MLB Player News

Teheran (illness) completed a bullpen session Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old was cleared to join team workouts over the weekend after previously missing game due to COVID-19, so he still has some work to do before reaching game readiness. Teheran figures to remain on the COVID-19 injured list to start the season, and he is scheduled to throw two innings during his next bullpen session. Given the lack of buildup, he'll likely won't enter the rotation before the first week of August.

Valdez is scheduled to start Tuesday's series opener against the Dodgers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 26-year-old and Brandon Bielak were competing for the final rotation spot during summer camp, but Valdez was able to secure the job. Valdez had a 5.86 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 70.2 innings at the major-league level last season, and he may not have a long leash if he struggles again during the shortened season. Jose Urquidy (undisclosed) and Austin Pruitt (elbow) aren't available to start the season but figure to be options for the rotation eventually, and Bielak could also remain a factor.

Anderson (oblique) completed a successful bullpen session Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It's the first time the 32-year-old has thrown off a mound since suffering the oblique injury 10 days ago, so it's a significant step in his recovery. Anderson is beginning the season on the injured list, but manager Charlie Montoyo doesn't expect him to be sidelined for long. Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki and Nate Pearson are in the mix to round out the starting rotation while Anderson remains on the shelf.

Manager Aaron Boone said Montgomery will start the Yankees' sixth game of the season July 29 in Philadelphia, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Montgomery was optioned earlier in the week to give the Yankees additional roster flexibility to start the season, but he's expected to rejoin the team ahead of his scheduled start against the Phillies. The southpaw was limited to just two appearances in 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he looked sharp during camp and isn't expected to face any restrictions during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Rodriguez (illness) could build up to a full workload during major-league games, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Rodriguez was unable to report to camp until Saturday after battling COVID-19. He was reportedly hit fairly hard by the virus, putting him understandably well behind his teammates in his preparation for the upcoming season. He's still on the COVID-19 injured list even though he's been cleared to work out, but while he may remain there at the start of the regular season, the Red Sox appear willing to bring him back for some short starts before he's fully built up his pitch count.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Means (arm) has a "really good chance" to pitch during Baltimore's second series of the season, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Means was originally scheduled to start the team's season opener against Boston on Friday before getting sidetracked by arm fatigue. Fortunately, it doesn't sound like the issue will keep the lefty sidelined too long; as it appears he's on track to rejoin the rotation sometime during Baltimore's four-game series against the Marlins, which begins Monday.

Cobb will start in Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Cobb had a locked-in rotation spot for the shortened 2020 season, and he'll start behind Tommy Milone in the team's opening series. The 32-year-old dealt with back and hip injuries in 2019 that limited him to just three starts all season, but he appears to be back to full health heading into this season. Over 31 starts in the last two seasons with the Orioles, Cobb has 5-17 record with a 5.36 ERA and 110:45 K:BB over 164.2 innings.

Odorizzi (back) is not listed as one of the Twins' projected starters for their first series of the season against the White Sox, which begins Friday.

Odorizzi was scratched from his scheduled intrasquad start Sunday due to what was called mild upper-back stiffness. There hasn't been an indication that the issue is worse than originally anticipated, but he at the very least won't take the mound until Tuesday against the Cardinals. The Twins get an off day Monday, so they can go with just four starters for their first time through the rotation if necessary.

Singer will make his MLB debut Saturday against Cleveland, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Singer will be arriving quite quickly after being selected 18th overall in the 2018 draft. He didn't pitch at all that year but made 26 starts at the High-A and Double-A levels last season, cruising to a 2.85 ERA. He showed good control, walking just 6.4 percent of opposing batters, though his 22.5 percent strikeout rate doesn't pop off the page. He relies on his sinker and slider to generate high groundball rates and keep his ERA down, which could eventually make him a high-floor option in the Royals' pitcher-friendly home park, but he's risky for now considering he's yet to even pitch at the Triple-A level.

Gibson is scheduled to start the fourth game of the season, Tuesday, July 28, against the Diamondbacks.

Gibson had a final tuneup Tuesday when he allowed five runs on six hits and struck out four over five innings. Normally a premier groundball pitcher, Gibson surrendered three home runs during the start. "I think the ball was up just a little bit," Gibson told Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News. "In some of the situations with the home runs, I probably threw the wrong pitch at the wrong time, probably the ones they were looking for. They took some really good swings on pitches that were actually located pretty good." Much of the talk about the Rangers' new stadium, Globe Life Field, centered around its spaciousness and not being conducive to home run hitters, but that was not evident Tuesday.