MLB Player News

Garcia allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against Washington.

Garcia gave the Astros length on a day when starter Jake Odorizzi lasted just three outs. The highlight of his outing was an immaculate fifth inning, when he struck out the side on nine pitches. Garcia, a potential starter for Houston in 2020, had been slowed during spring training while spending time in COVID-19 quarantine. With Odorizzi unlikely to be part of the rotation early in the season and Cristian Javier not yet stretched out, Garcia could be a rotation presence the first few weeks of April.

Odorizzi allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over one inning in Wednesday's spring game against Washington.

Odorizzi made his spring debut, and it was ugly. He ceded four home runs and got just two outs in the first inning before being pulled. He went back out to start the second but retired one batter and gave up back-to-back homers. Odorizzi had been scheduled to throw three innings, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. The right-hander shook off the outing and will prepare for his next appearance. "Overall, (I'm) healthy, checked the box, got the pitch count up, and we'll move on to the next one," Odorizzi said. He was signed as a free agent to replace Framber Valdez (finger) in the rotation, but Odorizzi is not expected to be ready early in the season.

Lynn allowed three runs on five hits while striking out four over five innings in Wednesday's spring game against Oakland.

Lynn threw 74 pitches (52 strikes) in his fifth Cactus League start, the first outing he's gotten up and down five times. He's scheduled to throw six innings March 29, but the White Sox don't have a game scheduled, so there will be some type of controlled environment, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. At that time, Lynn said he'll throw 85-90 pitches, so Chicago's projected No. 3 starter will be in shape for his first turn of the regular season.

Flexen fired five scoreless innings in a Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, allowing three hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts.

Coming off an outing in which he'd allowed six earned runs across just three innings, Tuesday's effort was equivalent to a sigh of relief for Flexen, who's being counted on as the No. 5 starter. The right-hander worked up to 69 pitches, throwing 47 for strikes in a crisp start that was his first of four this spring where he didn't surrender multiple earned runs.

Detmers was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday.

The 2020 first-round pick was in consideration for a spot in the bullpen for Opening Day, but it's not much of a surprise to see him sent down considering he's yet to make a professional appearance at any level. Detmers could very well make his major-league debut this season, but he'll have to start the campaign in the minors.

Dunning earned a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old apparently showed enough in camp with two runs allowed and a 5:3 K:BB over 8.1 innings to nab a place on the Opening Day roster. Dunning's exact role remains unclear, but he could be utilized as a tandem starter to begin the season, especially with Taylor Hearn and Wes Benjamin also making the roster.

Allard was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Rangers last season and posted a 7.75 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 32:20 K:BB over 33.2 innings and won't open 2021 on the big-league roster. Allard was mentioned this spring as a candidate to be part of a piggyback tandem rather than serve as a traditional starter, though he figures to be part of the rotation at Triple-A.

Kluber's velocity has been down this spring, but the right-hander isn't worried about the decline, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Kluber's velocity has reportedly been in the 90-92 mph range in spring training, per Rivera. That's down from the 93-94 mph mark he displayed during his peak but not much off from the 92.0 mph average velocity he posted during his last healthy season. Kluber has never been among the league's fastest throwers, so a drop in velocity may not impact him as much as it would other hurlers. So far this spring, the 34-year-old has registered a strong 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB across 9.2 innings.

Urena allowed one run across 4.2 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He gave up five hits and a walk with no strikeouts.

Urena has made three appearances this spring and has allowed just two earned runs across 9.1 innings. The righty only has two strikeouts, but that's never been a particular strong suit, so he's unlikely to help fantasy managers in that category. However, Urena should at least be locked into a rotation spot with the Tigers and make plenty of starts.

McCullers and the Astros agreed to terms Wednesday on a five-year contract extension, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports. The contract is worth $85 million and keeps McCullers on the books through 2026, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

McCullers will be rewarded for staging a successful comeback in 2020 after Tommy John surgery sidelined him for all of 2019. Over his 11 starts with Houston last season, he re-established himself as a capable No. 2 or 3 option in the rotation by submitting a 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB in 55 innings. He'll give the Astros some longer-term stability near the top of the rotation with Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander (elbow) both headed for free agency next winter.