MLB Player News

Varland threw three scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League loss to Pittsburgh. He threw 34 pitches and another 11 in the bullpen as he prepares to be a starter, MLB.com reports. He's thrown seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and one walk this spring.

Varland is competing with Anthony DeSclafani for the fifth starter role. He could begin the season with the job, as DeSclafani is working his way back from a sore right elbow. If Varland loses out on a rotation spot, it will be interesting to see if the Twins move him to the bullpen or keep him as a starter at Triple-A. Varland excelled as a reliever last season with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings with a 17:1 K:BB while seeing his fastball touch triple digits.

Gipson-Long (groin) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The right-hander resumed throwing in late February after dealing with a groin strain, and he'll return to the mound this weekend. Gipson-Long will likely need a couple bullpen sessions before advancing to face live hitters, but he's getting closer to being ready for game action.

Schmidt is throwing a new split-finger changeup this spring, Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Schmidt threw a changeup on only 1.5 percent of his pitches last season, and when he did go to the offering, batters knocked it around to the tune of a .429 batting average. The right-hander has since worked on changing his grip on the pitch, modeling the adjustment on Blue Jays hurler Kevin Gausman. Of course, the Yankees would be ecstatic if Schmidt's results are anything close to Gausman's, but even if the new offering brings less dramatic improvement it could help the younger hurler bring stability to the back of the team's rotation. Schmidt posted a mediocre 4.64 ERA and 1.35 WHIP along with a 149:46 K:BB last season, but he gave an injury-riddled staff 159 innings, and manager Aaron Boone said in late February that he is guaranteed a spot in New York's Opening Day rotation.

Keller (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Keller's 2023 season ended in September when the Royals put him on the injured list due to thoracic outlet syndrome. It's uncertain what his current health situation is, but the White Sox clearly felt comfortable enough with it to give the righty a low-risk, non-roster invite. Keller has been an effective innings-eater in the past and is still just 28, but he holds a 5.14 ERA since the start of the 2021 campaign. The White Sox will likely send him to the minors initially if he performs well enough, but given their dearth of rotation options, he could well end up spending time in the big-league rotation in 2024.

The White Sox optioned Cousin to Double-A Birmingham on Friday.

The 25-year-old was added to Chicago's 40-man roster in December, but he was never a likely bet to begin the season in the majors given that he has just two appearances above the High-A level. Cousin should spend most of 2024 in Birmingham's rotation.

Woo fired 2.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed a walk and recorded three strikeouts in Thursday's Cactus League victory over the Angels.

Woo had been roughed up for four earned runs on six hits over 1.2 innings by the Rockies in his Cactus League debut last Friday. Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports the right-hander needed just nine pitches to get through the first inning and threw 22 of his 38 pitches for strikes. While the Angels lineup was missing several key regulars, including Mike Trout, both Woo and manager Scott Servais came away pleased with the progress he displayed during his start. "He came out with a plan today and executed," Servais said. "He wanted to get both of his fastballs going and he did just that. He threw the ball really well. Great to see, super aggressive, had tons of strikes, and had really good stuff on top of it."

Gausman (shoulder) said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on Friday that he would be ready for the start of the regular season, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Gausman has been slowed by right shoulder fatigue recently but seems unconcerned, believing he just tried to ramp things up too quickly. The right-hander has resumed flat-ground work and is aiming to throw off a mound by Monday. It's possible the Blue Jays won't ask Gausman to start Opening Day if he needs a little more time to get ready, but at this point it looks like he will avoid the injured list.

Kochanowicz was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake by the Angels on Friday.

Kochanowicz made a couple scoreless Cactus League appearances, but that wasn't enough to keep him from being an early cut. The right-hander is in need of more seasoning after posting a 5.27 ERA in 21 starts between High-A Tri-City and Double-A Rocket City in 2023.

Eder (shoulder) was optioned to Double-A Birmingham by the White Sox on Friday.

Eder almost surely wasn't going to make the Opening Day roster anyway, but he's been sidelined recently with soreness in his right (non-throwing) shoulder. Acquired from the Marlins in the Jake Burger trade last year, Eder will be part of Birmingham's rotation once healthy.

Martin (elbow) was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday

Martin underwent Tommy John surgery last May and was never going to be an option for the White Sox to begin the season. The 27-year-old has resumed throwing off a mound and will continue building up his arm before hopefully starting a minor-league rehab assignment sometime during the first half.