MLB Player News

Andriese gave up six earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.1 innings in Sunday's 7-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Yankees. He struck out three.

Andriese threw a whopping 86 pitches over his time on the mound, with only 51 finding the strike zone. He's now allowed eight earned runs on 17 hits and six walks over 10.2 innings across four spring appearances (three starts), leading to a 6.75 ERA and 2.16 WHIP. Those numbers are far from encouraging for the Rays' expected No. 5 starter, although control issues are not the norm for Andriese, who walked just 25 batters in 127.2 innings last year.

Alexander has posted a 1.93 ERA and seven strikeouts over 9.1 innings during Cactus League play.

Prior to the beginning of camp, Alexander looked like he might open the campaign as the Royals' top left-handed option out of the bullpen, but that's no longer guaranteed with Mike Minor thriving in spring training and Travis Wood having since moved to a relief role after losing out on a starting job. Alexander has at least performed well in his own right this spring, so manager Ned Yost should still find some opportunities for him, though his appearances may be confined primarily to lefty-on-lefty scenarios.

Covey will start the White Sox's final Cactus League game Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Covey will get a chance to make a final impression on manager Rick Renteria and pitching coach Don Cooper after what was his best outing of the spring Saturday. If he fares well Wednesday, Covey could be the fill-in starter for Carlos Rodon.

Graveman, who notched his second victory of spring against the White Sox on Friday by striking out seven over seven innings of five-hit, one-run ball, has been working on refining his cutter, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

Oakland's Opening Day starter has looked up to the task this spring, as he now has a 2.29 ERA and sparkling 0.81 WHIP over 19.7 innings across five starts. Graveman has shown excellent control, as evidenced by a 16:3 K:BB, and a large part of that has been due to his trademark sinker hitting on all cylinders thus far. The 26-year-old has been focusing on getting his cutter up to the same level and was able to deploy it effectively on multiple occasions against a White Sox lineup that included Tim Anderson, Avisail Garcia and the hot-hitting Tyler Saladino.

Robertson threw a perfect inning of relief Sunday against the Giants.

Robertson was making his first appearance for the White Sox since returning from the World Baseball Classic. The right-hander will get occasional work in over the final week of camp, but due to his preparation for the WBC, Robertson is already in regular-season shape.

Axford has struggled over five appearances this spring, generating a 5.06 ERA, 2.44 WHIP and 2:5 K:BB across 5.3 innings.

The veteran reliever, who was a valuable part of the bullpen last season with 15 holds and three saves, has endured rough sledding this spring and hasn't taken the mound since March 17. Axford was also considered a contender for the closer role at one point, and he notched 25 saves as recently as 2015 while with the Rockies. However, it would appear that incumbent ninth-inning specialist Ryan Madson and newcomer Santiago Casilla -- who has a solid late-inning track record in his own right -- are the frontrunners for the position at present.

Manager Scott Servais announced Sunday that Zych (biceps) will begin the season in the minor leagues on a throwing plan, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Zych is expected to pitch Sunday against the Reds, but it appears the team is looking to ease the reliever back into action by having him begin the year in the minors. When healthy, Zych is a valuable piece of the Mariners' bullpen.

Mengden (foot) is expected to stay in extended spring training for two to four weeks in order to continue rehabbing his foot, Joe Stiglich of Comcast SportsNet California reports.

Mengden has shed his walking boot and resumed throwing but is still some time away from returning to live action. His timetable for return is still a bit cloudy, but more updates should become available in the coming weeks.

Robertson has returned to the White Sox's training camp from the World Baseball Classic and is uncertain when he'll next pitch for Chicago, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Robertson last pitched in the final game of the WBC, mopping up Team USA's 8-0 championship win over Puerto Rico. He's already had plenty of work, much of it in the playoff-like atmosphere that is the WBC, so finding opportunities for him over the final week of training camp isn't paramount. Robertson will open the regular season as Chicago's closer, though he's in the same boat as other veterans on the roster of this rebuilding team. His name came up in trade talks all offseason, and he's expected to be dealt at some point.

Jimenez was reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Jimenez was considered an "extreme long shot" to make the Opening Day roster, and now he figures to head to Triple-A Toledo to start the season. The 22-year-old will probably be the closer there, and he projects as the closer of the future for the Tigers. A promotion to the majors sometime in 2017 is not out of the question.