MLB Player News

Urquidy's excellent showing in September and the postseason "almost cements him as the team's fourth starter," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The assumption has been that Urquidy would be in the Opening Day rotation, and that now seems to be a virtual lock with the quotes coming out of Astros camp. "I think Lance [McCullers] has got to step up, obviously [Zack] Greinke and [Justin] Verlander are going to be the staple of this, but I'm excited about Urquidy and I'm excited to see how that number five spot comes out," pitching coach Brent Strom said Tuesday. Josh James, Austin Pruitt and Framber Valdez were named as the realistic candidates for the fifth-starter job.

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom said Tuesday that Valdez is one of three legitimate candidates for the No. 5 rotation spot, along with Josh James and Austin Pruitt, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez has been inconsistent -- to put it nicely -- in his stints at the major-league level and was left off the playoff roster, but he will get another chance to prove himself as a starter this spring. Strom noted that Valdez once received high praise from the best player in the game. "I never forget what (Mike) Trout said when he faced Valdez that it was some of the best stuff he'd seen in baseball." The left-handed Valdez has a couple minor-league options remaining.

Giolito (chest) said he felt good while throwing off flat ground from 150 feet Tuesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He expects to progress to mound work by the end of the week.

Giolito will be behind his fellow rotation mates after he reported to camp last week with a strained chest muscle, but the right-hander has no doubts about his availability for the March 26 season opener. The fact that he's still able to do some throwing supports that sentiment, and his progression to a bullpen session will represent another step forward in the recovery process. Assuming Giolito's chest provides no further complications as he advances through his rehab, he should be ready to make his Cactus League debut by the end of the month or in the first week of March.

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom said Tuesday that he expects Whitley to be assigned to Triple-A Fresno to begin the 2020 season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

This was the expectation, but Strom essentially confirmed that the team's top pitching prospect is not in the hunt for a spot in the Opening Day rotation. "And when it's right, it'll happen, but I don't think right now I would consider him, you know, a viable candidate [for the No. 5 spot]." Whitley struggled to a 12.21 ERA in eight appearances at the Triple-A level last year while battling through shoulder fatigue. He returned late in the calendar year, putting up an impressive 32:9 K:BB in 25 innings in the Arizona Fall League. Whitley is in camp with the big-league squad.

Bassitt caught the eye of manager Bob Melvin during his first time facing hitters Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander was one of the most versatile members of the Athletics' staff last season, logging 25 starts and three relief appearances while generating a solid 3.81 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 144 innings. Bassitt was one of several pitchers to face hitters for the first time this spring Tuesday, and his stuff particularly stood out to Melvin, who was also highly complimentary of how nimble an asset the 31-year-old proved to be last season. Bassitt, who avoided arbitration by inking a one-year, $2.25 million contract in January, could be slated for more relief work this season if the promising duo of Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk lock down the last two spots in the rotation this spring.

Dunning (elbow) is expected to throw a live batting practice session next week, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Dunning is working his way back from last March's Tommy John surgery. With a typical timeline, he'll be back at some point late in the first half, though a precise timeline hasn't been made clear.

Rodon (elbow) has exceeded expectations in his rehab process, according to pitching coach Don Cooper, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Rodon underwent Tommy John surgery back in May, which is expected to keep him out until some point in the second half this season. It's unclear if Cooper's comments indicate that he's on a faster timeline than expected, or if he's simply throwing quite well for where he currently is in the process. He threw a side session Monday.

Kikuchi, who endured an uneven first season stateside in 2019, worked on his mechanics throughout the offseason, Jesse Borek of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw generated a solid 3.43 ERA through his first 11 starts last season before running into more frequent difficulties that helped lead to a 5.46 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 6-11 mark across 32 starts. Kikuchi went right to work as soon as the season ended, focusing on everything from hand placement to the timing of his entire delivery. Kikuchi will work closely with new pitching coach Pete Woodworth throughout the spring, and one of the goals both the team and Kikuchi have is to see a bump in the average velocity of his four-seam fastball, which checked in at a modest 92.5 mph in 2019.

Chirinos, who has a solid chance of earning a rotation spot from the start of the season, arrived in camp 15 pounds lighter than his weight at the end of the 2019 campaign, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was a versatile and valuable piece of the Rays' staff in 2019, going 9-5 with a 3.85 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 26 appearances, including 18 starts. Chirinos weighed in the 240-pound range at the end of the season, and the weight he shed this offseason has already started paying dividends. The 26-year-old has already impressed with his first two bullpen sessions, with manager Kevin Cash terming Chirinos' physical appearance and performance as "awesome" thus far.

Wentz ended his live batting practice session early Monday after experiencing forearm soreness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Wentz downplayed the severity of the issue, saying it was just fatigue and that he wasn't worried about it. Despite the southpaw's optimism, it's unclear whether Wentz will be forced to miss any extra time during spring training.