MLB Player News

The Rangers added Nicasio (back) to their 60-man roster pool Thursday.

Nicasio and Edinson Volquez both joined the 60-man pool, bringing the Rangers' total to 57 men. The 33-year-old made just two spring appearances before experiencing back tightness in early March. Nicasio recorded a 4.75 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 45:21 K:BB across 47.1 relief innings with the Phillies in 2019. As a non-roster invitee, he's not expected to have a spot in the Texas bullpen come Opening Day.

Cole has been keeping in shape, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is uncertain if the ace will be ready to throw 100 pitches by Opening Day, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Cole's uncertain workload is hardly cause for concern since most MLB starters are likely to be in a similar position after the long layoff, and given the limited time available to ramp up activity during summer camp. It's reasonable to expect the Yankees to be cautious with Cole given the money ($324 million) and time (nine years) invested in him during the offseason.

Medina will attend summer camp as part of the Yankees' 60-man player pool.

Medina is among the top pitching prospects in the organization, making his continued development a priority for the Yankees. The 21-year-old has yet to pitch beyond the High-A level, so it's unlikely he'll see any big-league playing time in 2020.

Schmidt will take part in the Yankees' summer camp as part of their 60-man player pool.

The designation comes as no surprise given Schmidt's status as one of the organization's top prospects. The right-hander had yet to be optioned to the minors when spring training was suspended, due in part to a strong showing in Grapefruit League play. While he's unlikely to begin the 2020 campaign on the active big-league roster, it's feasible Schmidt could be called upon if a need for a starter arises. The possibility also exists that Schmidt could be given a chance to contribute as a reliever at some point during the campaign.

Gil will take part in the Yankees' summer camp as part of the 60-man player pool.

Gil is on the team's 40-man roster, so his inclusion in the player pool makes sense despite the fact that he has yet to pitch above High-A ball. The right-hander will have a chance to further his development by training with the Yankees this season, though he's unlikely to be ready to make an impact at the big-league level.

General manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday that Paxton "has recovered" from back surgery and "appears game ready," Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

It sounds like Paxton will enter summer camp without any major restrictions after undergoing a microscopic lumbar discectomy in early February. This is not a huge surprise as the lefty was said to be back to full strength more than a month ago, though it's still nice to get confirmation. Hopefully we will get word from the Yankees as to how deep into games they may allow their starters to go the first few times through the rotation.

Urquidy has been added to the Astros' 60-man player pool and is the presumed frontrunner for the fourth-starter role, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Urquidy burst onto the radar following his recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery, showing increased velocity and better strikeout rates during 2019, his first full season following surgery.

McCullers has taken an aggressive approach during the shut down and is "... probably ahead of everybody ...," manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

Though McCullers was advocating against it, he was probably facing an innings limit during a full season, but with the 60-game season, he'll be under no such restrictions. Even before the surgery, McCullers carried plenty of injury risk, but this is one hurdle removed at least.

Manoah will be on the Blue Jays' 60-man roster.

Manoah was the selected by the Blue Jays with the 11th overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, and he recorded a 2.25 ERA and a 34:7 K:BB over seven starts in the minors last year. The 22-year-old will get to develop with the 60-man roster during the shortened 2020 season.

Greinke vowed to Astros pitching coach Brent Strom that he'll be ready for the season after two weeks of training, Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Rome's article brings up a good point -- not all pitchers will be on the same schedule. Greinke has previously been noteworthy for being self-analytical and well-prepared, so while it might be easy to dismiss as a little too self-confident, perhaps in his case it's not bravado.