The Daily Chop: Rotation battle coming into focus

We are just over halfway through spring camp for the Atlanta Braves and it appears that Felix Hernandez is closing in on capturing a spot in the team’s Opening Day rotation. That was the subject of a mailbag question for MLB.com’s Mark Bowman Saturday who said that Hernandez is on track to claim one of the final two spots in the rotation provided he can get through the remainder of camp healthy.

That would leave Sean Newcomb and Kyle Wright competing for the final spot. While Wright has been impressive this spring, Bowman writes that giving Newcomb the slot would allow the Braves to let Wright begin the season at Triple-A where he could make some final adjustments before returning to the majors at some point early on in the season.

More Braves News

Mike Foltynewicz put together his best performance of the spring on Saturday as the Braves tied the Rays 1-1. Foltynewicz allowed one hit and two walks over 3 2/3 scoreless innings on Saturday while piling up six strikeouts. Even with the ups and downs of camp, this spring has been a marked improvement for Foltynewicz over where he was at this point last season.

The Braves made an additional roster move on Saturday reassigning left-handed reliever Chris Nunn to minor league camp. Nunn made four appearances this spring striking out five in three scoreless innings.

MLB News

Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini has left camp and will reportedly undergo a medical procedure unrelated to baseball. The Orioles declined to disclose a timetable for how long Mancini would be out.

Angels right-hander Griffin Canning told reporters that he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow and he will be reevaluated in three weeks. Canning felt tightness in his elbow after a recent outing.

Another day, another injury for the Yankees. Catcher Gary Sanchez was held out of batting practice on Saturday due to a sore back. The injury isn’t thought to be serious and manager Aaron Boone said that he wasn’t concerned.