MLB Player News

Manager Mark Kotsay named Boyle the Athletics' fifth starter Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Boyle was impressive in three big-league starts toward the end of last season, logging a 1.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP across 16 innings. However, he's been known to walk batters at an alarmingly high rate, and those troubles seemed to haunt him yet again this spring as he allowed 15 free passes over 18.1 frames. If the 24-year-old righty is able to bring down his walk rate, he appears to have the stuff to develop into a solid major-league starter.

Means (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk soon, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Means is set to make several rehab starts with Triple-A Norfolk before he's considered for activation. The left-hander experienced a setback with his surgically repaired left elbow last October, and Orioles general manager Mike Elias said he expects Means to be ready for his season debut at some point in the first half of the season. For his part, Means has expressed a desire to be ready to pitch in major-league games before the end of April, but how his minor-league starts go will ultimately determine whether that timeline is realistic.

Gray didn't pitch as scheduled Tuesday due to a stiff neck, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray will throw a bullpen session Wednesday instead, and his neck shouldn't cause his regular-season debut to be delayed. The 32-year-old righty had a great spring, throwing eight scoreless innings over two starts while striking out seven batters and walking two.

Verlander (shoulder) threw 32 pitches during live batting practice Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The veteran right-hander apparently looked good, as his fastball sat in the low-to-mid 90s and touched 95 mph. Manager Joe Espada indicated Monday that if all went well during live BP, Verlander should next begin a minor-league rehab assignment that would likely consist of multiple starts. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Verlander said he felt good during Tuesday's session and would like to build his pitch count to about 85 before joining Houston's rotation.

The Rays placed Bradley (pectoral) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to March 25, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The right-hander was shut down from throwing for two weeks after being diagnosed with a pectoral strain March 13, so the move to the injured list was expected. It's unclear where Bradley currently stands in his recovery, but he's likely to be re-evaluated soon. Even if the 23-year-old is cleared to resume throwing in the near future, he's likely to be sidelined for at least the first month of the season as he builds his arm strength back up.

The Rays placed Baz on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to March 25, with a right elbow injury, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Baz also dealt with an oblique injury this spring, but the plan was always to delay his season debut as he comes back from September 2022 Tommy John surgery. It remains something of a mystery as to when he will rejoin the Rays' rotation, but fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him for at least the first month or two.

The White Sox outrighted Toussaint to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Toussaint is no longer on the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization after clearing waivers. The right-hander will probably open the season in Charlotte's rotation.

Carrasco will open in the Guardians' rotation and make his season debut Sunday against the Athletics, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The presumption after it was announced Carrasco had made the team was that it would be as part of the rotation, and that has now been confirmed. His stay in the rotation could be a brief one, depending on how quickly Gavin Williams (elbow) makes it back, but Carrasco should log at least a couple starts. The 37-year-old held a 6.80 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 66:38 K:BB over 90 innings (20 starts) for the Mets last season.

Rodon pitched 19.1 innings over five starts in Grapefruit League action, posting a 4.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB.

Rodon made just one appearance last spring before suffering a forearm injury that significantly cut down his season, so the fact that he made it through the exhibition slate without any health issues this spring is a positive development. Per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Rodon dropped weight in the offseason and looked to be in better shape in camp as he aims to put last year's injury-plagued and largely forgettable performance in the rearview mirror. While the southpaw's spring stats weren't overwhelming, Kuty reports that Rodon's fastball sat in the mid-90s, which is in line with where it has been during recent campaigns. The Yankees may need Rodon to step up as the team's ace with Gerrit Cole likely out for at least the first two months of the regular season due to an elbow injury.

Odorizzi will pitch in Tuesday's game versus the Tigers rather than a minor-league game Wednesday as initially scheduled, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays decided Tuesday's contest would be a truer test as to how close the veteran right-hander is to being ready to pitch in a regular-season game with the big club. Odorizzi missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and will begin 2024 in the minors. However, if he looks sharp, he could join the Rays sooner rather than later, particularly since there is a need in the rotation with Shane Baz (elbow) or Taj Bradley (pectoral) out.