MLB Player News

The Yankees optioned Vasquez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday and reassigned him to minor-league camp.

Vasquez was added to the 40-man roster in November and is one of the organization's top pitching prospects, but he never had a chance of breaking camp with the big club given that he's yet to pitch beyond the Double-A level. The right-hander will open the season in the minors and will look to build upon a solid campaign at Double-A last year that included a 3.90 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 120:41 K:BB over 115.1 innings.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Saturday that Glasnow (oblique) has not started throwing as of yet, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

"Just treatment," Cash said on Saturday before their Grapefruit League game. The right-hander was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain on February 27 while throwing to hitters during a live batting practice session. He's expected to miss at least six weeks with the injury, but it could progress longer since Tampa Bay is sure to be cautious with Glasnow.

Cortes (hamstring) is tentatively scheduled for a live batting practice session Monday and a Grapefruit League appearance the following Sunday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Cortes has been dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain since early in camp. The given timeline would mean he'll be getting into game action just 11 days before the regular season begins, so it's possible he'll be on a pitch count for his first few outings of the year, but he should still be able to avoid the injured list if all goes well.

Lyles allowed two hits and struck out two over three innings in Friday's Cactus League game versus the Padres.

Lyles has struck out six over eight innings this spring while allowing two earned runs, six hits and a walk. The right-hander was an effective innings-eater with the Orioles in 2022, posting a 4.42 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 144:52 K:BB across 179 innings. He should be a lock for the Royals' rotation after signing a two-year deal in December, though his ratios will likely continue to be just okay across the board.

Turnbull allowed one run on a hit and a walk across 2.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He struck out three.

Making his second start of the spring, Turnbull once again looked solid. The righty threw 45 pitches, up from 25 in his first outing, so the Tigers are keeping his workload in check as he returns from his July 2021 Tommy John surgery. Turnbull may have some streaming appeal in 2023, though the innings limit that will likely be in place caps his upside.

Kluber allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over three innings in Friday's spring start against the Blue Jays.

Kluber allowed his first Grapefruit League runs over three appearances. He possesses a 2.35 ERA with eight strikeouts over 7.2 innings. The right-hander will likely have at least three more spring outings to get ready for the regular season.

Dunning allowed two hits and one walk while striking out two over four scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against Oakland.

Dunning has bounced back nicely following his first Cactus League appearance, when he allowed five runs over 1.1 innings as a reliever. Since then, the right-hander's allowed one run and struck out seven over seven innings. The starting rotation is locked, but Dunning is putting himself in a position as the top candidate should Texas need a fill-in starter.

Severino tossed four innings against Detroit in a Grapefruit League game Friday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out three batters.

Both runs against Severino came via the long ball, as Eric Haase tagged him for a solo shot in the second inning before Kerry Carpenter hit another solo blast in the third. Severino has now given up five home runs and nine runs total over 8.2 innings this spring, though he's also posted a solid 10:2 K:BB. The right-hander was able to stretch out to 54 pitches Friday and provided a positive perspective on the outing. "I feel healthy out there," he said after the start, per Dick Scanlon of MLB.com. After being limited to just seven appearances between 2019 and 2021, Severino started 19 games for New York last season, and he heads into the 2023 campaign expected to carry few, if any, restrictions.

Giolito allowed one unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out six across three innings in Cactus League action against the Cubs on Friday.

Giolito took the mound for the second time this spring, and he now has nine strikeouts across five innings of work. He's looking for a bounceback season after posting a disappointing 4.90 ERA in 2022. Per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Giolito lost weight this season after intentionally bulking up ahead of the 2022 campaign. In addition, Van Schouwen noted that Giolito is a proponent of the newly implemented pitch clock, because he feels it helps him maintain a rhythm on the mound.

Gray threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks or hits in Thursday's spring game against the Dominican Republic WBC team. Gray says he's ahead of last season with his conditioning, when his offseason ramp-up was disrupted by the lockout, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. "I was continuously fighting my body," Gray said about his 2022 campaign. "You're just playing a constant catch-up game throughout the season."

Gray has give up no earned runs (three unearned) in 4.2 innings this spring with seven strikeouts and no walks. He looks in top form early in the spring, and Wednesday's outing was impressive against a stacked DR lineup. Gray averaged just 4.96 innings per start last season, with the Twins rarely allowing him to go deep into games, so improved conditioning may bode well for his chances of delivering longer outings and quality starts this year.