MLB Player News

Graveman, who slots in as the A's' No. 3 starter going into spring training, has impressed manager Bob Melvin with his command thus far, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

The 26-year-old righty, who brought his BB/9 down from 2015's 2.96 to 2.27 last season, is working on tightening up his control even further in the coming season. Graveman has been successful in that quest so far by all accounts, and is also focused on improving his changeup in an effort to keep right-handed hitters off balance. Gravemen looked impressive in what was his first time facing hitters Monday, and will engage in another round of batting practice later in the week.

Pomeranz (elbow) threw his first bullpen session of spring training Monday, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Reports surfaced earlier in February that the left-hander hadn't thrown off a mound yet following an offseason stem-cell injection, but it seems that Pomeranz is back on track with his throwing program. The duration of the session is unclear, as is how much of a delay this situation caused, but things should become clearer as he continues to throw this spring.

Rosin signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Monday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Rosin briefly appeared in the majors for four appearances with the Rangers and Phillies in 2014 and 2015, but he'll likely have to prove his worth in the upper minors before getting a chance with the Twins. The 28-year-old only threw 8.2 innings at Triple-A El Paso in the Padres organization last season, serving up eight runs on 14 hits and three walks.

Merritt will likely begin the 2017 campaign as a starting pitcher for Triple-A Columbus, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Merritt appeared in four regular season games for the Tribe in 2016, but only one of those was as a starter (he also picked up a start in the post season). With no open spots in the rotation, the only option for Merritt to make the Opening Day roster would be as a reliever. However, the 24-year-old southpaw is a natural starter, and the wise decision is to not derail him from his projected path. Merritt will almost certainly pick up a handful of spot starts for the Indians in 2017, but projects to have a much bigger role in the foreseeable future. The crafty Merritt is well-suited for dynasty drafts.

May (back) will compete for a spot in Minnesota's starting rotation this spring, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

May looked set to become a key factor in Minnesota's bullpen last season, but his year was sidetracked with back trouble that helped result in a a 5.27 ERA and 1.5 HR/9. The Twins believe his back woes may have been worsened by the inconsistent workload inherent as a reliever. Despite his struggles last year, May still struck out 12.66 K/9 and had a 93.9 mph average fastball. He'll make for an intriguing option if he's able to win a spot in the rotation.

Betances lost his arbitration case Saturday and will receive $3 million in 2017, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

He was seeking to make $5 million this year, his sixth with the Yankees. Betances has been an All-Star in three consecutive seasons while becoming one of most consistent relievers in the American League. He's expected to return to a setup role this season with the re-signing of Aroldis Chapman.

Lopez, who pitched both as a starter and reliever for Washington last season, prefers to start.

Lopez was acquired by the White Sox during the offseason in the Adam Eaton deal that also delivered top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito. He finished out the 2016 season in Washington, making six starts and five relief appearances for the Nationals, but may need to start 2017 at Triple-A Charlotte given the existing starting candidates on the major league roster. With the White Sox in a rebuild mode, it's a possiblity that a good spring out of Lopez leads to a spot in the rotation for Chicago. Even if Lopez opens the season in Charlotte, you'll certainly see him in Chicago at some point during the season when the organization makes a commitment to its young starters.

Manaea is working to hone his slider in spring training, Joe Stiglich of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old southpaw, currently penciled in as the A's' No. 2 starter, is working on the slider as a third pitch to go with his fastball and changeup. His progress has already caught the eye of manager Bob Melvin, who remarked that Manaea "really impressed" with the pitch in a Friday throwing session. Both Melvin and Manaea feel the third pitch will help take the promising hurler to the next level after a promising 2016 rookie season. The lefty hopes to build on the momentum he generated over his final nine starts, during which he went 4-3 with a 2.41 ERA, with victories in three of his last four trips to the mound.

Duffey will compete for a spot in the Twins' rotation this spring but is open to moving to a relief role in order to stay with the big league club, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Duffey's sophomore slump in 2016 resulted in him starting the year at Triple-A and subsequently posting a disastrous 6.43 ERA over 26 starts with the Twins. He'll be vying with several candidates for one of the final rotation spots this spring, including the likes of the promising Jose Berrios and the veteran Ryan Vogelsong. According to Bollinger, Duffey's background as a reliever from his days in college makes him a candidate to start the year in the pen if he does not lock down a spot in the rotation.

Hart is one of a few options to fill a left-handed specialist role on the team's Opening Day roster, Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday that the team could break camp with three southpaw relievers, and the current options include Hart, T.J. McFarland and Jed Bradley. The 26-year-old Hart was impressive in his first taste of big league ball, appearing in 22 games (18.1 innings) and allowing just one earned run while notching 12 strike outs. In four minor league season, he's 26-for-34 in save opportunities while sporting an 8.9 K/9 during that span. Hart, if he makes the 25-man roster, could offer a return in leagues that value holds.