MLB Player News

Boyd tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. He walked two and struck out one.

Boyd made his Grapefruit League debut and was solid against a New York lineup that had most of its regulars. The lefty struggled with a 6.71 ERA and 1.48 WHIP last season, but he also acknowledged pitching through a hamstring injury and plantar fasciitis, which could have impacted his mechanics. If Boyd looks healthy and effective this spring, he could be primed for a bounceback 2021 campaign.

Kopech will be used in a multi-inning relief role to start the season, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Kopech has long been thought to have some relief risk, as fireballers with shaky command often wind up in the bullpen, especially if they have a history of injuries. He'll pitch in a relief role to start the year, but that appears to be primarily a way of managing his innings after Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2019 and an opt out took away his 2020 season. The fact that he'll be used in a multi-inning role seemingly indicates that the White Sox want him to be ready to start games at some point down the line this year, though a clear plan has not yet been provided by the team. Given his potential strikeout prowess, Kopech could still provide a fair amount of fantasy value in a multi-inning relief role.

Glasnow will no longer start Saturday's spring game against Atlanta after the game was canceled due to inclement weather, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Glasnow's fastball touched 100 mph multiple times during his Grapefruit League debut Monday, but his second start of spring training will be pushed back due to rain. It's not yet clear when the right-hander will make his next appearance.

Odorizzi signed a two-year contract with the Astros on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Odorizzi held out in free agency until he found the right deal, and he'll join Houston's rotation with Framber Valdez's (finger) status up in the air in 2021. The financial terms of the deal aren't yet known, but the contract includes a player option for 2023. The right-hander spent the past three seasons with the Twins but only made four starts in 2020 while battling various injuries. Odorizzi made 34 starts for Minnesota across the past two years and posted a 3.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 190:56 K:BB over 172.2 innings. Whether he has enough time to build up ahead of Opening Day remains to be seen.

Williamson has been invited to major-league spring training, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Williamson will join the team's major-league camp for the final few weeks of spring training, although he won't appear in any Cactus League games. He'll likely begin the regular season at the High-A or Double-A level after working with the big-league coaching staff this spring.

Hancock has been invited to major-league spring training, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Hancock wasn't at big-league camp over the first few weeks of spring training, but manager Scott Servais said Saturday that he'll join the major-league club for developmental purposes. The 21-year-old won't appear in any Cactus League games but will get to work with the major-league coaching staff prior to heading to the minors to begin the regular season. The sixth overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft impressed at the team's alternate training site last year.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Schmidt (elbow) is at least a week away from throwing, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Schmidt has been dealing with a minor extensor strain in his elbow to begin spring training, and the Yankees have been bringing him up slowly as a result. Although the team hasn't expressed significant concern regarding his injury, the right-hander likely won't be available for the first few weeks of the regular season.

Eovaldi, who had been scheduled to start Saturday, is having his next spring start pushed back to Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Boston manager Alex Cora was quick to point out this is not due to injury, but rather it was because Eovaldi missed a day of preparation for personal reasons, and the club wants to proceed with caution. Tuesday's start will be Eovladi's second Grapefruit League outing.

Rodriguez allowed one run on two hits while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring game against the Rays.

This was a big start for Rodriguez, who hadn't gone through a pre-game routine in nearly a year. He missed the shortened 2020 season with myocarditis that developed following a severe case of COVID-19. Other than a second-inning home run to Moises Gomez, the left-hander had little trouble navigating Tampa Bay's roster. He was planned to pitch three innings or 50 pitches and was pulled by manager Alex Cora as Rodriguez neared his pitch limit, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Rodriguez, who threw a two-inning simulated game last Sunday, became the first Boston starter to make a progression by pitching into a third inning. He was pleased with his cutter and breaking ball.

Whitley threw a simulated game and, per manager Dusty Baker, "came up sore," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Baker did not disclose any other details on Whitley's status, but this report certainly provides reason for concern, and it will presumably alter Whitley's throwing program to some degree.