MLB Player News

Devenski was stretched out as a starter earlier this spring and made two Grapefruit League starts, but has now made three consecutive appearances out of the bullpen, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

After allowing seven combined runs over his two starts early in camp, Devenski has logged seven scoreless innings as a reliever. The 26-year-old right-hander has said he's fine with the relief role; he certainly was in 2016, when posted a 1.61 ERA over 83.2 innings out of the pen. The Astros are keeping his pitch count up in the 40s as insurance, but the rotation is healthy for the most part.

Chapman has tallied six strikeouts and allowed just two baserunners through five scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play this spring.

Chapman certainly appears to be in midseason form already, and he's also been trying to work on his secondary offerings a bit more in his exhibition outings. After returning to the Bronx on a record deal last December, the 29-year-old flamethrower figures to be as safe an option as it gets when it comes to locking down the ninth inning, as he'll vie for his sixth straight season with at least 30 saves.

Pomeranz said he won't miss any time after being removed from Sunday's game with tightness in his triceps, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Pomeranz attributed the triceps tightness to mechanical issues, adding that he threw Monday and felt fine. The 28-year-old is expecting to stay on schedule and throw four innings Friday. He'll be a player to monitor over the next couple weeks of camp, as his readiness for Opening Day remains a question mark. If Pomeranz is unable to start the season, the Red Sox will likely look to Kyle Kendrick to fill his rotation spot.

Manager Kevin Cash said Monday that it's unlikely Boxberger (back) will be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "I just don't see how [Boxberger being ready for Opening Day] is going to happen. I'm not saying it won't, but it's very tough for me -- where are we at, the 20th?" Cash said. "Realistically, key piece in our bullpen, we're going to do right by him and want him to get his innings and reps. It's going to be very difficult to do that.''

Boxberger's strained lat muscle hasn't responded to treatment as well as the Rays had hoped, and after the team scratched him from his scheduled Grapefruit League appearance Tuesday, it's become increasingly clear that the reliever may be forced to hit the DL. The Rays were counting on Boxberger to solidify himself as the top setup man to closer Alex Colome this spring, but it now appears that Cash will be forced to experiment with multiple different options in the seventh and eighth inning to begin the campaign.

Merritt was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday.

This doesn't come as too big of a surprise, as the southpaw showed he wasn't quite ready for the majors in his small sample size this spring. The 25-year-old allowed eight runs on 11 hits in 8.1 innings. Merritt will head back to Columbus for the 2017 season, where he'll work for a call-up later in the year.

Saupold was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Matt Wenzel of MLive.com reports.

Saupold struggled in his big league debut in 2016, allowing eight runs on 17 hits across 9.2 innings. He was optioned down to Triple-A after his struggles, and he wasn't recalled again after he was suspended five games for assault charges. Saupold enjoyed success this spring, striking out eight across eight scoreless frames; however, he'll start in the minors and look to work his way back to the big club.

Graveman struck out six and surrendered an earned run on two hits over six innings in Saturday's 2-1 Cactus League loss to the Padres.

The A's likely Opening Day starter with Sonny Gray (lat) out, Graveman made a strong case for the role Saturday, retiring 17 of the first 18 batters he stared down and facing just one hitter over the minimum. The outing was exactly what an Oakland staff in need of an ace wanted to see, particularly with the way Graveman used his main pitches effectively. "Kendall was on it today," manager Bob Melvin said. "He threw a couple of first-pitch curveballs, he threw a couple of cutters, but for the most part, he was just moving his fastball around, whether it was the straight one or whether it was the sinker."

Boxberger (lat/back) pitched a strong and setback-free batting practice session Saturday, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Boxberger was reportedly a bit off on his first 10 or so pitches but then finished the session strong and emerged healthy. He's still shooting to pitch in a minor league game Tuesday, but manager Kevin Cash maintains that the team will not push Boxberger to be ready for Opening Day, particularly after the Rays had to endure long stretches without him last season.

Fulmer could pitch fourth in the Tigers' rotation to begin the year, which would have him starting the team's home opener, MLB.com reports.

Fulmer is probably Detroit's second-best starter behind Justin Verlander, but the team has monitored the young righty's workload this spring, especially after he sprained his ankle. "We're going to push Fulmer towards the back, because we started him slower [this spring]," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We want to ease him in." Fulmer logged 159 innings last season, which was easily the most in his professional career, so expect Detroit to be careful not to overwork the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.

Pomeranz was pulled from Sunday's start after just two innings due to tightness in his left triceps, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports. The Red Sox are saying he left for precautionary reasons.

Pomeranz was getting hammered prior to his departure, having allowed three runs and some loud contact. At this stage of the spring, starters are pitching more than two innings. With just two more available Grapefruit League starts, it's fair to question whether Pomeranz will be ready for the start of the regular season. If he's not ready to go, and with David Price (elbow) expected to start the season on the disabled list, the Red Sox will likely call on Kyle Kendrick for any available starts.