MLB Player News

Urena (forearm) arrived at camp Thursday but still has to going through intake protocols before joining his teammates, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Urena was briefly delayed by travel issues but should still have time to build up for the start of the regular season. He's likely to be a member of the Tigers' rotation to open the year, though he'll have to prove his health in camp, as he fractured his forearm in late September.

Bieber has tested positive for COVID-19, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Bieber reportedly experienced mild symptoms following his positive test and is a late arrival to camp as a result. However, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was hopeful that the right-hander will be able to join the team at spring training in the coming days.

Glasnow has been working on a new pitch which he described as a slider or cutter, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Glasnow has almost exclusively used a fastball and a curveball over the last two seasons, throwing the two pitches over 95 percent of the time in both years while turning to his changeup very infrequently. He's turned into a very strong pitcher using mainly just those two offerings, but another option to keep hitters guessing could elevate him to a new level. Of course, the mere fact that Glasnow is working on the pitch doesn't imply that it will turn into a high-quality weapon.

Severino (elbow) has played catch from 120 feet and should advance to mound work within the next few weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Severino continues to make progress as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in February of 2020. He appears to be still on track to return sometime late this summer, though the Yankees have yet to offer a more precise timeline.

Hill's one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Rays was made official Wednesday after the two sides agreed to terms Friday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Deemed an "A-plus competitor" by Rays general manager Erik Neander, Hill is believed to be an integral part of the team's back-end rotation plans this season after Tampa dealt Blake Snell to the Padres and saw Charlie Morton sign with the Braves. Despite his extensive injury history, Hill demonstrated he had plenty left in the tank last season with the Twins, posting a 2-2 record, 3.03 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across eight starts after going a combined 39-19 with a 3.00 ERA and 517 strikeouts over 437.1 innings in the previous four seasons (83 starts).

Rodriguez is a "full go" to start camp according to manager Alex Cora, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The news is great to hear following a rather scary 2020 season for Rodriguez. He developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, as a result of COVID-19, making it too risky for him to exercise in any capacity, let alone play professional baseball. He's seemingly made a full recovery and should have plenty of time to ramp up for Opening Day, though exactly where his stuff sits after a year away from the mound remains to be seen.

Sale's elbow remains on track in his recovery from Tommy John surgery despite a setback in his rehab due to neck stiffness, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Sale had been planning on throwing a bullpen by the end of January, but the neck setback means he's still yet to do so. The delay presumably pushes back his overall timeline, though he doesn't appear to have a clear one. He underwent the procedure back in March of last year, so a typical recovery timeline would place his return to game action sometime in the middle of the upcoming season.

Texas manager Chris Woodward expects Arihara to be part of the rotation in 2021, Kenndi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Woodward sketched out his rotation Wednesday, noting Arihara, Mike Foltynewicz and Kyle Gibson are expected to be part of it. Beyond that, Kyle Cody, Dane Dunning and Jordan Lyles will be in the mix. The 28-year-old Arihara posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 106 strikeouts and 30 walks over 132.2 innings for Nippon of Japan Pacific League in 2020.

Dunning will not pitch more than 200 innings this season, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Texas manager Chris Woodward did not specify an innings limit for Dunning or Kyle Cody, but he said neither hurler will reach 200. The Rangers are taking a conservative approach with Dunning, who underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in March of 2019 and threw only 34 innings in 2020. The manager added that Kohei Arihara, Kyle Gibson and Mike Foltynewicz are set as starters. Beyond that, the rotation is not yet solidified, though Dunning is expected to be part of the rotation in 2021.

Schmidt could be competing for a rotation spot during spring training, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

Though Deivi Garcia is likely the favorite to land the fifth-starter role, manager Aaron Boone's indication Wednesday that he foresees a competition for the spot opens the door for Schmidt to challenge for the honor with a strong showing this spring. Schmidt allowed five earned runs over 6.1 innings in his first taste of the big leagues last season.