MLB Player News

Ray's fastball averaged 96.2 mph and topped out at 98 mph Friday against the Tigers as he struck out seven and gave up one run on four hits and a walk over 5.1 innings, picking up the win, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

That velocity is up slightly from the average of 95.8 mph he recorded in his previous outing and up significantly from the 93.7 mph he averaged during his disastrous 2020 campaign. Few pitchers have a wider range of outcomes this season than Ray, who's recorded an ERA as low as 2.89 and struck out more than 31 percent of opposing batters in three straight years before falling flat last season, struggling to a 6.62 ERA and a 17.9 percent walk rate. If his spring numbers are any indication, he's set for one of his good seasons, posting an 18:5 K:BB and a 1.98 ERA through 13.2 Grapefruit League innings.

Sale is behind schedule in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and has yet to throw off a mound due to setbacks unrelated to his elbow, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on Friday.

Sale is a year removed from the procedure, at which point most pitchers have advanced to mound work. The southpaw isn't there yet, as he dealt with neck stiffness over the winter and then came down with COVID-19. While those setbacks might ultimately delay his timeline somewhat, it's certainly a positive that nothing has gone wrong with his arm thus far. Sale remains without a precise timeline for his return to game action.

Odorizzi will throw live batting practice Friday before making his spring debut Wednesday against Washington, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Odorizzi is locked into a rotation spot, but the fact that he didn't sign until early March means he may not have time to get up to speed by the start of the regular season. The Astros start the season with six straight games, so they'll need a fifth starter right away. They'll likely to use a spot starter for one of those games, but they'll then have four off days in the next 13 days, so Odorizzi could take as much time as he needs while only needing a replacement once.

Bubic was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

The 23-year-old was competing for a spot in Kansas City's starting rotation but will open the season in the minors. Bubic made his big-league debut for the Royals last season and had a 4.32 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 49:22 K:BB over 50.0 innings (10 starts).

Detmers is being considered for an Opening Day bullpen spot, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

It would be something of a surprise if Detmers did indeed break camp with the big-league team, as last year's canceled minor-league season prevented him from making his professional debut at any level after being selected 10th overall in the draft. He was an advanced college pitcher who was already reportedly under consideration to make his major-league debut last year, however, so there's seemingly a very real chance he debuts at some point this season, even if it's not on Opening Day.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Turnbull is out due to health and safety protocols, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear how long Turnbull will be away from the team, but his absence will presumably affect his throwing program, and Stavenhagen suggests it "could potentially throw a wrench in (the) plans for the Opening Day rotation."

Keuchel made his Cactus League debut Thursday and allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over 2.1 innings against the Royals.

Even though Thursday was a late debut, Keuchel was able to throw 54 pitches because the left-hander had thrown simulated games and bullpen sessions on the back fields. His first inning was rolled, and he was removed before returning for the start of the second inning. The results were not good, but they aren't as important as getting the work in. "Really, the only way to get volume in is kind of give up some base hits, ground balls, I gave up a hard hit, was consistently in the stretch. So I'm checking off all these boxes that I actually need to do to make it through six, seven innings a start in the regular season," he told Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Keuchel is set to start the second game of the regular season.

Flexen allowed six earned runs on nine hits and a walk over three innings in a Cactus League loss to the Angels on Wednesday. He struck out four.

The right-hander's spring ERA climbed to 10.13 across three starts with Wednesday's outing, which Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports included the first eight hitters in the Angels lineup coming to bat over the first inning-plus -- resulting in three runs -- due to Flexen's poor command. Flexen was ultimately pulled for a reliever in the second and then brought back out for the third inning, which allowed him to settle down some and finish on a high note with a strikeout. "Obviously Flex wasn't as sharp early in the game as he was in his first couple starts," said manager Scott Servais. "I give him credit for hanging in there. He did not have his best stuff or command but he'll learn from it and move forward."

Quintana has started four games this spring, tossing 9.2 scoreless innings and yielding only three hits while posting an 11:6 K:BB.

Aside from issuing a few too many walks, Quintana has been superb against Cactus League opponents, and he worked up to 70 pitches in his most recent outing Wednesday. The left-hander, who signed with the Angels on a one-year contract in the offseason, is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2020 campaign during which he hurled only 10 innings. He's currently slated to fill the No. 5 spot in the team's starting rotation.

Heaney hurled five scoreless innings in a Cactus League contest versus Milwaukee on Thursday, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight.

Heaney got through 4.1 frames before the Brewers notched their first hit, and the single was quickly wiped out by an inning-ending double play. The southpaw had his full arsenal working in the contest, racking up eight strikeouts and 18 swinging strikes, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Heaney entered the contest with only two strikeouts across 4.2 innings, though his last outing came in a B game that did not count toward his spring stats. The 29-year-old is slated to fill a role in the middle of the Angels' six-man rotation this season.