MLB Player News

Cole pitched two innings in a Grapefruit League game against Pittsburgh on Sunday, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and one walk. He struck out five.

Cole looked strong in his first frame of the spring, retiring the side in order and picking up two punchouts. However, the Pirates stung him for a pair of runs in the second on a Diego Castillo long ball. Cole returned for the third inning but served up a leadoff homer to Cole Tucker and was pulled after the following two batters reached base. In more positive news, Cole touched 99 mph on his fastball and got five of his six outs via strikeout, which should be the most important takeaway given the context of the exhibition affair.

Rodriguez allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits across five innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He walked one and struck out three.

This was Rodriguez's least effective start this spring, as he had allowed a total of just two earned runs across seven innings in his previous two outings. The lefty is still looking solid in camp with a 3.75 ERA and should slot in as the Tigers' ace this season. Working in a pitcher-friendly home ballpark, Rodriguez could be poised for good results in his first season with Detroit.

The Tigers optioned Garcia to Triple-A Toledo on Monday.

Garcia was one of four relievers cut from big-league camp Monday as the Tigers look to pare down their bullpen ahead of Opening Day. The demotion to the minors doesn't come as a major surprise after Garcia turned in a 7.55 ERA and 1.86 WHIP across 39.1 innings with the big club in 2021.

The Rangers reassigned Arihara to minor-league camp Monday.

Along with Brandon Workman and Nick Tropeano, Arihara was one of three Rangers pitchers with prior MLB experience who was reassigned Monday. After agreeing to a two-year, $6.2 million deal with Texas last offseason, Arihara made 10 starts for the big club and submitted a 6.64 ERA and 1.43 WHIP across 40.2 innings before being removed from the 40-man roster in September.

Kaprielian (shoulder) completed a bullpen session Saturday and responded well to the throwing workout, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The right-hander is scheduled to throw off a mound again Tuesday while he continues to build up after a bout with AC joint irritation in his shoulder delayed him to begin spring training. Because he has yet to face hitters in camp, Kaprielian is set to open the season on the 10-day injured list, but the fact that he hasn't been shut down from throwing suggests he'll avoid a lengthy absence. He could be ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment shortly after Oakland opens its regular season April 8 in Philadelphia.

Javier will begin the 2022 season in the bullpen, operating as a long-relief option, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager Dusty Baker said Monday that Javier will be a relief option to start the 2022 campaign, potentially making a spot start here and there. The 25-year-old mostly pitched out of the bullpen last season, appearing in 36 games while starting nine times. He'll look to build on his strong numbers from 2021 where he produced a 3.55 ERA and 1.18 WHIP while going 4-1 with two saves on four attempts and collecting five holds. Javier also excelled in strikeout department, finishing the year with a 11.5 K/9.

Montas allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk across three innings in a Cactus League loss to the Mariners on Sunday. He struck out three.

The right-hander allowed a first-inning home run to Eugenio Suarez and pitched to plenty of more contact over his three frames. Montas' struggles were in sharp contrast to his first outing against the Royals on Tuesday, when he'd logged 2.2 scoreless frames. Despite the rocky stint Sunday, Montas still projects as Oakland's top starter if he isn't traded ahead of the regular season.

Kirby fired three scoreless innings in a Cactus League win over the Athletics on Sunday, allowing three hits and a walk while recording six strikeouts.

The promising right-hander followed one of his main competitors for the No. 5 starter role, Matt Brash, and matched the latter's three scoreless frames and six strikeouts. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports Kirby was working out of the bullpen for the first time since his stint in the Cape Cod League in 2018, and after escaping some first-inning trouble, he put together an impressive body of work. Kramer notes Kirby is still likelier to open the season in the minors due to the fact his arm is less built up than Brash's, but there's little doubt the 2019 first-round pick's major-league debut will occur at some point in 2022.

Ryu allowed three runs on four hits over three innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He struck out two without walking a batter.

Seeing his first game action of the spring, Ryu gave up two extra-base hits, including a solo shot by Akil Baddoo in the first inning. It's not an auspicious start to the spring for the 35-year-old left-hander, who posted a 4.37 ERA in 2021 -- the worst mark of his MLB career over a full season -- but the additions of Kevin Gausman in the offseason and Jose Berrios at last year's trade deadline, as well as the emergence of Alek Manoah, take a lot of pressure off Ryu to carry the pitching load.

Manning allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He didn't issue a walk and struck out three.

It wasn't a great outing for Manning, as the righty allowed two home runs in his three innings of work, though a few Detroit errors made a lot of the damage unearned. Manning was better in his spring debut Monday, when he allowed just one hit across two scoreless innings. He should have a spot toward the back of the Tigers' rotation when the regular season begins.