MLB Player News

Stroman adjusted his hand position in Saturday's Grapefruit League outing against the Orioles and is "probably tinkering with something every single time he walks to the mound," Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Hoch notes that Stroman held his hands a bit higher in the outing, and while it's unclear how much of an impact that made on his performance, the veteran hurler's results were excellent -- he tossed four scoreless innings, giving up two hits and no walks while striking out three batters. That was considerably better than his first start this spring, when he gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out two over 2.1 frames against Philadelphia. Stroman is set to slot into the middle of New York's rotation behind Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon this season after signing a two-year deal with the team in January.

Civale is working on narrowing his pitch mix this spring to more effectively retire right-handed hitters, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Civale has minor reverse platoon splits for his career, surrendering a .319 wOBA to righties as opposed to a .290 wOBA to lefties. The Rays have asked him to focus on retiring righties by narrowing his pitch mix, as he currently throws four pitches at least 12 percent of the time. Given that context, he wasn't particularly concerned with his first appearance in the Grapefruit League, during which he surrendered five earned runs across 2.2 innings Monday against the Pirates.

Whitlock allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts over three innings in Tuesday's spring start against Tampa Bay.

Whitlock made his third Grapefruit League start and has now allowed runs in all three. When the day began, he was in a competition with Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski for a single rotation spot; however, circumstances changed by the time he took the mound. The club announced Lucas Giolito is experiencing elbow soreness. One report called it a partial UCL tear and flexor strain, which is likely season-ending injury. That would mean two of the Whitlock/Houck/Winckowski trio will enter the rotation, unless the organization reaches out to an existing free agent, such as Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell. Whitlock has allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out 10 over eight innings.

Olson tossed three scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. He allowed two hits and struck out four.

Olson pitched well against an Atlanta lineup that featured a few of the team's regulars. The young righty came into the contest having allowed four runs across his first 3.2 innings this spring. Olson is locked into a battle for one of Detroit's final rotation spots, with Matt Manning and Alex Faedo presumably in the mix as well.

Lyles experienced lower back tightness Tuesday but is feeling better, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lyles exited Tuesday's "B" game versus the Rangers with the injury after fielding a grounder. The details regarding the injury were initially not available, but he was feeling better when he left the complex and will be reevaluated Wednesday morning.

Lyles (undisclosed) exited Wednesday's "B" game versus the Rangers with an injury after fielding a grounder, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The severity or nature of Lyles' injury wasn't immediately available. Until further details are provided, it's unclear how long the injury could sideline the right-hander.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday that he expects Urquidy to open the season in the rotation, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Urquidy seemingly would be competing with J.P. France for a spot if everyone was healthy, but with Justin Verlander (shoulder) behind schedule they will both be needed. France is coming back from a shoulder issue himself but is expected to be ready in time for Opening Day. Urquidy finished with a 5.29 ERA over 63 innings for the Astros during a disappointing 2023 campaign but believes his struggles can be traced to tipping his pitches, something he has worked to correct.

Gausman (shoulder) played catch without issue Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He'll play catch again Wednesday, a good sign after he was diagnosed with fatigue in his right shoulder. The Blue Jays are still considering Gausman day-to-day and will decide later this week what the possible next steps will be for his throwing program. His availability for Opening Day has not been ruled out, but it's far from a given.

Manoah (shoulder) will play catch for the second day in a row Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah resumed throwing Monday after a brief shutdown period with right shoulder soreness, and it's a good sign that he's feeling well enough to throw again the next day. Manoah still has numerous hoops to jump through and faces a tall task to be ready by Opening Day.

Initial imaging on Giolito's right elbow showed a partial UCL tear and flexor strain, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Giolito will be examined further before any decisions are made, but season-ending surgery is a possibility. It's brutal news for a Red Sox team that already seemed a little light on rotation depth. Giolito's two-year, $38.5 million contract contains an opt-out after the first year, but he surely wouldn't exercise that if he winds up requiring surgery. Worth noting is that Jordan Montgomery remains a free agent and has been heavily connected to the Red Sox. If Boston fills Giolito's spot internally, it opens the door for both Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock in the rotation.