MLB Player News

Kluber pitched two perfect innings and struck out two batters during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against Toronto.

Kluber looked great in his first appearance in pinstripes, needing only 22 pitches -- 15 of which were strikes -- to retire six batters. Most importantly, he emerged from the outing healthy after missing nearly all of last season due to a shoulder injury. Kluber's performance Wednesday is certainly uplifting for the Yankees, who are counting on the veteran to fill a spot near the front of their rotation.

Manning pitched two scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

Manning threw 25 pitches (16 for strikes) and was effective in his spring debut. The 23-year-old is one of the team's top prospects and will compete for a rotation spot to begin the season, though he could begin the year in the minors and make his MLB debut later in the summer.

Wacha, who fired a scoreless first inning during his Grapefruit League debut against the Red Sox on Tuesday, continued his effective 2020 practice of relying on his changeup during the outing, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "It's been my best swing-and-miss pitch, so I figured I'd throw it more and see if I can get a little bit more weaker contact with it and try to pitch off my best pitch a little more," Wacha said. "I think that's a big part of it, to pitch toward your strengths and understanding what your strengths are."

Despite a forgettable 1-4 record, 6.62 ERA and 1.56 WHP across 34 innings over eight appearances (seven starts) for the Mets last season, Wacha did have success with his changeup, generating an impressive 40.8 percent whiff rate while throwing the pitch a career-high 29.2 percent of the time. He deployed it at key moments with success again Monday while overcoming a leadoff walk to Enrique Hernandez, striking out J.D. Martinez before getting Rafael Devers on an inning-ending groundout. Wacha threw 21 pitches overall during his one frame, and he projects to take the next step toward prepping for his projected mid-rotation role in the coming season with a potential start against the Twins on Sunday.

Valdez was diagnosed with a fractured left ring finger Wednesday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Valdez was able to continue pitching during Tuesday's spring game after he took a groundball off his left hand during the first inning. While he said after the game that he was fine, he was further examined by team doctors Wednesday and diagnosed with a fracture. General manager James Click said that the southpaw will need to undergo further imaging before determining a timetable for his return.

Valdez's finger injury is believed to be serious, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Valdez took a groundball off his throwing hand in the first inning of Tuesday's spring game against the Mets, but he threw 19 innings after the incident and said that he was fine after the game. However, the southpaw apparently suffered a serious injury and is expected to be out "awhile." It's not yet clear whether Valdez will be ready for Opening Day, but his injury is a significant blow for Houston's rotation.

Valdez has suffered a finger injury and is being examined by team doctors, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Valdez pitched two innings during Tuesday's spring game against the Mets and allowed just one run on one hit while striking out two. However, his status for the near future is now in question due to his finger issue. The nature and severity of the injury could be revealed once he's examined by doctors, but a timetable for his return isn't yet known.

Perez allowed one hit and didn't walk a batter over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game over the Rays.

Perez told Ian Browne of MLB.com that he's on a mission to improve his control in 2021, and Tuesday's start was a step in that direction. "Everything is about throwing strikes. When you throw a strike and you attack the zone, everything is easier for you as a pitcher," said Perez. He required just 16 pitches (11 strikes) to dispatch the Rays over two innings.

Javier allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Mets.

Javier followed starter Framber Valdez in the game, but he's expected to be a rotation member in 2021. The advanced metrics indicate the right-hander may have overachieved as a rookie in 2020 -- he finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting -- but he's earned the shot to be a starter this year. Javier's main challenge may be to increase last year's workload of 54.1 innings -- he's never thrown more than 113.2 frames in a season.

Valdez allowed one run on one hit while striking out two and walking none over two innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Mets.

Valdez needed just 24 pitches to get through his two innings. His lone mistake was a hanging breaking ball that Jeff McNeil deposited over the right-field wall. Valdez is coming off a strong season, one in which he found control and pitched a league high 94.2 innings, including the postseason. The challenge will be to maintain his effectiveness over the grind of 30 starts. The left-hander is slotted in as the No. 3 starter behind Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers.

Arihara allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over two innings in Tuesday's spring game against the White Sox.

Arihara had a rough debut while running into trouble in each inning, leading to the second frame getting rolled by manager Chris Woodward with the bases loaded and Jose Abreu due up. The Rangers manager also ended the first inning early after the right-hander reached the 20-pitch limit and permitted a three-run home run to Andrew Vaughn. Through an interpreter, Arihara told Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News that he was unable to consistently locate many of his seven pitches. He also talked about a more slippery ball in MLB relative to the ball used in the Japanese league. Despite the pitcher's struggles, Woodward had a positive assessment of Arihara's outing.