MLB Player News

McKenzie won't be asked to start before April 13 and may not be a true starter that day, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Previous reports indicated that McKenzie and Logan Allen had beaten out Cal Quantrill for Cleveland's final two rotation spots, but with three off days in the first eight days of April, the situation will be less than entirely clear at the start of the season. Allen is expected to make his season debut Monday against Kansas City, but McKenzie could be used as an opener in that contest. McKenzie might not even get the April 13 start, as that could go to Quantrill instead or to a combination of the two pitchers. McKenzie should still spend a portion of the season as a true starter, but his early usage may be emblematic of how cautiously he'll be used this season. That caution seems sensible, as McKenzie missed all of 2019 and a fair portion of 2018 with injuries, and he only threw 33.1 innings in last year's shortened season. His workload will undoubtedly be carefully monitored this year.

Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Rodriguez (arm) has a "pretty good chance" of opening the season on the 10-day injured list, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Boston had previously pushed Rodriguez off the Opening Day start after he experienced a case of dead arm late in camp, and though the lefty has since thrown a pair of bullpen sessions over the past three days, he doesn't look as though he'll be ready to go by the time the team first requires a fifth starter in next week's series with the Rays. Rodriguez doesn't seem to have experienced any setbacks in his recovery, but the Red Sox want him to face hitters in live batting practice or a simulated game before clearing him for his season debut. Even if he lands on the IL, Rodriguez shouldn't be sidelined for much longer than the 10-day minimum.

Houck allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.1 scoreless innings in Monday's spring game against Atlanta.

Houck, who was optioned to minor-league camp two weeks ago, may have been motivated by the news that he could open the regular season in Boston's rotation. He's had encouraging outings, like Monday's, along with a pair of walk-fests in which he permitted nine free passes in 3.1 innings. Those command issues led to his demotion, but circumstances have changed for the young right-hander. Eduardo Rodriguez's dead arm scratched him from an Opening Day nod while projected starter Garrett Richards and swingman Matt Andriese were quarantining. Now that Matt Barnes' positive result for COVID has been deemed a false positive, both Richards and Andriese are back with the team. If Richards is ready to go for his projected start Saturday, the possibility exists that Houck could take Rodriguez's first turn through the rotation.

Hill, who threw 63 pitches in a Grapefruit League win over the Orioles on Monday, will make his first regular-season start Saturday against the Marlins but work in tandem with Chris Archer, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Hill allowed three earned runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batsman during Monday's outing, but he came away pleased after seeing an increase in his fastball velocity and getting some swings and misses on his curve as well during his five frames. The veteran southpaw and Archer are likely to be separated and make conventional starts their second turns through the rotation according to manager Kevin Cash, but the tandem arrangement for Saturday's game could certainly affect Hill's ability to pitch long enough to qualify for a potential win.

Odorizzi allowed one unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out three over three innings in Monday's spring game against Washington.

Odorizzi, who was signed by the Astros after spring training started, is behind other starters. He ran his pitch count to 54 on Monday and is focused on getting ready for Houston's home-opening series beginning April 8, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. The right-hander will work on the backfields in simulated games over the next week to 10 days to build up for his season debut.

Urena allowed one run across 4.2 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He gave up one hit and five walks while striking out three.

The five walks are a little concerning, but it was otherwise a good start for Urena, who finishes spring training with a solid 1.93 ERA. The righty will open the season in Detroit's rotation, slotting in somewhere behind Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd.

Wells will break camp in the Orioles' bullpen, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

As a Rule 5 pick, Wells has to be kept on the roster all season or offered back to the Twins. He appears to have won his roster spot by merit, however, as he struck out 12 batters and walking just three in nine innings this spring, allowing one run on six hits.

Arihara will start the second game of the season Saturday in Kansas City, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Arihara is coming off something of a down season in Japan, with his ERA rising a full run to a still-solid 3.46 and his strikeout rate falling to 19.4 percent, but he's found himself with a team where starts shouldn't be hard to come by. The Rangers will open with just three true starters to begin the season, using tandem arrangements for the other two spots, but Arihara is one of the ones who will be relied upon to handle a starter's workload. He looked worthy of one this spring, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 11:1 K:BB in four starts.

Rodriguez (arm) threw another bullpen session Monday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Rodriguez was initially expected to start on Opening Day but was pushed back due to a dead arm. It's not particularly surprising that he'd be dealing with such an issue, as he missed all of last season after developing a heart condition during his battle with COVID-19. While the heart problem is no longer an issue, the Red Sox may have to handle him carefully for most of the season. It's not yet clear when he's expected to make his season debut.

Houck remains in contention to open the season as a member of the Red Sox rotation, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Houck appeared set to begin the season in the minors after he was optioned March 17, but the complexion of Boston's rotation has changed dramatically since then. Eduardo Rodriguez is working through a dead-arm phase that will prevent him from being available for Boston's season-opening series with the Orioles this weekend, while projected No. 3 starter Garrett Richards' status is uncertain while he's believed to be away from the team due to COVID-19-related concerns. Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez are scheduled to start two of the Red Sox's three games with Baltimore, but Houck -- who is pitching in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta -- is tentatively lined up to start Saturday versus the Orioles.