MLB Player News

Rodriguez allowed six hits and one walk while striking out 10 over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Rays.

Rodriguez padded what was already a promising spring. The downside to all the strikeouts is that the pitch count hit the 80s, and he was unable to work a fifth inning. The lefty has allowed two runs on 11 hits and two walks while fanning 20 over 11 spring innings. Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke hasn't announced the Opening Day starter, but as reported by Ian Browne of MLB.com, he told reporters to "figure out the math" to determine who will be on the mound March 26 at Toronto. On a five-day progression going forward, Rodriguez's third turn falls exactly on Opening Day.

McCullers allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Nationals.

McCullers needed 50 pitches (31 strikes) to get six outs and hit 95 mph with his fastball, according to Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports. "I'm very happy with the velo and happy with the way I'm able to move the fastball around, with the changeup early -- swing-and-miss changeup," he said. "I couldn't ask for anything more except maybe being a little more efficient with my pitch count." McCullers has moved up to the No. 2 slot in the rotation in the wake of Justin Verlander's lat injury and is expected to take the ball for the second game of the season, March 27, against the Angels.

Ryan was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Ryan was among five other Rays cut from the Tampa Bay spring roster Wednesday. The 23-year-old climbed from Low-A to Double-A in 2019, totaling a 1.96 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP across 123.2 innings. The right-hander spent valuable time with the major-league coaching staff to begin spring training, and he's now heading to the minors to continue developing as one of the Rays' top pitching prospects.

Snell played catch without any elbow issues Wednesday and is expected to pitch a simulated game Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 27-year-old southpaw was originally expected to start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, but it's encouraging that the change of plans is unrelated to his elbow. Snell is coming off a disappointing outing Monday against the Blue Jays which included four walks, four earned runs and just a single out. Tampa Bay is choosing to take a conservative approach to bringing its No. 2 starter back from a Feb. 29 cortisone shot, which should be encouraging to 2020 fantasy owners in the long run this season.

Berrios was officially named the Twins' Opening Day starter Wednesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Berrios, still just 25 years old, has developed into the Twins' ace, winning 14 games last season with a 3.68 ERA, so it's hardly surprising to see him make his second straight Opening Day start. If he can repeat the feat in 2021, he'll become the first Twins pitcher to make three straight Opening Day starts since Brad Radke did so from 1999 to 2005.

Rodriguez is emerging as the leading candidate to start on Opening Day against the Blue Jays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Boston manager Ron Roenicke told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't want to name an Opening Day starter too soon, but he's already told the pitcher he's decided on. Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays and would get the nod in the opener if he continues to start every five days. The 26-year-old posted a career-best 3.81 ERA across 203.1 innings (34 starts) during his fifth campaign with Boston in 2019. If the team's ace, Chris Sale, is forced to miss multiple months to begin the season, Rodriguez will be heavily relied upon to deliver quality innings to a Red Sox team that will likely feature three new members to their starting rotation compared to last year's staff.

Clevinger (knee) threw approximately 25 pitches in Monday's bullpen session and will throw another such session Wednesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports. "Everything feels strong," Clevinger said after Monday's session. "Nothing feels sore."

He is pain free and itching to return on the quicker end of his six-to-eight week timetable following Feb. 14 surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus. Clevinger said he will need either one or two live batting practice sessions following Wednesday's bullpen session. The next step after that would be to get into a spring game.

Allard was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

The Rangers didn't appear to have an open spot in the rotation after bringing in Corey Kluber, Jordan Lyles and Kyle Gibson over the winter. This news means Allard will remain stretched out as a starter in the minors rather than pitching in the big-league bullpen.

Cobb was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday against the Twins due to a blister, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Blisters tend to come with uncertain timelines, but the Orioles don't seem particularly concerned with this one. Cobb will pitch in a simulated game instead, and manager Brandon Hyde indicated the right-hander would be able to pitch through the issue if it occurred during the regular season. It doesn't sound as though Cobb is under any serious risk of opening the season on the injured list.

Kikuchi continued to successfully incorporate a changeup during a four-inning simulated game Tuesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi struck out half of the 14 batters he faced during the outing and elevated his fastball more in the zone, something he's been focused on doing more consistently this offseason and spring. The development of the changeup has also been a priority for the southpaw, as it would serve as a fourth pitch in a repertoire that already includes a four-seam fastball, a curveball and the mid-to-high 80s slider he most frequently used as his "out" pitch last season. Kikuchi's focus on refining the change, which he threw only 7.6 percent of the time in 2019, is starting to pay dividends. "It's getting better," said Austin Nola, who caught Kikuchi on Tuesday. "We're going to use it and keep trying it. I think it's a good feel pitch for him. Something that he can get his feel for and get his extension out front."