MLB Player News

Keller gave up 11 runs in 6.2 innings this spring, but he finished on a strong note in his third and final start, Jesse Borek of MLB.com reports.

He tossed four innings and allowed one run on five hits while walking one and striking out three during his first outing throwing to Salvador Perez since 2018. Keller mentioned how much he enjoyed having Perez behind the dish and was encouraged by how well he threw his slider in his final outing of the spring. Keller and Danny Duffy are the top two candidates to take the ball on Opening Day.

Lynch, who was sent to minor-league camp before the hiatus, will likely open the year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

He dominated in the Arizona Fall League and was in line for a promotion to Double-A last season before he missed a couple months with arm soreness. Considered to be the Royals pitching prospect with the highest ceiling, Lynch is a 6-foot-6 lefty with a big fastball and plus slider. He gave up one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings this spring before getting reassigned.

Bubic will likely open the year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

He gave up four earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over 3.1 innings this spring. According to Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs, Bubic was sitting in the upper 80s with his fastball at times while touching 93 mph in a March 8 outing against the White Sox. This is important to factor in when looking at Bubic's eye-popping stats from 2019. He is a lefty with a plus changeup and average curveball, and that is often more than enough to flummox low-level hitters. While his statistics make him seem like a pitcher with a high ceiling, his stuff is more in line with a back-end starter.

Singer was a candidate to win the fifth starter's spot before spring training was postponed, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

While the team's other top pitching prospects (Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch) were already sent to minor-league camp before the hiatus, Singer was still competing for a rotation spot. He gave up three earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings this spring. Manager Mike Matheny said Singer would have to prove he was the obvious option for the fifth starter's spot, as the young righty has still never pitched at Triple-A. Singer is a sinker/slider type who relies on generating weak contact. His changeup is a distant third pitch, but so far that has not slowed his climb through the minors -- he skipped Low-A altogether, needed just 10 starts at High-A, and logged a 3.47 ERA in 16 starts at Double-A.

Canning (elbow) may be able to resume throwing sometime next week, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Canning received a platelet-rich plasma injection March 6, but had to wait four weeks until throwing again. That would put him in line to start ramping up as early as April 3, though no specifics were given by general manager Billy Eppler. Canning had complained of elbow discomfort -- the original cause of his shut down -- but the team has consistently maintained there is no structural damage, and he is reportedly feeling well in his recovery.

Faedo will likely start the 2020 season in the rotation at Triple-A Toledo, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

With Joey Wentz undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this month, Faedo will almost assuredly secure a rotation spot in Toldeo, along with highly-touted prospects Casey Mize and Matt Manning. Mize and Manning have higher ceilings, but Faedo posted solid numbers with Double-A Erie last season (3.90 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 115.1 innings) and could make it as a fourth or fifth starter.

Manning might not make his MLB debut this season due to the suspension of play, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Manning wasn't a lock to make his MLB debut this year even if the season started on time, but the Tigers might be even more reluctant to promote their prized righty given the current circumstances. The 22-year-old probably needed some solid showings at Triple-A to get the call, and if he's unable to do that, the team could simply hit the pause button until 2021.

Snell indicated that he was satisfied with the health of his left elbow before spring training was suspended, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. He's confident that he'll be ready to pitch without any restrictions once the season resumes.

Prior to the MLB-mandated shutdown, Snell had been cleared to pitch in a simulated game after a cortisone shot alleviated the discomfort he had been experiencing in his elbow. Had the season started on time, Snell may have had to skip his first turn through the rotation while he built up his arm for starting duty, but now that the MLB hiatus is set to last until at least mid-May, he should be ready to go for Tampa Bay's opening series. While Snell is ostensibly healthy and should benefit from the extended break, it's not the most reassuring sign that his elbow was already barking again this spring after he had it scoped last July.

Kremer allowed no runs off six hits and two walks while recording five strikeouts over 5.1 innings during spring training.

Kremer pitched well over a limited sample this spring, but he'll still likely begin the season in the minors. The 24-year-old recorded an 8.84 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 19.1 innings at Triple-A last season. If Kremer can continue to build on his production from spring training, it wouldn't be surprising to see him debut in the majors at some point in 2020.

Houck will start the 2020 season at Triple-A Pawtucket, Alexandra Francisco of NESN reports.

Houck's name bubbled up as a possible candidate for the rotation in 2020, even before news of Chris Sale needing Tommy John elbow surgery. Now with two rotation slots to fill, the Red Sox are digging deeper to find depth starters. However, they plan to keep Houck at Pawtucket, where he finished up the 2019 season as a reliever. If the Red Sox are not a contender in 2020, they may hand out starting opportunities to their young starters, like Houck, Bryan Mata, Mike Shawaryn or Kyle Hart.