MLB Player News

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch informed Skubal on Wednesday that he will be included on the Opening Day roster, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Though Hinch hasn't explicitly said that Skubal will open the season in a starting role, the 24-year-old lefty likely would have been optioned to the minors if Detroit didn't have a spot in the rotation open for him. With Spencer Turnbull set to begin the season on the COVID-19 injured list and Michael Fulmer having been shifted to a bullpen role in his last spring appearance, Skubal is expected to be part of a five-man rotation that includes Matthew Boyd, Jose Urena, Casey Mize and Julio Teheran. Skubal posted a 5.63 ERA and gave up nine home runs in just 32 innings in 2020, but his 19.4 K-BB% was an excellent mark for a rookie pitcher.

Turnbull won't be available for the start of the regular season after the Tigers announced Wednesday that he will be placed on the COVID-19 injured list, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Turnbull has been away from the Tigers since the weekend due to COVID-19 protocols and doesn't appear on track to rejoin the club before the end of camp, so Detroit won't be counting on him to fill a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Provided Turnbull isn't dealing with severe symptoms of the virus -- if he's even tested positive -- he likely won't miss extended time, though he still may need a week or two to get his arm reconditioned for starting duty once he clears all protocols. His absence to begin the season will open up a spot in the rotation for non-roster invitee Julio Teheran (back), who was informed Wednesday that he had made the team.

The Tigers selected Teheran's (back) contract Wednesday and added him to the 40-man and active rosters.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch informed Teheran on Wednesday that he secured a spot in the Opening Day rotation after the non-roster invitee following four impressive appearances in Grapefruit League play. Over 11 innings, Teheran posted a 2.45 ERA and 0.64 WHIP while racking up 15 strikeouts. Detroit opened up a spot for Teheran on the roster and in the rotation by placing Spencer Turnbull on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move. Turnbull isn't expected to be in store for a lengthy absence, so Teheran may need to pitch well in his first start or two with Detroit to strengthen his case for holding down a rotation spot when the Tigers' pitching staff is back to full strength.

Lyles secured a spot as a tandem starter after allowing one run on three hits over four innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Angels, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers have three traditional starters and will use a pair of multi-inning pitchers apiece to fill out the final two rotation slots. The tandems will likely be made up of a right-hander and left-hander, so Lyles is expected to be paired with a lefty such as Wes Benjamin, Taylor Hearn or Kolby Allard. "You just see by his body language, tempo and everything that [Lyles] feels really good about his stuff right now," manager Chris Woodward said. "He's got four-plus pitches right now that he feels really confident with." It's unclear how Woodward plans to order each pitcher in the tandem or how many innings each hurler will be scheduled to throw on a given day. This could impact a starter's ability to throw enough innings (five) to qualify for a win.

The Astros and McCullers are engaged in talks to extend the pitcher beyond the 2021 season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations described the team's offer as "strong" and characterized the talks as "deep." McCullers is slated to make $6.5 million in 2021, the final year under his current contract with Houston. The Astros face looming uncertainty in their rotation. Both Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander (elbow) can walk after the 2021 campaign, so locking in McCullers would provide a veteran leader for what could be a young starting staff in 2022.

Keuchel allowed one hit and struck out three over four scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.

Keuchel made quick work of the crosstown rivals, dispatching the Cubs in just 41 pitches. He had been scheduled to throw 65, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. This was his second outing and much different from his Cactus League debut, when he had an inning rolled and allowed five runs in 2.1 innings against Kansas City. "Endurance-wise I felt a lot better today. I didn't really taper off like I did five days ago, so that's a check off at the bottom," Keuchel said. The left-hander is scheduled for one more spring start before pitching the second game of the regular season.

Dunn's Wednesday outing against the Cubs will represent his final spring opportunity to make a case for the No. 6 role in the starting rotation, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Dunn will pitch a day ahead of his primary competitor for the job, Nick Margevicius. Dunn has arguably been narrowly outperformed by his teammate, as he's offset a solid 3.52 ERA with some trademark control issues that have led to six walks. Kramer notes that whichever pitcher loses the job battle will still be slated for starts at some point, considering innings will be monitored carefully across the rotation, especially early in the season.

Skubal allowed two earned runs across four innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He gave up five hits and five walks while striking out three.

This was Skubal's worst outing of the spring, as he hadn't allowed a run in any of his previous appearances, but at least he was able to limit the damage despite allowing a ton of baserunners. The young lefty has probably done enough to earn a rotation spot, though the Tigers have some decisions to make with Skubal as well as Casey Mize, Michael Fulmer and Julio Teheran all battling for spots behind Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull.

Luzardo fired 4.1 scoreless innings in a Cactus League tie with the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowing three hits and a walk while recording three strikeouts.

Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Luzardo stuck mostly to fastballs and changeups while getting into the fifth inning, which the young left-hander labeled "huge." Luzardo has now put together scoreless efforts in two of his three spring starts; his final tune-up for the regular season could come in a simulated game, according to manager Bob Melvin.

Glasnow utilized the slider he's been working on developing this spring with great effectiveness during an 85-pitch outing in an intrasquad game Monday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. "Today was by far the best day my slider's been -- like, by a million," Glasnow said. "So I'm super comfortable with it. ... And it was just easier to throw for strikes, too. Just like a little shift, pretty easy, so I'm encouraged by it."

The Opening Day starter also received accolades from pitching coach Kyle Snyder for his fastball, changeup and curveball, but the slider stood out due to the low-90s velocity Glasnow achieved with it following a tweak on his grip. The pitch also displayed more horizontal movement Monday than it had during a recent start against Atlanta, and Glasnow will have one more chance to refine it ahead of the regular season in his final Grapefruit League start Saturday.