MLB Player News

The Angels list Sandoval as their sixth starter on the season-opening 30-man roster.

Meanwhile, Sandoval's top competition for the final rotation spot, Felix Pena, is listed as a member of the bullpen, effectively confirming that the former will break camp with a starting role. Sandoval's positive COVID-19 test result in late June delayed his arrival at summer camp, but the lefty was able to make up enough ground in the job battle and wrapped up the Angels' exhibition slate by working three innings (51 pitches) and giving up five runs in a loss to the Padres. Look for Sandoval to be limited to around 75 pitches in his first turn of the regular season, which is expected to come July 29 at home versus the Mariners.

Rodriguez (COVID-19) has been shut down from all baseball activities, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Boston's medical staff discovered some minor complications related to Rodriguez's recovery from the coronavirus. The southpaw is apparently testing negative for the virus, but his body has not physically recovered. He threw a bullpen session Saturday and Roenicke is confident that Rodriguez will be able to pitch at some point in 2020. Boston will have to mix and match this season for the final two spots in the rotation, as they lack healthy, quality starting options in those spots.

According to manager Bob Melvin, Luzardo will "for sure" be ready to come out of the bullpen as early as the second game of the regular season Saturday and could be utilized in high-leverage situations, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander continues to play catch-up after a delayed arrival to summer camp, and he was slated for another bullpen session Thursday. However, Melvin's comments confirm fans and fantasy managers won't have to wait long to see Luzardo in action once the regular season begins. Meanwhile, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports Melvin didn't even officially rule out using Luzardo in Friday's Opening Night game, and that he ideally would like to have the southpaw open an inning his first time out as opposed to having him inherit a high-leverage situation midway through a frame.

Chirinos is slated to throw live batting practice Thursday for the first time since arriving in summer camp, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash went on record earlier in the week regarding Chirinos' expected readiness for the start of the season despite the pitcher's delayed arrival in summer camp. Thursday will be another step toward validating Cash's statement, as it will give the Rays skipper a more concrete idea of what type of workload the right-hander may be capable of tolerating in his first couple of appearances, be those conventional starts or "piggyback" assignments in tandem with Trevor Richards.

The Blue Jays placed Anderson (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Anthony Kay earned a spot on the Blue Jays' 30-man Opening Day rotation and is expected to step into the rotation as a replacement for Anderson, who has since resumed throwing off a mound after straining his right oblique just under two weeks ago. Anderson will probably need more than a week to ramp up to a starter's workload, so the Blue Jays will likely need to fill his turn in the rotation at least two times.

The Orioles placed Means (arm) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde already ruled Means out for the team's season-opening series this weekend in Boston, though the skipper was optimistic the southpaw would be able to pitch at some point in next week's four-game series in the Miami. The move to the IL now takes that off the table, as Means' stint won't be backdated to when he first suffered the injury in summer camp, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. As a result, Means will miss at least two turns through the rotation, and he'll likely need to complete a bullpen session and/or a live batting practice session without discomfort before his activation is considered.

Manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday that Sandoval (illness) has a "good shot" of opening the season in the six-man rotation, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander started Wednesday's exhibition game against the Friars and got tagged for five runs on six hits over three frames, but Maddon has apparently liked what he's seen in summer training. Sandoval was late to camp after testing positive for COVID-19, but the delayed start doesn't appear to have significantly impacted his path to a rotation spot. The 23-year-old made his big-league debut in 2019 and had a 5.03 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 10 outings.

Odorizzi (back) will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The 30-year-old was lifted from his scheduled start in Sunday's intrasquad game due to mild back soreness, and he'll end up missing at least the first turn through the rotation. Odorizzi isn't expected to require a significant stay on the injured list and could join the rotation during the latter half of next week. The Twins have a scheduled off day Monday, so the team wouldn't require an additional starter if he can return next week.

Turnbull will start Sunday's series finale against the Reds.

Matthew Boyd and Ivan Nova will take the mound for the first two games of the season, while Turnbull opens the season as the No. 3 starter. The 27-year-old completed his first full season in the majors last season and had a 4.61 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 146:59 K:BB over 148.1 innings.

Manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Civale will open the season as Cleveland's No. 4 starter, with the right-hander's first turn through the rotation coming July 27 at home versus the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Civale was optioned to Triple-A Columbus in late March, but that transaction was likely only executed for roster-management purposes and has since been reversed following MLB's four-plus-month shutdown. The 25-year-old unsurprisingly prevailed in his battle with Zach Plesac and Adam Plutko for one of the two remaining openings in the Cleveland rotation, punctuating his summer camp Wednesday by striking out six Pirates in five innings of two-run ball. Despite his modest profile as a prospect entering 2019, Civale proceeded to impress at two levels and continued to thrive upon getting the call to the majors. In his 10 starts, Civale submitted a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while allowing only four home runs in 57.2 innings.