Chris Sale Might Not Be Ready For Opening Day

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (illness) is dealing with a mild case of pneumonia in camp and "still doesn't have full strength back," according to manager Ron Roenicke. Sale is progressing and playing light catch, but the Red Sox acknowledged that he might not be up to speed by Opening Day, and they […]

Ty Buttrey Tweaks Intercostal Muscle

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ty Buttrey (intercostal) tweaked an intercostal muscle and will be slowed down in camp for a couple of weeks. However, manager Joe Maddon still expects Buttrey to be ready for Opening Day. Relievers don't need as much time to get ramped up for the regular season, so Buttrey might not […]

Tony Watson Not The Official Closer

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tony Watson is the most experienced arm for the late innings with Will Smith now in Atlanta, but the Giants might start the year without naming a specific closer. New manager Gabe Kapler won't commit to using a traditional ninth-inning closer, but Watson should be seen as the favorite. He […]

Alex Verdugo Has Stress Fracture In Back

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo (back) is dealing with a stress fracture in his lower back and is now doubtful to be ready for Opening Day, according to manager Ron Roenicke. The team knew about Verdugo's injury before trading for him earlier this week. The youngster also missed the last two months of 2019 […]

Mychal Givens Under The Weather

Baltimore Orioles closer Mychal Givens (illness) will miss his bullpen session on Saturday due to an illness. Reliever Hunter Harvey is also sidelined with an illness to start the weekend. Givens was Baltimore's primary closer in 2019 and had a rough 4.57 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 11 saves while striking out 86 in 63 innings. […]

Miles Mikolas Being Slowed In Camp

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas' (forearm) throwing program has been slowed in camp as part of a plan to accommodate for the sore flexor tendon he had last season. Manager Mike Shildt said that Mikolas could be delayed for the start of Grapefruit League games as a result. Mikolas fell back to Earth […]

Byron Buxton Hitting Off Tee

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (shoulder) is hitting off a tee in camp. Buxton said that "everything is going according to plan," but he has stopped short of laying out a timetable for a return after having surgery last September to fix the labrum in his left shoulder. The goal is for him to be […]

Alex Verdugo Won't Rush Back For Opening Day

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo (back) said, "There’s no reason to rush back and make it for Opening Day if I’m not fully back, because then you’re going to start messing around with getting re-injured. I’ve been out this long, might as well keep it a little longer and make sure it’s 100%." Verdugo, […]

Russell Martin Intends To Play In 2020

Free-agent catcher Russell Martin intends to play in 2020, according to sources. Martin has turned down some opportunities in the offseason in order to tend to a family matter, but he's expected to re-enter the market in the next few weeks and resume talks with interested teams. The 36-year-old (37 on Saturday) is a veteran […]

Hyun-Jin Ryu Expected To Be Opening Day Starter

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to be the team's starter on Opening Day. “It’s going to be hard to see a scenario where it’s not Ryu,” general manager Ross Atkins said. “That’s health dependent obviously, and breaking camp, that would be the most likely scenario.” Ryu had a great 2019 season […]

Ryan Borucki Shut Down With Elbow Tightness

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo revealed on Friday that starting pitcher Ryan Borucki (elbow) is being shut down in camp with left elbow tightness, a troubling development after his 2019 season was basically lost due to elbow issues. The 25-year-old is coming off surgery to clean up bone spurs. He initially started feeling pain […]

Red Sox Officially Add Kevin Pillar

The Boston Red Sox officially signed outfielder Kevin Pillar to a one-year, $4.25 million deal on Friday, according to a major league source. There are no incentives or bonuses included in the deal. The 31-year-old has played in the majors for seven seasons and spent the first six years of his career with Toronto before […]

Mike Clevinger Expected To Return To Game Action In 6-8 Weeks

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger (knee) is expected to return to game activity in six to eight weeks after having surgery on Friday to fix a partial tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee. With Opening Day almost exactly six weeks away, Clevinger shouldn't have to miss much time to open the […]

Kwon Alexander Undergoing Biceps Surgery

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander (biceps), who had surgery on his pectoral muscle last season, was also dealing with a biceps injury and is undergoing surgery on Friday, according to sources. Alexander should be fully recovered in time for the 2020 season. The 25-year-old played in just eight games in 2019 in his first […]

Redskins Release Paul Richardson, Josh Norman

The Washington Redskins released wide receiver Paul Richardson and cornerback Josh Norman on Friday. Richardson, 27, was due to make $6.5 million this year, but he caught just 48 passes in 17 games in his two seasons and made almost $17 million in that span. Norman, 32, played just 53 percent of the defensive snaps […]

