MLB Player News

Kimbrel has left camp to be in Boston for his daughter's surgery, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Kimbrel's daughter was born in November with a heart ailment, and this surgery will be her second. It's unknown how long Kimbrel will be away from the team.

Moore retired six of seven batters faced over two scoreless innings Wednesday against the White Sox. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

Moore is looking to bounce back from an aberrant 2017, when he lost a National League-high 15 games and posted a 5.52 ERA in 31 starts for the Giants. The Rangers traded for the left-hander, believing they'll be getting the guy that went 45-33 with a 3.91 ERA over six seasons, mostly for Tampa Bay.

Manager Kevin Cash said Yarbrough is in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yarbrough has looked sharp in his pair of spring appearances, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings and allowing one hit and two walks while striking out three batters. While the Rays already have their four-man rotation set to open the year, Yarbrough could break camp in a relief role and potentially get a look in the starting rotation when the Rays ultimately need a fifth starter. The 26-year-old southpaw posted a respectable 3.43 ERA and 159:39 K:BB across 26 starts (157.1 innings) with Triple-A Durham last season.

Diaz spent the offseason gaining a better understanding of his delivery in an effort to reduce the mechanical issues that hampered him last season, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

A breakout 2016 campaign had the young reliever primed to be Seattle's closer heading into the 2017. However, first-half struggles and control problems led to him being demoted from ninth-inning duties for a portion of the season. He still finished with 34 saves and a respectable 3.27 ERA, but Diaz wants to prove he's for real this season. After the tumultuous 2017 campaign, he came into camp with some throwing sessions already under his belt and a new mentality on the mound. During an early bullpen session, Diaz noted "when I missed a couple pitches, I refocused my mind and made the adjustment." Diaz is lined up to be the Mariners' closer once again, and if he can make quick adjustments like this during the regular season, he could be even more dominant in his second full big-league season.

Tate is developing a a two-seamer, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports.

Tate was reportedly encouraged to work on the pitch by the Yankees' analytics department, who found the two-seamer to be a good fit for the young righty based on his arm angle and spin rate. A two-seamer can help a pitcher keep the ball on the ground, though that hasn't been a problem for Tate, who put up high groundball rates of 60.5 percent and 54.1 percent in short stints with High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton last year. Missing bats seems to be Tate's real problem, as his strikeout rates were just 19.3 percent and 16.4 percent at those two stops last year. The two-seamer isn't the most obvious fit for Tate, but a new pitch can sometimes dramatically alter a pitchers' profile, so it's worth keeping an eye on the early reports this season.

Manaea (back) thought his simulated game went well Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 26-year-old lefty threw 30-to-35 pitches without issues. He was scratched from Tuesday's Cactus League start with back tightness but expects to take his turn in the rotation in a few days. It appears that he'll be fully recovered by the time the regular season begins.

Lee will be sidelined for four weeks while recovering from an oblique injury, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Lee will miss the rest of spring training after facing just one batter during his outing against the Rays on Tuesday. That was just his second appearance in the Grapefruit League and he seemed to be holding his right side while exiting the contest with a trainer. Once the regular season rolls around, Lee should be back at the Triple-A level in Norfolk, where he posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over 27 appearances last year.

Manaea (back) is set to toss a 40-to-45 pitch simulated game Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This session will determine whether Manaea will be able to take the mound for his next scheduled Cactus League outing. The southpaw was scratched from Tuesday's start with middle back tightness.

Moore (knee) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, Levi Weaver of The Athletic Dallas reports.

Moore experienced some soreness behind his right knee shortly after reporting to spring training, but it doesn't sound like the issue put him too far behind the rest of his fellow pitchers. After coming over in a trade from the Giants in December, Moore is set to fill one of the openings in a beleaguered Rangers rotation this season, though the lefty can't be drafted with much confidence outside of AL-only formats. Moore submitted a 5.52 ERA and 1.53 WHIP while serving up a career-high 27 home runs in 174.1 innings last season, despite making 16 of his 31 starts at pitcher-friendly AT&T Park.

Fulmer allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out one over one-plus innings Tuesday against the Cubs.

Fulmer didn't get any help from his defense during a four-run first inning, but good pitchers need to stop the bleeding. He permitted seven batters to reach base safely, including Ian Happ's leadoff home run, and the Cubs' outs were hard-hit balls. The right-hander told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he was "flying open" in his delivery and caught too much of the plate with some pitches. A 2015 first-round pick, Fulmer's career since then has been up and down. He pitched well over four starts in September, making him the leading candidate for the No. 5 starter job. That gig could last as long as it takes Carlos Rodon to get back from a shoulder injury, but Fulmer can't afford many more days like Tuesday.