MLB Player News

Chapman was suspended 30 games in relation to a domestic violence incident over the offseason, Billy Witz of the NY Times reports.

Chapman had reported earlier that he would appeal any suspension handed to him, but he'll apparently accept his ban without appealing. The hard-throwing lefty didn't end up facing any criminal charges for the incident, but MLB's new domestic violence policy implemented last season still grants commissioner Rob Manfred the ability to levy a suspension in such cases. Chapman will continue to play during spring training and will be eligible to make his Yankees debut May 9, figuring to slot in as the team's closer at that time.

Martinez re-signed with the Rangers on a one-year deal Tuesday, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

The Rangers agreed to terms with three of their pitchers Tuesday, re-signing Martinez and left-handers Alex Claudio and Yohander Mendez to one-year deals. Martinez got off to a strong start last season, earning a 4-0 record to begin the season before he regressed down the stretch. In five starts in the second half, Martinez's batting average against ballooned to .303 and had to spend some time at Triple-A Round Rock. He's unlikely to crack the Rangers' rotation out of spring training barring a rash of injuries to their other starters.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch praised Devenski on Monday after watching him throw his second live batting practice session of camp, Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports.

"He's got good stuff," Hinch said of Devenski. "I don't know a lot about him other than what our player development staff says, but he's made a nice first impression." Devenski appeared in 24 games (17 starts) last year for Double-A Corpus Christi, going 7-4 with a 3.01 ERA and 104:33 K:BB ratio over 119.2 innings. He's likely to open 2016 with Triple-A Fresno.

McHugh will start the Astros' third Grapefruit League game Saturday against the Mets, Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh won a career-high 19 games for the Astros last season while posting a solid 3.89 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over a career-high 203.2 innings. He's the favorite to open 2016 as Houston's No. 3 starter behind Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers.

Zych likely will land the last right-handed spot in the bullpen, though he could be vulnerable because he still has minor-league options, the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Zych has a ton of upside as a strikeout/groundball reliever. He has a 96 mph fastball and an effective slider he commands for strikes. Steve Cishek is the closer and Joaquin Benoit the right-handed setup man, but if something happens to one of them, Zych likely would find himself in a late-inning role. The other two righties in the bullpen, Evan Scribner and Justin De Fratus, are out of options. So if it came down to one of those two and Zych fighting for the last spot, Zych might be be sent down.

Webb was held back during Monday's session due to a tight hamstring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Webb has been battling the issue for a few days, but the team does not appear overly concerned that it's anything that could keep him out for an extended period of time. Manager Kevin Cash expressed Monday that he expects Webb to be ready to pitch in Thursday's spring training contest.

Graveman appears to have an inside track for a spot in the A's rotation as spring begins, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Graveman will need to have a good spring to lock in a rotation job, but appears to have the inside track as spring games begin. After a hot start to 2015, Graveman struggled down the stretch with a 5.73 ERA over his last seven starts and ended the year with a 4.05 ERA. Graveman does not profile as a high-K guy only 6.09 K/9 in 2015), but starting half his games in O.co Coliseum could present some nice match-ups for spot starts in deeper leagues.

Fulmer will start an intra-squad game Monday and then start against the Royals on Saturday, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Fulmer has little-to-no chance of making the White Sox's Opening Day roster, and he may not crack the 25-man roster all season. However, these early-spring outings will give us a first glimpse of how his stuff plays against more advanced talent. He spent all of his pre-draft year in the low-minors, but he could move quickly through the system.

Kelly "certainly has the lead on that fifth spot" in Boston's starting rotation, acknowledged manager John Farrell, the Providence Journal reports.

Someone with Kelly's track record should not be assured of a job, but his finish to the 2015 season left a positive impression on Farrell and other organizational decision-makers. After a demotion to Triple-A Pawtucket last year, Kelly began implementing his slider and changeup more often and had an encouraging 3.77 ERA over his final 11 starts. That late-season performance gives him the lead on a cast of characters that includes Steven Wright, Henry Owens, Roenis Elias and Brian Johnson. Injury or performance could lead to Farrell to alter course, but as we sit here at the end of February, Kelly is the likely fifth starter.

Johnson faced live batters Friday for the first time since suffering an ulnar nerve ailment in his left elbow last August, WEEI.com reports.

Johnson had a 30-pitch session, mostly fastballs and changeups, but it was a hurdle passed for the young lefty, who said he felt normal soreness Saturday. Of the young left-handers in the organization, it was Johnson leading the way last spring, ahead of Eduardo Rodriguez and Henry Owens, but the elbow has left him behind them. In theory, Johnson is competing for the final spot in the rotation, along with Owens and Joe Kelly, but realistically, the 25-year-old will open the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.