MLB Player News

Brown (back) felt good after throwing a 25-pitch bullpen session Sunday and is expected to throw a simulated game this week, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Assuming everything goes well during the simulated game this week, the 24-year-old should be good to go for Houston's first turn through the starting rotation. Brown could line up to start the Astros' home opener versus the Tigers on April 3.

The Rays optioned Chirinos to Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Chirinos will open the season in the minors after losing out to Josh Fleming in the competition for the No. 5 spot in the Rays' rotation. After missing most of the past two seasons while recovering from August 2020 Tommy John surgery, Chirinos reported to camp without any limitations but wasn't able to solidify a rotation spot after logging a 6.57 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 10:6 K:BB across 12.1 Grapefruit League innings.

Severino (lat) said Sunday that he'll resume throwing when pain-free and could miss as few as three or four starts to open the season, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

The 29-year-old's initial shutdown period is expected to be about a week, after which it should become clearer whether or not he'll require a lengthier absence. Severino dealt with a similar injury last year that sidelined him for two months, but the right-hander noted that the current injury isn't in the same location as the previous one.

Lynn allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six across 4.2 innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Reds.

Lynn took the mound for the first time since returning from the World Baseball Classic. He was hit around initially but closed the outing with three shutout innings while retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced. Lynn is expected to start Chicago's second game of the regular season Friday against the Astros, and he should be able to work fairly deep into the game after facing 21 batters in his spring training finale.

Javier is likely to start Friday against the White Sox in the Astros' second game of the regular season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Framber Valdez is expected to start on Opening Day, though that has yet to officially be announced. Javier appears to be next in line, and he shouldn't have any problems pitching deep into the game after throwing 5.2 innings Saturday against the Nationals in his Grapefruit League finale. He will enter the season looking to back his breakout 2022 campaign, during which he posted a 2.54 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 148.2 innings.

Ray allowed a run over five innings in Saturday's Cactus League start against the Diamondbacks.

Ray allowed just two hits in the outing, and he struck out five with one walk. The left-hander was sensational in his time this spring with a 1.06 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB ratio. The 2021 Cy Young winner is slotted to pitch behind Luis Castillo in the Seattle rotation, and he could be in for a strong 2023 campaign based on his results this spring.

Waldichuk will open the year in the Oakland rotation, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Waldichuk has struggled significantly this spring, recording a 9.58 ERA and 2.23 WHIP while walking more batters (eight) than he's struck out (seven). That's something to keep in mind should those struggles continue into the regular season, but for now, Waldichuk's job isn't at risk.

Brown (back) will throw a bullpen prior to Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brown is recovering from lower-back tightness, but he has been able to play catch on flat ground and now will get a chance to throw off the mound Sunday. The right-hander could open the season on the injured list, but there's some positive momentum that suggests he can begin the year as a member of the Houston rotation.

Odorizzi's arm injury could keep him out long enough to require a trip to the 60-day injured list, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi has been dealing with arm fatigue this spring, and it seems as though the issue may be more serious than that. His timeline isn't entirely clear, but the fact that a trip to the 60-day injured list is in play suggests that he's set to miss substantial time.

Paxton (hamstring) will pitch two innings in a backfield game Wednesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

The 34-year-old lefty made five starts in 2020, one in 2021 and none in 2022, with arm troubles (including Tommy John surgery) the primary culprit. He looked healthy at the start of camp but promptly strained his hamstring in his first spring start. He's working his way back again but won't be available for a few more weeks. Paxton's expected to ramp up one inning at a time, so he still likely has four or five outings to go before the Red Sox activate him. If that pattern holds, he won't be make his season debut until the second half of April at the earliest.