MLB Player News

Whalen is on crutches after tweaking his calf Thursday, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

It's another bad break for Whalen in what has already been a rough spring. The right-hander has been struggling to prove his value as a starter while posting a 12.00 ERA in just three innings of Cactus League action. Whalen will likely begin the 2017 season at Triple-A Tacoma after being acquired by Seattle in an offseason trade, but this injury could put him on the DL to begin the campaign.

May (elbow) will visit Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday for a second opinion on his torn UCL, Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

With Tommy John surgery presumably on tap, May will visit one more doctor to exhaust all of his options before going under the knife. The Twins had been re-developing May as a starter this spring, but that process appears to have been tragically cut short in the early stages.

Boxberger (lat/back) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday and could pitch in a minor league game as soon as Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin reports.

He threw a bullpen session earlier this week, and this latest news indicates that everything is going quite well in his recovery. Boxberger is firmly behind Alex Colome in the Rays' bullpen, but he could be next in line for saves if Colome gets hurt or traded.

Kimbrel pitched a perfect inning Thursday against the Pirates, striking out two batters.

His previous outing got out of control after he gave up a leadoff walk, but the Red Sox saw a much more focused Kimbrel on Thursday. He's looking to rebound from what was, by his standards, a sub-par 2016 in which the right-hander posted a 3.40 ERA and 2.97 FIP.

Burdi is seen as a closer-type, but manager Rick Renteria said the 22-year-old needs to improve his fastball command, Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Burdi, a non-roster invitee to major league camp, has allowed three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out 10 in 7.1 innings over seven spring appearances. The 26th overall pick in the 2016 draft reached Triple-A Charlotte last season and is on the precipice of the majors in 2017. It will get really interesting if the White Sox eventually trade closer David Robertson. With Chicago in full rebuild mode, Burdi could ascend to the ninth inning role ahead of schedule.

Diaz, the Mariners' projected closer, earned a save by firing 1.1 innings of scoreless ball in Team Puerto Rico's 3-1 World Baseball Classic victory over defending champion Team Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

Diaz came on with two out and a man on in the eighth and got out of the inning when Nelson Cruz was gunned down trying to steal second. His work in the ninth was considerably impressive, considering he got Adrian Beltre swinging and Welington Castillo on an infield pop-up before nailing down the save by getting new Mariners teammate Jean Segura looking. Diaz is expected to have ample opportunity to rack up saves after successfully converting 18 of 21 such opportunities as a rookie in 2016.

Coulombe, who took his second loss of spring in Tuesday's Cactus League tilt versus the Rockies by giving up four earned runs on one hit and two walks over 1.1 innings, is increasingly in danger of losing his bid for a bullpen spot, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

Coming into spring, the 27-year-old southpaw's prospects for a potential roster spot seemed bright, considering that Sean Doolittle projected as the only other lefty in the relief corps. However, Coulombe, who owns a career .224 BAA and .256 wOBA over a 125-batter sample against left-handed hitters, has struggled in that area this spring. He was also charged with all four runs in Colorado's ninth-inning comeback Tuesday, a rally kick-started by a two-run home run by left-handed hitting Anthony Bemboom. "He's had a tough spring. especially to left-handers," Manager Bob Melvin acknowledged. "We expect him to get the left-handers out, and not only have they been hitting him, they've been doing some damage too. So he's gotta tighten that up a little bit."

Zych (biceps) reported feeling strong after his first experience throwing batting practice in six months Wednesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "It felt really good," said Zych, who is coming back from bicep tendon transfer surgery in his right arm. "A couple pitches and I felt like I was right there. Obviously, I wasn't trying to do too, too much. Just get out front with the hitter in the box and try not to hit 'em."

The recovering reliever was ecstatic after firing pitches at teammate Tuffy Gosewisch on Wednesday morning, a session that was watched closely by manager Scott Servais and general manager Jerry Dipoto. Zych continues to entertain the possibility of being ready for Opening Day on April 3, and he'll now take several days off before throwing another batting practice round. He'll be evaluated for a potential return to game action at that juncture, but Servais remains more tempered in gauging how soon Zych might be ready. "We're looking for the long haul here, not the short-term fix," said Servais. "He looked pretty healthy. We'll keep our fingers crossed he comes back well out of that. He could be a nice piece for us."

Andriese gave up an earned run on five hits over 3.1 innings in Wednesday's 3-3 Grapefruit League tie with the Red Sox. He struck out three.

Andriese's one run came on an Andrew Benintendi sacrifice fly in the third, as he'd thrown two scoreless innings to open the game. The outing was a significant improvement over last Friday's appearance against the Pirates, when the Rays' projected No. 5 starter threw 44 pitches over 1.2 innings. He was pleased with his command and the utility of his fastball in this latest outing. Jose De Leon was recently optioned to Triple-A Durham, but could be summoned to take over the fifth starter duties if Andriese is struggling early in the season.

Scott has allowed five hits and four walks while striking out four in six scoreless innings this spring.

The second lefty in the bullpen comes down to Scott and Fernando Abad, who is currently away from camp competing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Dominican Republic. Scott was dominant at Triple-A Pawtucket and effective in a brief September cameo for Boston last season, but Abad's experience, particularly his track record against left-handed hitters, is seen as a plus. However, Abad's $2 million salary is not guaranteed unless he makes the roster out of spring training. If the Red Sox feel Scott can provide similar results at a cheaper rate, he could emerge with a roster spot Opening Day.