MLB Player News

Abreu will pitch in a "B" game Saturday against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Abreu will be making his first appearance since finishing his quarantine. He has not thrown in a game situation since going two innings against the Marlins on Feb. 28. The state of Houston's starting rotation is getting dicey already at the mid-point of March. There's still an ongoing evaluation of Framber Valdez (finger), Jake Odorizzi is unlikely to build up his pitch count in time for Opening Day and several depth starting candidates, including Abreu, lost time due to being in quarantine.

Manager Craig Counsell said that he thinks Suter (hand) will be fine following his early exit from Friday's intrasquad scrimmage, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Suter will be evaluated again Saturday, but it appears as though he avoided a major injury after being hit on the left hand by a comebacker Friday. If he's healthy for Opening Day, Suter should serve as a swingman for Milwaukee after posting a 3.13 ERA and 38:5 K:BB over 31.2 innings last year.

Pearson (groin) will throw a bullpen session Saturday but won't be ready to start by Opening Day, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

Pearson's spring buildup has been interrupted by a groin strain. While the issue isn't a particularly worrisome one, it's disrupted his preseason preparation to the point that he won't have time to stretch out as a starter by the time the regular season begins. It's not yet clear whether he'll start the year in the bullpen or continue building up to a starter's workload while off the roster.

Harvey suffered a left oblique injury Friday against the Phillies, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Harvey winced in pain following his first pitch of the outing and left the game with team trainers. It's a positive in some ways that he's not dealing with yet more arm troubles, though oblique issues can be worrying as well. His recovery timeline for his latest in a long line of injuries is not yet clear.

Harvey winced after throwing his first pitch Friday against the Phillies and left the game without throwing another one, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Injuries have unfortunately been the story of Harvey's career, as he's thrown just 154.1 total innings over the last six years. The exact diagnosis for his latest issue remains to be seen, but his track record leaves little reason to be anything other than pessimistic. If he's sidelined to start the year, Tanner Scott and Cesar Valdez could emerge as the top closing options in Baltimore.

Rodriguez was optioned to Double-A Tennessee on Friday.

The 24-year-old missed all of 2020 with a right biceps strain and will open 2021 at the Double-A level. Rodriguez last pitched in 2019 and posted a 3.45 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 65:17 K:BB over 47 innings at High-A.

Suter left Friday's intrasquad scrimmage after being hit in the left arm by a comebacker, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but the 31-year-old's status should come into focus once he's been evaluated. Suter had a 3.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 38:5 K:BB over 31.2 innings as a swingman for the Brewers last season, and he's primed to fill a similar role in 2021.

Miller was assigned to minor-league camp Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Miller had at best an outside chance at breaking camp in the big leagues, as he did make his debut last season but threw just five innings. The Cubs expect to rotate players through their fifth starter spot, so Miller could still earn starts later this year if he looks good in the minors.

Foster has been dealing with soreness early in camp but is expected to see game action within the next few days, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but it doesn't appear to be a serious concern with the 26-year-old scheduled to see game action in the near future. Foster made his big-league debut for the White Sox last season and impressed with a 2.20 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 31:9 K:BB over 28.2 innings.

Doyle was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday.

The 24-year-old finished last season on the big-league roster while giving up six earned runs over 2.1 innings, and he'll open 2021 in the minors. Doyle will skip Double-A after posting a 3.25 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 48:13 K:BB over 36 innings at High-A in 2019.