MLB Player News

Eovaldi did not allow hit or walk while striking out six over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring training game against Minnesota.

Eovaldi increased his innings count in what was a dominant Grapefruit League performance against several Twins regulars. He was also dominant for two innings of his first spring start before tiring in the third. There's time remaining for two more Grapefruit League starts, so Eovaldi should be ready for five or six innings on Opening Day. Across seven spring innings, the right-hander has allowed two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts and zero walks.

Springs (knee) is listed among the Rays' available relief options for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays have been easing Springs along slowly in camp while he makes his return from a torn ACL suffered July 31 of last year, but the 29-year-old southpaw has seemingly reached the finish line in his recovery. Springs completed a live batting practice session Monday and is believed to have tested out his surgically repaired knee by fielding bunts over the past two days, which was the final hurdle he needed to clear before being available for games. Assuming he can make at least two or three relief appearances before the Grapefruit League slate comes to a close, Springs should be in good position to break camp as a member of the Rays' Opening Day bullpen.

Rodriguez added a slider toward the end of last season and said he feels "really good with it" to begin 2022, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Rodriguez said he started using the pitch during the 2021 postseason with Boston and got comfortable with it. "I was looking for a slider all my career, and I feel like I've finally found one," he added. The lefty is locked in as Detroit's No. 1 starter after joining the Tigers in the offseason, and he could take a step forward if he continues to make strides with his slider. In his second spring start Wednesday, Rodriguez allowed one run over four innings while striking out five.

Groome was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Groome spent most of 2021 at High-A Greenville before a late-season promotion to Double-A Portland, and he's now set to open 2021 at Triple-A. The 23-year-old had a 5.29 ERA and 108:32 K:BB over 81.2 innings at High-A and 26 strikeouts in 15.2 frames at Double-A.

Seabold was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Seabold will shift to minor-league camp after opening spring training with the big club. The right-hander made his MLB debut last season with a three-inning appearance but spent most of the year with Worcester, where he had a 3.50 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 52:19 K:BB over 54 frames.

Kopech (not injury related) is throwing a bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled for two innings of live batting practice Friday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kopech is behind schedule in spring training due to an illness that affected his buildup program over the winter, but he's progressing toward game action. The 25-year-old primarily pitched out of the bullpen last season in his first MLB action since 2018 and had a 3.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 103:24 K:BB over 69.1 innings. The White Sox figure to be cautious again this season given his lack of innings over the past couple years, but he's expected to work as a starter, or at least a primary pitcher in 2021. Whenever he's ready to go, Kopech figures to be on a rigid pitch count for his initial appearances.

The Tigers optioned Wentz to Double-A Erie on Wednesday.

Though Wentz was participating in big-league camp, he was never a realistic option for the Opening Day roster. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020, Wentz made his return to game action last May, ultimately picking up 13 starts for Erie. Over his 53.1 innings with the affiliate, Wentz submitted a 3.71 ERA and 58:33 K:BB. He may need to do a better job of curbing his walks at Erie early on during the upcoming season before a promotion to Triple-A Toledo is considered.

Whitlock allowed three hits and two walks over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring training game against the Rays.

Whitlock followed game starter Rich Hill, who threw two scoreless innings himself, albeit with less base traffic than Whitlock. The two are ostensibly competing for the No. 5 starter job, but the Red Sox understand what Whitlock meant to them last season as a bullpen workhorse. He came up through the Yankees' system as a starter but underwent Tommy John surgery several years ago, and Boston may have found an ideal spot for him as a multi-inning reliever who could also potentially fill a closer role.

Hill allowed two hits and one walk over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring training game against Tampa Bay.

Hill kicked off his bid to become the Red Sox's fifth starter Tuesday. Boston manager Alex Cora set the first four in the rotation after he named Michael Wacha as the fourth starter Tuesday. That leaves one job for Hill or Garrett Whitlock, who followed Hill on Tuesday with a couple of scoreless innings himself. However, the Red Sox grew fond of Whitlock's versatility in the bullpen last season, and Cora hasn't ruled out using him to close out games. The 42-year-old Hill will likely be the fifth starter when the regular season opens, but that leaves him on shaky ground when Chris Sale (rib) eventually returns.

Wacha will slot in as Boston's fourth starter, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed that news Tuesday morning after Wacha worked around four hits to throw three scoreless innings Monday. The right-hander's overall numbers in 2021 -- 5.05 ERA and 4.47 FIP in 29 games (23 starts) for Tampa Bay -- may not entice fantasy managers, but Wacha's final eight appearances tell a different story. He posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.14 FIP to end the season, while holding batters to a .193 batting average and .331 slugging percentage. The difference, he told Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, is that he scrapped the cutter he was throwing in favor of throwing his curveball more often.