Franchise Tag A Possibility For Kenyan Drake

The Arizona Cardinals want to retain running back Kenyan Drake, who will be a free agent in March, and placing the franchise tag on him is a possibility if they don't sign him to a long-term deal. Drake took over the starting gig from the injured David Johnson after the trade from Miami, and Johnson […]

Corey Knebel Could Be Ready By Early May

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Corey Knebel (elbow) is scheduled to throw his fourth bullpen session on Friday, in which he'll throw around 20 pitches at 80 percent intensity. Barring setbacks, Knebel could return to the team's bullpen around the first week of May. The hard-throwing right-hander is coming back from Tommy John surgery that kept […]

Josh Hader Loses Arbitration Case

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star closer Josh Hader lost his salary arbitration case and will make $4.1 million in 2020 instead of the $6.4 million he was requesting. Hader, who turns 26 in April, had 37 saves in 44 chances in 2019 and was 3-5 with a 2.62 ERA in his second straight All-Star campaign in 2019. […]

Jeremy Hellickson Announces Retirement

Free-agent starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson announced his retirement on Friday after 10 seasons with 10 teams. The 32-year-old suffered a shoulder setback a few weeks ago that would have required surgery. Hellickson went 76-75 in his career with a 4.13 ERA in 232 games with the Rays, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Orioles and Nationals. In that time, […]

Anthony Santander Won't Be Limited In Camp

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander (shoulder), who dealt with right labrum inflammation last September, spent the winter rehabbing and avoided surgery. Santander arrived to camp three weeks early and will not be limited in spring training. The 25-year-old Venezuelan hit .261/.297/.476 with a surprising 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 93 games with the […]

Zack Greinke Healthy

Houston Astros starting pitcher Zack Greinke is "100 percent healthy" but will report to camp on Feb. 22, 10 days later than his fellow pitchers. “We’re not worried about him,” manager Dusty Baker said. “This guy, he works. When he comes to camp, we expect him to fall in place with everyone else.” Greinke didn't […]

Cardinals Start Contract Talks With Patrick Peterson

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said that the team has had initial contract-extension talks with cornerback Patrick Peterson, who is heading into the final year of his contract. Peterson, a fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, has been one of the best cover corners in his nine seasons in the NFL. He missed […]

David Johnson Not A Cut Candidate

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said that cutting running back David Johnson "is not an option." Keim also added that "you can't just have one back," and Kenyan Drake, who took over the starting role in the second half last year, is scheduled to be a free agent in March. Johnson ran the ball […]

Brad Peacock Suffers Setback With Neck

Houston Astros starting pitcher Brad Peacock (neck) suffered a recurrence of the nerve damage in his neck. He is back throwing from 90 feet, but it's a setback to his throwing program and could blow his chances of winning the No. 5 rotation spot to start the regular season. Peacock had a decent 4.12 ERA […]

Randal Grichuk To Open As Starting Center Fielder

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said that the team's current plan is for outfielder Randal Grichuk to start the season as the starting center fielder. Grichuk hit .232/.280/.457 with a career-high 31 home runs and 80 RBI in 151 games in his second year in Toronto in 2019. The power is real and […]

Mike Clevinger To Undergo Surgery On Knee

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger (knee) will undergo surgery on Friday after he suffered a partial tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee while working out at spring training this week. Clevinger has been on crutches, and a timetable for his return will be established after the surgery. The 29-year-old right-hander made […]

Mitch Haniger Has Disc Removed From Back

Updating a previous report, Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger (back, core) underwent a discectomy on Thursday, a procedure that removes part or the whole intervertebral disc. It was Haniger's second surgery in three weeks, as he had a hernia surgery in late January. The two injuries combined will push his timetable deeper into the 2020 […]

Michael Chavis To Play Both First And Second Base

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said that infielder Michael Chavis will play both first and second base this year, splitting time with Mitch Moreland at first and Jose Peraza at second. Chavis had his ups and downs in his rookie season in 2019, most notably against left-handed pitching. Roenicke thinks Chavis can improve in […]

Mitch Haniger Has Another Core Surgery

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger (hernia) underwent his second core surgery in three weeks on Thursday. There remains no timetable for Haniger's return, but his 2020 season will be significantly delayed. The 2018 breakout star was plagued by injuries last season and played in only 63 games as a result, and now it looks like […]

Tyrod Taylor Has Vote Of Confidence From Head Coach

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said that quarterback Tyrod Taylor, last year's backup to Philip Rivers, could have an opportunity to win the starting job in 2020. "Tyrod Taylor is a heck of a quarterback," Lynn told AM 570 LA Sports. "We couldn't have a better backup right now, and now he has […]