MLB Player News

Rodriguez (illness) was removed from the Red Sox's player pool Monday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The move is likely primarily procedural, as Rodriguez remains shut down from workouts until his heart inflammation (a result of his battle with coronavirus) subsides. His absence clears a space for Boston to add Robert Stock, who was claimed off waivers from the Phillies on Sunday. Rodriguez still hopes to pitch this season, but it remains unclear when it will be safe for him to do so.

Cease won't start Monday in Cleveland as the game has been postponed due to rain, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Tuesday. Cease will start the first game of the day, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Civale will not start Monday against the White Sox as scheduled, as the game was rained out, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Tuesday. Civale will start the first half of the twin bill, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Kluber was diagnosed with a Grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder Monday and will be placed on the injured list and shut down from throwing for at least four weeks.

Kluber left his season debut after just a single inning Sunday and didn't receive good news following an MRI after the game. As the four-week timeline covers just the period in which he'll be completely shut down, he'd presumably still be several weeks from returning to game action at that point even in a best-case scenario. In a season which lasts just two months, there seems to be a very real chance that he's already done for the year, though the Rangers have yet to completely rule him out at this point. Even if Kluber makes it back in action by season's end, his lengthy recovery timeline means that he will likely have to settle for a relief role if he does return, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway said Monday that Suarez (undisclosed) remains limited to playing catch off flat ground at the team's alternate training site in Long Beach, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Suarez reported to Long Beach on Sunday after missing all of summer camp with an unspecified issue. Though Suarez is believed to be healthy now, the Angels will have him proceed cautiously through the ramp-up process. Callaway said Suarez will need time to build up before he's even ready for mound work, so the young lefty is unlikely to warrant serious consideration to return from the injured list until around mid-August.

Javier is viewed as a potential candidate to take Justin Verlander's (forearm) spot in the rotation when a new fifth starter is first needed Wednesday against the Dodgers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Javier made the Astros' Opening Day roster as a member of the bullpen, but he had been stretched out as a starter during summer camp. Since he only covered one scoreless frame out of the bullpen in Saturday's win over the Mariners, he should be sufficiently rested and ready to handle the bulk of the innings Wednesday, if he's chosen to replace Verlander. McTaggart also notes that fellow long reliever Cy Sneed and top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley are other candidates to replace Verlander.

Dunn is scheduled to make his first start of the season Wednesday against the Angels, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, Dunn will begin the season as the Mariners' sixth starter after manager Scott Servais decided to expand the rotation due to the compressed schedule in the 60-game campaign. The 24-year-old will likely have his workload managed more carefully than the Mariners' other rotation members, but he should be a decent source of strikeouts on a per-inning basis after whiffing 28.6 percent of his opposing hitters he faced at the Double-A level in 2019.

Bielak was called up by the Astros on Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bielak will take the roster spot that had belonged to Justin Verlander, who hit the injured list with a forearm strain Sunday. Bielak had been in the rotation mix during camp but wound up losing out in that battle and opening the year off the active roster. It's not yet clear whether he'll be the one to take Verlander's spot in the rotation. The 24-year-old righty is yet to make his big-league debut and recorded a mediocre 4.41 ERA in 14 starts and one relief appearance for Triple-A Round Rock last season.

Teheran will throw approximately 55 pitches in three simulated innings at the Angels' secondary training site Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Teheran missed most of camp after testing positive for COVID-19, so he's understandably behind his teammates and remains on the injured list for now. Tuesday's session is expected to be his final one before joining the active roster, so he could make his Angels debut in about a week. He likely won't be able to handle a true starter's workload in his first few turns in the rotation, however.

Greinke allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 3.1 innings in Sunday's loss to the Mariners. He didn't factor into the decision.

Although Greinke struggled in his first start of 2020, he picked up a no-decision in Sunday's high-scoring contest. The 36-year-old will be leaned on as one of the most proven arms in the rotation in the coming weeks with Justin Verlander (forearm) set to miss time. Greinke posted a 2.93 ERA and 0.98 ERA over 208.2 innings in 33 starts with the Diamondbacks and Astros last season. He'll attempt to turn things around on the road Saturday against the Angels.