Nationals OF Nate McLouth (shoulder) to start season on DL
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(10:55 am ET) As expected, Nationals outfielder Nate McLouth will start the season on the disabled list while he rests his surgically-repaired shoulder. McLouth has yet to resume throwing, per the Washington Post.

“I can still hit,” McLouth said. “But after I would hit, and stopped throwing for a little bit, I would hit and fire it back up to where I couldn’t throw. … It’s frustrating. There’s only so many exercises you can do before you start going crazy.”

Report: Hector Olivera still waiting for a visa to travel to Los Angeles
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(10:38 am ET) Cuban infielder Hector Olivera remains in the Dominican Republic waiting for a visa, and could be months away from helping the Dodgers, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Once Olivera obtains a visa, he will fly to Los Angeles for a physical. He will be sent to the minors if he passes his physical.

The Dodgers beat out several clubs in a bidding war for the 30-year-old infielder, locking him up to a six-year deal worth $62.5 million in late March. The Dodgers are also concerned over his elbow, and will examine it when he arrives to the US. If Olivera requires surgery in his elbow, then the team can add a seventh year to the contract for $1 million.

Mike Adams leaves Dodgers’ camp to due to undisclosed injury
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(10:27 am ET) Mike Adams left Dodgers’ camp prior to Thursday’s exhibition game against the Angels and informed pitching coach Rick Honeycutt he was “shutting it down,” according to the Orange County Register. Details of his injury were not made public.

Adams, 36, was expected to start the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, but turned down the $100,000 retention bonus the Dodgers agreed to pay for him to open the season in the minors. He posted a 9.64 ERA over 4 2/3 innings of work this spring.

Krol, Nesbitt secure spots in Tigers bullpen
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(10:09 am ET) Tigers relievers Ian Krol and Angel Nesbitt secured spots in the team’s bullpen to open the season after Kyle Ryan and Blaine Hardy were demoted to the minors, per MLive.com.

Nesbitt’s first appearance in a game will be his MLB debut. Krol made 45 relief appearances for Detroit last season.

Rays’ Alex Colome reports positive progress after live BP session
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(10:00 am ET) Rays pitcher Alex Colome (illness) threw 30 pitches in live batting practice Friday, per the Tampa Bay Times. He used all of his pitches.

“Everything felt really good,” Colome said.

Colome will begin the season on the disabled list due to pneumonia. He was placed on the disabled list March 27.

Yankees’ Mark Teixeira works on combating defensive shifts
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(9:32 am ET) Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira hasn’t had a monster spring at the plate, batting just .255 (13 for 51) with one home run, three doubles and four RBI in 19 games. Certainly, those numbers might not give many folks confidence Teixeira is ready to rebound after a few down seasons.

However, Teixeira is pretty happy with his performance this spring, especially since he only missed a few days due to injury. He recently returned to the lineup after getting hit by a pitch, resulting in a bruised knee.

Teixeira is particularly pleased with the work he did this spring trying to combat defensive shifts. Teixeira said he is not cheating on pitches like he did last year, which is a big reason why he is excited for the start of the season.

“It was a lot harder last year. I had to kind of adjust to compensate and cheat. Anyone knows that if you have to cheat on your swing you’re coming around it. So you’re not going to get many hard hit balls the other way,” he said. “When you’re in the middle of the season you have to make adjustments. If they start busting me in, I’m going to start pulling the ball more. But this spring training I’ve found that I’ve had a lot of opportunities to go the other way, and I’ve been taking them if they want to give them to me.”

A’s SP Scott Kazmir thrilled with spring performance
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(9:22 am ET) Athletics starting pitcher Scott Kazmir threw his last spring start Thursday against the Giants. With six strong innings, Kazmir capped his spring campaign with a 1.00 ERA over four starts.

The left-hander said after his final exhibition outing that this might be the best he has felt coming out of spring training, per InsideBayArea.com.

“In the past, I’ve had one or two pitches really working and other stuff I’m still working on,” Kazmir said. “This spring, I felt like out of the gates, I had a good feel for everything.”

Kazmir will make his first regular season start Wednesday vs. Texas. He was 8-4 with a 3.62 ERA in 16 home starts in 2014.

Tigers option Hardy, Ryan to Triple-A; reassign Wilson to minors
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(9:07 am ET) The Tigers optioned pitchers Blaine Hardy and Kyle Ryan to Triple-A Toledo. They also reassigned infielder Josh Wilson to minor-league camp.

J.D. Martin, Andy LaRoche released by White Sox
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(9:02 am ET) The White Sox released third baseman Andy LaRoche and pitcher J.D. Martin on Friday, according to the team’s official website.

Reds pitcher Dylan Axelrod sent outright to Triple-A
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(8:56 am ET) Reds pitcher Dylan Axelrod cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Louisville on Friday, according to MLB.com. Axelrod allowed four runs — one earned — in four innings of work this spring.