MLB Player News

Fulmer allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three in two scoreless innings Saturday against the Dodgers.

Fulmer got the starting nod in the White Sox's Cactus League opener and picked up where he left off last season. Both of his baserunners reached in the first inning, but he was able to pitch himself out of that jam. The right-hander was able to establish his fastball and cutter, though his curveball and changeup weren't in game shape.

Chargois gave up a run with two hits over one inning in his spring debut Saturday.

Chargois will compete for a bullpen role this spring. He had a 1.29 ERA with 41 strikeouts against just eight walks in 35.0 innings last year at Triple-A, but struggled in the majors with a 4.70 ERA and ugly 17:12 K:BB ratio. With a high 90s fastball and strong strikeout rate (10.5 K/9 at Triple-A), Chargois could be a dark horse candidate to take over the closer role if Brandon Kintzler struggles and Glen Perkins fails to return from injury.

Hendriks has informed Team Australia that he may be available if they advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Hendriks withdrew from the WBC on Saturday because he doesn't feel he's where he needs to be for high-intensity games after he spent a good portion of last season on the DL with elbow inflammation. Whether he plays or not, Hendriks appears to be focused on preparing for the season in the most efficient way possible.

Fulmer will start the White Sox' spring opener Saturday against the Dodgers, Scott Merkin of the team's official site reports.

Fulmer gets the honor of kicking off the Cactus League for the White Sox after he was battered around by major league hitters in 2016 when he pitched out of the bullpen. However, he feels a switch was turned on late last year when he allowed one run over his final 15 innings at Triple-A Charlotte. The Knights' pitching coach, Richard Dotson, got Fulmer to stand taller during his delivery, a tweak that gave him more angle and was the difference between getting hit hard and forcing weak contact. Fulmer will return to being a starter in 2017 and is expected to start the season at Charlotte.

Stanek, who surrendered one infield hit and one walk over one inning in Friday's 3-1 Grapefruit League victory over the Twins, opened eyes with his velocity, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Ryne Stanek, obviously, with the big fastball was impressive,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "You can't overlook the velocity, it's pretty impressive.''

The 25-year-old righty generated an unsightly 4-10 record and 4.30 ERA over 102.2 innings between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham last season, but also rang up 113 whiffs courtesy of his big league arm. Stanek lit up the radar gun Friday, hitting 99 mph twice and 98 mph on nine other pitches. He was at 97 mph or above for 16 offerings overall, and threw in four sliders between 90 and 93 mph for good measure. With that level of stuff, Stanek stands a chance to at least make a case for a call-up later in the season with a solid spring.

Puk, the 2016 sixth overall pick, impressed Friday while facing hitters for the second time, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

The 21-year-old lefty has looked like he belongs in big league camp so far, and added to his solid body of work with Friday's session. He gave up minimal hard contact and was particularly effective with his changeup. Puk should make his Cactus League debut in the coming days and could start the season at the High-A level with a strong spring.

Hendriks has decided not to pitch for Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports.

His decision to withdraw from the WBC does not appear to be injury-related, but instead just a personal decision not to go. The 28-year-old right-hander will now have the opportunity to spend the entirety of spring training with the Athletics, as he looks to get himself ready for another season in Oakland's bullpen.

Garton will not pitch in the Rays' first spring training game Friday due to illness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He should be good to go in a couple days. Garton posted a 4.35 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP over 37 games in his rookie season and is expected to take over a middle-reliever role to begin 2017.

Shaw has been throwing a football to help reinforce his mechanics for his cutter, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Over the past two seasons, Shaw has completely ditched any type of fastball other than his cutter. According to FanGraphs, he threw it on a career-high 81.5 percent of his pitches (by far the most of any pitcher in MLB) last year with an average velocity of 93.4 mph. The Indians' reliever appeared in 75 games last season and his career-high 25 holds left him just three shy of tying for the AL lead in that category. Shaw is in line for another hefty workload in 2017, and owners can expect fantasy-worthy numbers similar to those he's put up over the past three seasons in Cleveland.

Schultz is one of many candidates vying for the few remaining spots in the Jays' Opening Day bullpen, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports.

Schultz is out of minor-league options, which may actually help his chances of making the team. The 31-year-old has made 51 relief appearance in the majors, all of which came over the past three years, and owns a career 4.54 ERA over 67.1 innings. Even if Schultz leaves camp with a job on the 25-man-roster, he's unlikely to make a fantasy impact as he'll primarily be used in low-leverage situations.