MLB Player News

Hill fired three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Twins on Saturday, allowing just a hit and a walk.

About the only blemish on Hill's performance was his failure to record a strikeout, but otherwise, the left-hander turned in a polar-opposite effort of what was a rough Grapefruit League debut on March 5. Adam Berry of MLB.com reports Hill threw 23 of 36 pitches for strikes and actually outpaced his planned two-inning workload due to his level of efficiency. "Just really the conviction behind every pitch, that was the biggest difference," Hill said. "Getting on top of the ball, throwing the ball downhill, committing to the pitch and the task at hand right there."

Garcia has tossed two scoreless innings in Grapefruit League action so far. He's allowed three hits and a walk with no strikeouts.

Garcia, who's in the mix to close for Detroit, has been used sparingly so far this spring, so it's hard to take much away from his performance. He did register a solid 1.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 21.2 innings last season, though he struck out only 12 batters, so he doesn't profile as the typical overpowering end-game option. Gregory Soto is the other frontrunner to close for the Tigers, and the lefty does overpower hitters a bit more frequently, which may push Garcia to more of a setup role. The 25-year-old Garcia was second on the team with four saves last season.

The Twins optioned Ober to minor-league camp Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Along with Ober, fellow pitchers Dakota Chalmers, Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic were also optioned as Minnesota made its first cuts of spring training. Ober didn't play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor-league season, but he dazzled between three minor-league stops in 2019, posting a 0.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while striking out 100 over 78.2 innings. Expect him to slot into the rotation at Triple-A St. Paul to begin 2021.

The Twins optioned Ober to minor-league camp Sunday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Along with Ober, fellow pitchers Dakota Chalmers, Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic were also optioned as Minnesota made its first cuts of spring training. Ober didn't play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor-league season, but he dazzled between three minor-league stops in 2019, posting a 0.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while striking out 100 over 78.2 innings. Expect him to slot into the rotation at Triple-A St. Paul to begin 2021.

Ray struck out three and walked two over four no-hit innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "This [Baltimore] is a younger team. They're going to be super aggressive," Ray said afterwards. "I think I only threw five pitches in the first inning. After that, I knew they were going to continue to be aggressive, so I just tried to use that against them."

The veteran southpaw averaged 95.8 mph with his fastball and topped out at 97.3 mph, a very good sign for his 2021 fortunes after he averaged 93.9 mph last year. Ray got stretched out to 52 pitches in the outing, putting him on pace to reach his target of 90-plus pitches by the end of camp, but he was most pleased with where he was locating them Saturday. "Even the walks that I've had, the ball has been right around the zone," Ray said. "As far as command, I feel really good about where my pitches are at. I'm around the zone and my misfires aren't far off. I feel like I'm in a really good spot." The Jays' rotation is very shaky after Hyun Jin Ryu, so getting a bounceback performance from Ray after his rough 2020 will be crucial for the team's success.

The Astros optioned Whitley (elbow) to their minor-league camp Sunday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Whitley's demotion was merely procedural, as the right-handed pitching prospect is already slated to miss the entire 2021 season due to his impending Tommy John surgery. Due to the timing of his procedure, Whitley will more than likely miss the first half of the 2022 campaign as well.

Perez allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five over four scoreless innings in Saturday's spring game against Atlanta.

Perez stayed around the zone, delivering 45 strikes among his 66 pitches, and has breezed through six scoreless innings over two Grapefruit League outings. The 29-year-old left-hander has battled inconsistency since his rookie days with the Rangers. He's not overpowering, so Perez needs to locate and avoid hard contact. He's cemented into Boston's starting rotation.

Garcia struck out two batters in a scoreless inning during Saturday's "B" game against Washington, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Garcia is emerging as an important piece for the Astros, whose starting depth has been challenged during spring training. This was Garcia's debut in Grapefruit League play, and the right-hander hit 95 MPH with his fastball. He could get another three starts during the final two-plus weeks of spring training, which could put him in the five-inning range if he's needed for the first regular-season turn of the rotation.

Kluber hurled four innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out two.

Kluber wasn't quite as effective as in his spring debut, when he pitched two perfect innings against Toronto. However, he got his pitch count up to 54 -- the most by any Yankees pitcher so far this spring. That's promising for a pitcher who combined for only 36.2 innings while dealing with injuries over the past two campaigns. Kluber is slotted to fill the second spot in New York's rotation in 2021.

Medina was optioned to High-A Hudson Valley on Friday.

The organization has expressed high optimism for Medina, but he's only 21 years of age and needs more seasoning, so he'll open the campaign in High-A ball. The right-hander has made one Grapefruit League appearance this spring, allowing one run on four walks over two-thirds of an inning. Control has been Medina's primary struggle in his short professional career, so he'll need to work that issue out before he's ready to tackle the majors.