MLB Player News

Rodriguez (arm) is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

The Red Sox announced Friday that the left-hander was pushed back from starting Opening Day after experiencing a dead arm period, and Saturday's bullpen session should provide a better picture of his early-season outlook. Rodriguez is without a timeline for his return, but a strong bullpen session could allow him to avoid the injured list to begin the season.

Manoah struck out four over two perfect innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

It's a bit of a step down in competition from dominating Yankees regulars, but Manoah continues to mow down whoever he's faced this spring, The 23-year-old was never in contention for a spot on the Opening Day roster given his limited pro experience, but Manoah has opened a lot of eyes with his 0.00 ERA and 15:0 K:BB through seven Grapefruit League innings, and a 2021 big-league debut isn't out of the question if he keeps dealing in the high minors.

Matz gave up two runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. He struck out three.

The southpaw got stretched out to 81 pitches (55 strikes) and he appears just about ready for Opening Day. Matz had a shaky track record with the Mets, but he's posted a 1.76 ERA and 15:2 K:BB over 15.1 innings this spring, and the Jays are counting on him to provide some consistent innings from the back half of the rotation in 2021.

Urena has officially won a spot in the Tigers' rotation, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Urena made just five starts last season and didn't look good, struggling to a 15:13 K:BB and 5.40 ERA with the Marlins. He owns a 1.93 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 9.1 innings so far this spring, though his 2:4 K:BB tells a different story. It's tough to get very excited about him for fantasy purposes, as he owns a career 4.60 ERA and 15.9 percent strikeout rate.

Mize has officially won a spot in the Tigers' rotation, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Mize didn't look particularly impressive in his seven-start debut last season, struggling to a 6.99 ERA while striking out a modest 19.5 percent of opposing batters and walking 9.8 percent. That shouldn't put too big of a dent in the excitement surrounding the 2018 first overall pick, though it does give reason to think he may not live up to his considerable potential right away. Michael Fulmer will open the season in the bullpen to clear a rotation spot for Mize.

Eovaldi has been named the new starter for Opening Day against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Eduardo Rodriguez was previously given the honor, but his start to the season has been pushed back while he deals with a dead arm period. Eovaldi will instead receive the Opening Day nod rather than starting the second game of the season Saturday as previously expected. The 31-year-old is coming off a strong 2020 campaign in which he posted a 3.72 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 52:7 K:BB over 48.1 innings.

Rodriguez won't start Opening Day against Baltimore as previously scheduled after experiencing a "dead arm" period, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The 27-year-old battled his command during his last spring start Monday, and his struggles apparently stemmed from the dead arm issue. Rodriguez skipped his most recent bullpen session to get extra rest but may be able to retake the mound within the next couple days. The left-hander could slot into the back end of the rotation without actually missing a turn to open the season. Nathan Eovaldi will instead start Opening Day for Boston.

Perez allowed five runs (none earned) on five hits while striking out four in Thursday's spring game against Minnesota.

He was victimized by fielding errors from Michael Chavis and Rafael Devers, but pitchers are still expected to work around such things. Perez did manage to throw more strikes in this outing after the left-hander walked five during his previous Grapefruit League start. The southpaw will be Boston's No. 4 starter to begin the season, but inconsistency plus command and hard contact issues have bedeviled him since his MLB debut in 2012.

Bielak allowed two hits and two walks while striking out three over four scoreless innings in Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

This was likely Bielak's final appearance during Grapefruit League play. While he allowed eight runs over 16 spring innings, the right-hander finished strong with two runs allowed in nine innings across the last two outings. He's expected to help the Astros get through the first couple of turns of the rotation, as Jake Odorizzi, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier are not stretched out enough to go deep into games.

Urquidy struck out four over five perfect innings in Thursday's spring game against the Cardinals.

There's not much more than can be written than "five perfect innings." While spring starts should be viewed in context, Urquidy was pleased with the outing, per Ryan Herrera of the Houston Chronicle reports. "My stuff was very good," the pitcher said. "Trying to command all my stuff on the corners, up in the zone, some offspeed on the floor, and I was very focused on doing that. I think this outing was very good for me." After giving up six runs and eight hits over his first eight Grapefruit League innings, Urquidy enters the regular season on a huge positive note. The right-hander is locked into the rotation and is one of three Houston starters stretched out heading into April. He joins Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers at the top of the rotation, while a mix of Bryan Abreu, Brandon Bielak, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier is expected to get the team through the first two turns of the rotation.