MLB Player News

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.

Lorenzen will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Dave Sessions of MLB.com reports.

Lorenzen, who signed with the Rangers last Wednesday, is expected to eventually be part of the rotation. "We're building him up," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Monday, noting that Lorenzen is "a candidate" for the Opening Day roster. "He's been throwing a lot, but the plan is to see where we're at [Tuesday] when he gets a nice bullpen." Given the need to build up Lorenzen's pitch count, it may be safe to assume that Cody Bradford will make at least one start.

Waldichuk (elbow) is progressing "great" according to manager Mark Kotsay, but the left-hander remains without a timetable to begin throwing off a mound, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.

The 26-year-old southpaw appears to be nearing the back end of his recovery from October surgery for a UCL sprain and flexor tendon damage, but this report indicates he's not quite there yet. A mid-February report had indicated there was a possibility Waldichuk would be ready to throw bullpen sessions by the end of spring training, and while that hasn't come to pass, it appears Kotsay is encouraged by the pace of Waldichuk's progress and the absence of setbacks.

Medina (knee) has begun playing catch but is doing so on one knee, per manager Mark Kotsay, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.

Kotsay added that the right-hander is still "a ways away" in his recovery. Medina suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee on March 4 against the Reds, an injury that scuttled his chances of earning a spot in the starting rotation to open the season.

Gilbert allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks over 4.2 innings in a Cactus League tie with the Cubs on Sunday. He struck out seven.

Gilbert was tagged for solo home runs by Michael Busch and Garrett Cooper in the third and fifth inning, respectively, for the only two runs he surrendered, but the right-hander otherwise put together an encouraging tune-up for the regular season. Gilbert finished the Cactus League slate with a 6.75 ERA across 16 innings, yet almost all his trouble was limited to two of his five starts. Gilbert finished with a 14:2 K:BB across the 9.2 innings covering his last two spring turns, and he'll now turn his attention to his regular-season debut Saturday against the Red Sox.

Hancock will step into the Mariners' rotation to replace Bryan Woo (elbow), Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Hancock was just optioned down two days ago, but he has rejoined the big-league team in light of Woo's injury and will step in as the fifth starter, beginning next Monday in the series opener against Cleveland. Woo's MRI came back clean, but he will be shut down from throwing for at least a week. With that, Hancock, the sixth overall pick in 2020, figures to make at least a few starts early on. His numbers in the Cactus League were not good, but the Mariners were said to be pleased with Hancock's overall spring training, Divish adds.

Woo will be placed on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Divish notes that Woo felt discomfort while warming up for his last side session, and he ultimately couldn't get loose. He later underwent an MRI, which came back clean. The Mariners are hopeful that Woo can let the inflammation calm down over the next 7-to-10 days, at which point he can resume throwing. Emerson Hancock will take Woo's place in the starting rotation to begin the season.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Monday that Wacha will not miss time due to a bruised right middle finger, Jackson Stone of MLB.com reports.

Wacha sustained the injury Sunday during an intrasquad game. Quatraro added that Wacha woke up Monday morning and "forgot about" the injury, so the right-hander should be ready for his first regular season start against the Orioles on April 1.