MLB Player News

Boxberger, who's yet to make his spring debut, is inching closer to game action, the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Box is doing fine, we're just kind of holding him out, we want to make sure with the injuries that he had last year (core muscle repair, oblique) we want to make sure he's ready to go, and then when he is, get him a pretty healthy workload leading up to opening day," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

The 28-year-old reliever is being handled with extra caution this spring after an injury-marred 2016 that saw him sidelined for an extended period with an abdominal injury suffered in spring training. Boxberger also was felled by an oblique injury after just one appearance upon his return, so the team is intent on making sure he's ready to pitch without restrictions before throwing him into live action. The former closer will play on a one-year, $1.6 million contract this season and presumably be primarily deployed as an eighth-inning option after losing the ninth-inning role to Alex Colome last season.

Smith (elbow) will throw off a mound next Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last May, Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com reports.

The 27-year-old Smith has been throwing off flat ground out to 120 feet and is now ready to check the next box in his recovery. He'll throw only fastballs during his first mound work before progressing to his changeup and slider. Once he throws all of his pitches off a mound, Smith will likely stay back in Florida to face live batters in extended spring training followed by a minor league rehabilitation assignment.

Wilson allowed a hit, two walks and two earned runs while retiring just a single batter in Tuesday's spring training loss to the Phillies.

Wilson sat out a few days at the beginning of the month due to hamstring soreness, and he looked rusty Tuesday. Still, it was good just to see him out there, and hopefully he'll be able to get back up to speed over his next few spring training outings.

Chavez made his second spring training start Monday, going 2.1 innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits while notching three strikeouts in a loss to the Cubs.

In just two starts, Chavez has given us a brief glimpse of both the upside and downside he provides as a starter. His first outing went without a hitch, tossing two clean innings and striking out three. This time around, the veteran pitcher was far too hittable in his 2.1 innings of work. The saving grace for a pitcher like Chavez is that he will rarely put himself in a situation where he is letting hitters get on base without taking the bat off their shoulders. He remains in the thick of the race for the Angels final rotation spot.

Devenski allowed three runs on four hits and struck out four over three innings in Monday's game against the Red Sox.

His final numbers weren't pretty, but Devenski started off well, coasting through his first two innings before running into trouble in the third. The Astros are stretching him out as a starter, but with seven runs and two home runs allowed in 4.1 innings, manager A.J. Hinch may want to move him back to the pen.

Lee, who went on the 60-day disabled list in September due to a back injury, has given up a run in each of his first two outings this spring.

In each appearance, both times against the Pirates, Lee gave up one run and two hits while striking out two. Although he appears recovered from his back issue that has kept him out since early June , the 24-year-old still appears to be knocking off some rust. While he has shown potential to be a dominant, hard-throwing left-hander, Lee will need to demonstrate more consistency in future outings in order to accelerate his development.

Axford was credited with his second hold of spring training in Sunday's 5-4 Cactus League win over the Mariners, surrendering one hit and one walk over one inning. He also recorded a strikeout.

The veteran righty has fired two scoreless innings this spring, and he remains in the mix for potential save opportunities this season in what could be a closer-by-committee approach. Axford was originally slated to pitch on Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but he withdrew, leaving him with additional opportunities to prove he's worth a robust bullpen role.

McHugh (arm) threw 25-30 pitches off a mound at about 70 percent Monday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 29-year-old reportedly felt good after throwing his first bullpen session of spring training, and he's hoping to progress to live batting practice soon in a Grapefruit League game. Despite being delayed considerably due to a dead arm at the beginning of camp, the Astros and McHugh feel optimistic that he'll be in their rotation come Opening Day.

Sadzeck was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Sadzeck never had much realistic hope of winning a 25-man roster spot to begin the season, and it didn't help matters that he served up two runs on five hits and a walk over four innings in his two Cactus League appearances. Look for him to occupy a spot in the Round Rock rotation for much of 2017.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said that Fulmer (ankle) wouldn't be available to pitch for Team USA in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old hurler had been lined up to start in the second round, but after spraining his right ankle Sunday, he'll need some further time off to recover. It appears that Fulmer is also a "long shot" to pitch in the third round of the tournament, so Team USA may ultimately elect to just replace him on the roster. Fulmer's ankle injury doesn't seem to put him at risk of missing the start of the regular season, but it appears the Tigers are content to act cautiously with the reigning American League Rookie of the Year.