MLB Player News

Clevinger said he was dealing with a sinus infection during his Cactus League start Wednesday against the Rangers, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

There was a concerning dip in his velocity readings, and Clevinger blamed it on the illness, saying he struggled to find an "extra gear" with his fastball. Still, the 32-year-old right-hander managed to induce a bevy of groundouts as he turned in five innings of one-run ball versus Texas. He should be in the clear to open the 2023 regular season as a starter for the White Sox.

Sale allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out two over five innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Orioles.

Sale, making his third Grapefruit League start, allowed a pair of first-inning home runs and didn't have command of his slider, but the left-hander bumped his pitch count to 70, was sitting mid-90s with his fastball, and got acclimated to working with traffic on the bases. Sale will make one more start before breaking camp with the Red Sox for the first time since 2019. He'll start the second game of the season against Baltimore.

Eovaldi threw five scoreless innings in a Cactus League start Wednesday against the White Sox.

Deploying mostly cutters and sliders, Eovaldi scattered five hits and one walk across his five scoreless frames while racking up four strikeouts. He has yet to allow a run through 10.1 innings this spring and boasts a 13:1 K:BB. The 33-year-old right-hander battled a side injury in the early part of camp but now looks fully ready to take his first scheduled turn in the Rangers' season-opening starting rotation. Texas signed Eovaldi to a two-year, $34 million contract in December.

Crawford has been scratched from Thursday's scheduled spring training start against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.

Instead of Crawford on the bump, it'll be Josh Winckowski who starts against Pittsburgh. No reason has been given as to why Crawford won't make the start, but the team should provide an update on the matter in the coming days. Both Crawford and Winckowski are battling for one of the final spots in Boston's rotation to open the season.

Brown (back) was scratched from his Grapefruit League start Wednesday against the Mets as a precaution, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown experienced some lower-back tightness while doing agility drills Tuesday in Astros camp and the team didn't want to risk an aggravation. The talented 24-year-old right-hander could perhaps fit in one final exhibition outing as he prepares to open the 2023 season as the No. 5 starter in Houston. There doesn't seem to be any current worry about an IL stint.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Wednesday that Sale will start the second game of the regular season April 1 in Boston versus the Orioles, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, Corey Kluber will get the Opening Day nod March 30, with Sale following the two-time Cy Young Award winner in the rotation. The 33-year-old left-hander has logged only 11 total major-league starts since the end of the 2019 campaign, but he's looked sharp this spring with nine strikeouts and only one walk through 10 innings of Grapefruit League action. Most importantly, Sale finally carries a clean bill of health.

Crawford will get the start for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.

Crawford will get the start, and Josh Winckowski will be the first arm out of the bullpen for the spring contest. Both hurlers are competing for the final spot the Red Sox rotation, and Crawford has made a strong case by generating a 2.03 ERA, 14:3 K:BB and 0.97 WHIP over 13 innings in Grapefruit League play. Whoever performs better during Thursday's game could ultimately be declared the winner of the job battle.

Berrios recorded five strikeouts while allowing one run over five-plus innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Orioles.

The only run Berrios allowed came on a solo homer by Terrin Vavra in the sixth. The right-hander scattered six hits and issued one free pass in the solid outing. Berrios disappointed in 2022 with a 5.23 ERA in his 172 innings over 32 starts, but the 28-year-old's previous success gives him a realistic chance for a bounce-back campaign in 2023.

Blackburn (finger) said that he will throw a flat-ground session Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Blackburn said that the fingernail avulsion on his pitching hand is healing well, but the Athletics have already ruled him out from being part of the Opening Day rotation. The team hasn't provided a concrete timetable for when Blackburn will be ready to return, but it's a positive sign he's resumed throwing.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Wednesday that Rucinski is a question mark for Opening Day due to left hamstring tightness, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not clear when Rucinski suffered the injury, but he'll miss his next Cactus League start, and his status for the beginning of the regular season is up in the air. Paul Blackburn (finger) has already been ruled out for Opening Day, so the Athletics' rotation depth could be tested early on. It's been a rough spring for Rucinski, as he posted a 6.97 ERA in three Cactus League outings before picking up the hamstring injury.