MLB Player News

Graveman drew the start and fired a scoreless inning in Monday's 5-4 Cactus League win over the Giants, giving up one double and one walk while also recording a strikeout.

Graveman set down Denard Span and Brandon Crawford before running into trouble, issuing a free pass to Buster Posey and a double to Hunter Pence. However, he wiggled out of trouble by fanning the dangerous Brandon Belt to wrap up the inning. "I need to get ahead of hitters and not have those two-out walks, but I'll take the positives," Graveman said. "I felt good, I thought my stuff was good. Then, to get in a situation with two outs where you need to make pitches, and we did."

Johnson allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over 2.2 innings in Monday's game against St. Louis.

Johnson was not pleased with his effort Monday, surrendering a two-run homer and walking three batters after getting ahead 1-and-2 in the count. He was particularly focused on the inconsistent command of his fastball, which is not a good sign for a pitcher that has pedestrian stuff. The ability to place the ball in desired locations is key to Johnson's success.

Garton returned from his illness and pitched 1.2 innings Monday, allowing one run with one strikeout in the win over the Phillies.

The right-hander only allowed one hit in his return outing, although that happened to be a solo shot from Maikel Franco. He posted a 4.35 ERA across 39.1 innings in his rookie campaign last season, and likely will serve as a middle reliever for the Rays this season.

McHugh is behind the rest of the Astros starting pitchers in his throwing arm after coming into spring training with a "general dead arm," Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Although the dead arm set him behind in his throwing program, the right-hander feels confident that he'll be able to get in the four starts he needs to be ready for the beginning of the season. He's been throwing for about a week now, and will likely toss his first bullpen session early next week. When he's able to return, he'll slide into the middle of Houston's rotation, where he posted a 4.34 ERA while registering 8.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 184.2 innings last season.

Pomeranz (elbow) threw a 45-pitch side session Sunday, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Pomeranz is scheduled for his first live batting practice session later this week and is on pace to be ready for the start of the season.

Leone struck out three while allowing one hit, one walk and one run over an inning of work in his spring debut Sunday against the Phillies.

Leone joined the Jays during the offseason, marking the 25-year-old's third change of uniform through his first four years in the league. The righty was impressive his rookie season in Seattle, achieving a 2.17 ERA with 70 strikeouts over 57 appearances (66.1 innings). Since then, Leone's struggled, to say the least, tallying just 44 MLB innings while seeing his career ERA balloon to 4.07. Leone is still young, and the Jays are hopeful he'll develop into a strong middle-relief option in the years ahead.

Putnam (elbow) has thrown off a mound several times over the past month and faced live hitters last week for the first time since last June, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Putnam was a key bullpen piece last season, posting a 2.30 ERA in 25 appearances before his barking elbow was no longer manageable and he underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his arm. The 29-year-old hurler admitted to feeling "a little bit of residual soreness" this spring, but he chalked that up to not having pitched in a while.

Robertson (knee) threw a scoreless inning during Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Robertson surrendered a hit and struck out one during his one-inning stint. The knee appears to be sound as he readies himself for participation in the World Baseball Classic.

May threw 1.2 scoreless innings allowing one hit with two walks and one strikeout in his spring debut in Sunday's win over Washington.

May is competing for the fifth starter job after working out of the bullpen last season. May looked set to become a key factor in Minnesota's bullpen last season, but his year was sidetracked with a stress fracture in his back that helped result in a a 5.27 ERA and 1.5 HR/9. With a 12.66 K/9 and a 93.9 mph average fastball last season, he'll be an intriguing option if he's able to win a spot in the rotation.

Yates threw a clean inning in his Cactus League debut Saturday. He will compete for a bullpen job this spring.

Yates had terrible numbers as a Yankee last season (5.23 ERA and 1.45 WHIP), but he does posses big strikeout potential (10.9 K/9) and there is opportunity available in the back end of the Angels' bullpen. Saturday's clean inning was a good start, but he will have to prove himself to earn a spot on the 25-man roster come April.