest the final rotation spot from Fulmer, one only needs to look at the pitcher who replaced him Sunday, Hector Santiago, who struck out four Padres over 3.0 innings.

Green is expected to be used out of the bullpen when the upcoming season begins, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Green made his second Grapefruit League start on Sunday against the Rays. While the Yankees ultimately lost the game, Green played well and threw two shutout innings, over which he struck out four batters and gave up three hits. However, manager Aaron Boone said that the team's preference is for Green to return to the bullpen for the 2018 season. As a result, Jordan Montgomery will be in line to open the season as New York's fifth starter. Green dominated as a reliever last season, logging a 1.61 ERA and 100 strikeouts over 67 relief innings.

Whalen started Saturday's 4-2 Cactus League win over the Angels in place of Felix Hernandez (forearm) and racked up four strikeouts over three innings of one-hit, one-run ball.

The promising 23-year-old now has six whiffs over five spring frames following Saturday's encouraging outing. His one stumble came in the first, when he allowed a one-out solo homer to Martin Maldonado. Following the round tripper, Whalen settled down in impressive fashion, recording all four of his strikeouts over the final seven batters he faced. Greg Johns of MLB.com reports manager Scott Servais was especially pleased with Whalen's offspeed pitches and expressed that he has "no doubt" that the right-hander will help the big-league club at some point in the coming season.

Puk fired three scoreless innings in Saturday's 10-4 Cactus League loss to the Padres, allowing an unearned run on a hit and a walk while recording three strikeouts.

The towering prospect has now fired five scoreless frames across two spring appearances and has racked up four whiffs overall. Puk is in his second spring training with the Athletics after putting in a pair of appearances during last year's exhibition slate, and he's due for a much more extended stay this year. The 22-year-old appears to be on the fast track through the club's minor-league system, having ascended to Double-A Midland by the end of last season and generating an impressive 12.0 K/9 across 64 innings with the RockHounds. Control has been an Achilles' heel for the southpaw thus far, however, as the aforementioned strikeout rate was accompanied by an unsightly 3.52 BB/9. He'll look to continue refining his location with an eye on maintaining his rapid climb toward the majors this coming season.