MLB Player News

Houck allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against Atlanta.

Houck was overpowering Wednesday, a complete reversal of his first Grapefruit League outing, in which he walked five and retired just two batters. His fastball routinely hit 96-97 mph on the radar, per Ian Browne of MLB.com, well above the 92 he showed last season. "I saw him pitch last year, and I noticed he was 92, 93," manager Alex Cora said. "With his movement, I thought that was good enough. But now, you see 96, 97, it's eye-opening." Throwing strikes consistently and attacking the zone will be the mission going forward for Houck, who is expected to start the season at Triple-A Worcester.

Urquidy allowed three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out three over 2.1 innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Marlins.

Urquidy got up to 45 pitches (32 strikes) and pitched into the third inning, putting him on the same schedule as the other starters. He told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that he intends to throw more curveballs in 2021, and Urquidy featured that offering during Wednesday's contest (12 of his 45 pitches). Urquidy's curve was the least used of his four pitches (11.9 percent) in 2020.

Cease is the scheduled starter for Monday's game against the Cubs, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cease, who threw a live batting practice session on the team's off day Wednesday, will be making his Cactus League debut when he faces the White Sox's crosstown rivals. His spring activity has been limited to bullpen sessions and a three-inning simulated game in which he worked on fixing mechanical flaws in his delivery.

Cobb pitched three innings in Wednesday's Cactus League contest against Cleveland, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four.

According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Cobb's velocity hit 94 mph during the exhibition outing, a slight bump over his average velocity last season. That bodes well for the right-hander's attempt to bounce back after a trio of subpar campaigns. Cobb appears in line for the final spot in the Angels' six-man rotation, but his fantasy value is limited by an unexciting skillset that includes a lack of strikeouts.

Suarez is being stretched out as a starter during spring training and is also being looked at as a bullpen option, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Suarez has struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings thus far in Cactus League play, though he has also allowed five baserunners and two runs. The southpaw is a longshot for a rotation role to open the campaign, so he could start the season in the big-league bullpen or as a starter in the minors. Suarez hasn't had much success as a major-leaguer so far, posting a 7.99 ERA and 1.78 WHIP across 83.1 innings, primarily as a starter.

Sandoval is being stretched out as a starter during spring training, but he is also being considered for a big-league bullpen role, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sandoval has looked superb in Cactus League play thus far, throwing six scoreless innings and racking up nine strikeouts. However, there may not be room in the rotation for the left-hander, even with manager Joe Maddon committed to a six-man starting staff. Should Sandoval break camp with the club, he could function as a multiple-inning relief option with the ability to step into the rotation if the need arises. He could also start off the campaign logging innings in the minors, though Sandoval seems to be reducing the likelihood of that scenario with his strong start this spring.

Boyd allowed one run across three innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He gave up three hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Boyd is off to a solid start this spring, allowing just one run through five innings with four strikeouts. It would be nice to see the lefty begin generating more strikeouts in his upcoming Grapefruit League starts, as his K/9 fell to 9.0 last season after sitting at 11.6 in 2019. If Boyd can get the whiffs back up, he should be able to maintain fantasy value even if he struggles with his ratios and wins.

Whitley will undergo Tommy John surgery, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Whitley was told by a doctor over the weekend that he'd require Tommy John surgery, and manager Dusty Baker revealed Wednesday that he received a second opinion that confirmed the prognosis. Whitley won't pitch until 2022 as a result, and the right-hander has thrown just 86 innings since the start of the 2018 campaign due to a suspension and various injuries.

Ryu faced hitters in an intrasquad game Wednesday at the Blue Jays' spring training facility, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Though he has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, Ryu remains on schedule with his build-up program for the regular season. As is the case for many veteran starters around the league, Ryu is simply getting his arm conditioned on the back fields at the spring facility, giving the Jays' lesser established pitchers the chance to showcase their skills in the Grapefruit League. Toronto has yet to name an Opening Day starter, but Ryu is the leading candidate to get the ball April 1 against the Yankees after compiling a 2.69 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 67 innings in his inaugural season in Toronto.

Stripling worked two scoreless frames Wednesday versus the Orioles in his Grapefruit League debut. He scattered three hits and issued no walks while striking out two.

Stripling's control was on point throughout the afternoon, as he peppered in 28 of his 38 pitches for strikes, per Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star. Though Stripling worked as a swingman for the Blue Jays last season upon coming over from the Dodgers at the trade deadline, Toronto team president Mark Shapiro said Tuesday that he projects the right-hander to begin the 2021 campaign as a member of the rotation, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Stripling's hold on a starting role could slip once Nate Pearson (groin) is fully healthy, however.