MLB Player News

Reed left Friday's Grapefruit League game after feeling a strain in his right side, LaVelle E. Neal report of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Reed had already notched two outs in the ninth inning when he felt the pain. The right-hander is expected to serve as organizational depth at Triple-A Rochester this season after appearing in seven games this spring for the Twins.

Heller was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.

The right-hander absorbed a 6.43 ERA in 10 major-league appearances last season but spun a 2.27 ERA in his split Triple-A work between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the Indians' Columbus outfit. Heller will serve as organizational depth.

Chavez was officially named the Angels' fifth starter on Thursday.

Chavez had been locked in a battle with Alex Meyer for a spot in the back of the end the Angels' rotation throughout the spring, but Chavez's sharp spring ultimately earned him the job. He notched a 2.51 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 13.1 innings this spring. As it stands, Chavez is in line to start one of the Angels' games against the Mariners in the opening week of the season.

Green was optioned to Double-A Trenton on Thursday.

Green had been in contention to land a spot at the end of the Yankees' rotation, but Thursday's move confirms that he's out of the picture for the time being. That said, it's unclear what the Yankees will do with their fifth starter now given that Bryan Mitchell will start the season as a reliever. Hoch does note that, due to a surplus of off-days early in the season, the Yankees have the luxury of not needing a fifth starter until April 16.

Graveman (illness) was scratched from Wednesday's major-league spring start against the Cubs and instead faced minor leaguers at A's camp at Hohokam Park, Jack Thompson of the East Bay Times reports. "He was sick yesterday," manager Bob Melvin said before Wednesday's game. "He's better today, but it was going to be a shorter day for him anyway. Based on the fact he didn't feel great it's better for us to monitor his innings."

The move was precautionary and as of now, Graveman remains on track to take the ball in Monday night's opener versus the Angels. The 26-year-old right-hander wrapped up spring with a 2-1 record, 2.29 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB over 19.7 innings across five starts.

Zych fired a 1-2-3 inning against Double-A San Antonio on Wednesday, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

It was another one-inning rehab outing for Zych, who'll continue to round back into shape from biceps tendon transfer surgery in the minors once the regular season starts. He needed only 10 pitches to get through his one frame, his third such appearance this spring.

McHugh (arm) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday.

The right-hander dealt with a dead arm all spring, and unfortunately it seems that his efforts to prepare himself for the season weren't good enough to avoid a DL stint. McHugh is scheduled for a simulated game Saturday, so it doesn't seem like his return to MLB action is too far away, but things should become clearer following Saturday's outing. In the meantime, Mike Fiers appears to be in line to pick up at least one start in his stead.

Colome surrendered two earned runs on three hits over an inning in Wednesday's 15-6 Grapefruit League win over the Orioles. He also recorded a strikeout.

Colome came on in the fourth and yielded solo home runs to Hyun Soo Kim and Chris Dickerson in what was his first game action since March 23. The two round-trippers represented Colome's first earned runs allowed in four spring appearances with the Rays. He also notched five strikeouts and surrendered two earned runs on two hits and two walks over 4.1 innings across five appearances while with Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

Pomeranz (forearm) is expected to pitch in a minor-league game Monday, April 3, and Boston remains hopeful he'll debut Sunday, April 9, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The Red Sox hope his placement on the new 10-day disabled list is merely a way to game the system and not the beginning of an extended absence. Pomeranz will have to make it through that farm contest with few or no issues to convince the club he's ready for his first real outing of the year against the Tigers. Kyle Kendrick is being kept on the same schedule and would be the fill-in option if Pomeranz is not ready on April 9.

Belisle will be one of the primary setup men for closer Brandon Kintzler, ESPN 1500 am Twin Cities reports.

Belisle may not get a shot at the closer role if Kintzler struggles, but he could be used in high-leverage situations early in the season. He had just four holds last year, but could see more opportunities for holds this season.