MLB Player News

McHugh will throw his first live batting practice session of the spring next week, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh hasn't had any offseason health issues, so this is probably just caution in his preparation. Perhaps they're changing things with him because he's had first-half struggles over the last two seasons. (He failed to recover as well in 2016 as he did in 2015.) The right-hander is often forgotten in the middle to late rounds of fantasy drafts, but his career 8.13 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 show that he has the skills to deliver an elite season, like the one he treated opportunistic owners to in 2014 (2.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 9.14 K/9, 2.39 BB/9).

Smith, who underwent surgery on his left knee in October, is back to full strength, Sportsnet reports.

The procedure was "very routine" and allowed the 28-year-old to arrive in Dunedin early for camp. Armed with a 95 mph fastball and an above average slider, Smith's likelihood of contributing at the MLB level was echoed by Jays manager John Gibbons. "He's got everything he needs," Gibbons said. "He's one of the priority guys we're looking at. We want to see what he can do." As a reliever with minor-league options remaining, Smith can be sent to Triple-A Buffalo without having to clear waivers. That would seem to lessen his chances of breaking camp with the team given that other arms in Dunedin are out of options. Still, opportunities are sure to arise over the course of the season for the right-handed Smith, especially now that MLB has implemented a 10-day disabled list.

Manaea was impressive during his stint in a Thursday intrasquad game, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

The A's' projected No. 2 starter looked the most impressive of the team's top trio of arms, avoiding the kind of hard contact that both Sonny Gray and Kendall Graveman fell victim to in their respective intrasquad games. Manaea was so efficient in getting three outs that the inning had to be extended in order for him to get in sufficient work. The 25-year-old southpaw is slated to make his Cactus League debut Monday against the Giants behind Gray.

Graveman, who'll start Sunday's Cactus League matchup versus the Angels, gave up some solid contact in Thursday's intrasquad game, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

Oakland's projected No. 3 starter got matters off on the wrong foot by surrendering a leadoff triple to Rajai Davis, and Stephen Vogt eventually drove him home with a single. Graveman was able to get Matt Joyce looking on a fastball later in the frame, but the consensus was that he gave up plenty of hard contact in his 15-pitch outing. The right-hander will try to bounce back with a more consistent effort Sunday, when he'll likely have a chance to fire at least two innings.

Barnes plans to throw his offspeed stuff more in 2017, something he experimented with during September and October last season, leading to promising results, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

During the first five months of the 2016 season, Barnes threw his four-seamer nearly two-thirds of the time, but adjusted late in the season following a truly disastrous month of August (12 ER in 10.2 IP). He felt his stuff was still good, but the results weren't there. It was at that point he realized the problem was not with his stuff, but in how he used his stuff. Barnes mixed in more curves and sliders, throwing them as often as the four-seamer, and allowed just one run and no extra-base hits over his final 8.2 innings. While Joe Kelly's transition to the bullpen has garnered most of the headlines, Barnes may be positioned to take a step forward in 2017.

Johnson didn't give up a hit while striking out three and walking one in two scoreless innings Thursday against Northeastern University.

We're not reading too much into a scoreless outing against a college team, but Johnson was nonetheless pleased with how the ball came out of his hand. If he can get back to form he showed two spring trainings ago, prior to an elbow injury and anxiety issues took him off schedule, Johnson should find his way to Boston at some point this season.

Green (elbow) is participating in spring training and will be in the running for a rotation spot, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Green's 2016 campaign was cut short after suffering a UCL sprain and strained flexor tendon in the beginning of September, but he was able to avoid surgery with a combination of rest and rehab over the offseason. He's slated to compete with four other righties for the two final spots in the Yankees' rotation, and Green will get his first chance to prove his case in Monday's spring training game against the Orioles.

Betances looked effective in throwing a simulated game Thursday, and he's looking to strengthen his arm early, considering his throwing schedule has moved up because of the World Baseball Classic, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Betances admitted he suffered from fatigue near the end of that session, but in general he looks close to ready for spring and WBC action. Despite losing save chances again to Aroldis Chapman, the tall setup man will remain relevant in many fantasy leagues because of his copious strikeout totals.

Fulmer will make his spring training debut in a start against Baltimore on Friday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year will throw about 30-35 pitches before giving way to Mike Pelfrey. Fulmer, who has been focusing on improving his fastball command this offseason, should be Detroit's No. 2 starter when the regular season begins.

Pomeranz (elbow) is scheduled to throw his first live batting practice exercise late next week, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

Pomeranz felt discomfort in his left throwing elbow near the end of the last season and soon after received a stem cell injection. This raised eyebrows, considering the Padres wound up in trouble with the league after failing to disclose the southpaw's full medical report when they traded him to Boston. Even with questions surrounding his health and how he'll hold up after his notable innings increase last year, Pomeranz remains an intriguing arm to own as a back-end fantasy starter in mixed leagues -- if he wins a spot in the rotation.