MLB Player News

The Royals placed Oaks (hip) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for first baseman Frank Schwindel, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Omaha. Oaks is recovering from hip surgery and isn't expected to be ready to resume baseball activities until around the All-Star break.

Heaney (elbow) suffered a setback and is scheduled to visit a doctor Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Manager Brad Ausmus noted that he's "a little concerned" about the issue.

Heaney apparently felt something in his elbow during his most recent side session, prompting the Angels to shut him down and send him in for further evaluation. The appointment will involve a scan, per Ardaya. This is certainly a worrisome development for the southpaw, who is already on the 10-day IL to open the season.

The Angels placed Heaney (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Though he'll be unavailable to begin the season, Heaney won't necessarily be ticketed for a lengthy stay on the IL. The southpaw was able to resume mound work earlier this week and could gain clearance to face hitters within the next several days.

The Rangers placed Farrell (jaw) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The transaction opens up an extra spot on the 40-man roster and confirms that Farrell will be sidelined until at least late May while he works to regain weight and ease into a throwing program after he required surgery earlier this month to address a fractured jaw. Farrell isn't expected to fill a high-leverage role out of the Texas bullpen once he's activated.

The Astros placed McCullers (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

McCullers is slated to miss the entire 2019 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so the transaction is merely a formality. The Astros will likely shift him to the 60-day IL later this season when the team needs to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

The Yankees officially placed Severino (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Severino is one of six Yankees who will open the season on the IL as the team set its roster ahead of Thursday's opener against the Orioles. The right-hander is currently throwing off flat ground at this stage of his recovery from right shoulder inflammation and isn't expected to make his season debut until sometime in May.

Turnbull will begin the season as the Tigers' No. 3 starter, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Turnbull is slated to start Saturday against the Blue Jays in Toronto and will follow Jordan Zimmermann and Matt Boyd in the rotation. The 26-year-old beat out Daniel Norris for the spot, which opened up when the team announced that Michael Fulmer will get Tommy John surgery and miss the season. Without a ton of standout pitchers around him, Turnbull could lock himself into the rotation for 2019 and possibly beyond if he pitches well out of the gate.

Means appears to have secured a spot on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Baltimore could still do some tinkering with its roster prior to Thursday's season opener against the Yankees, but Means looks in line to fill one of eight bullpen spots for the big club. Means has worked almost exclusively as a starter in the minors, so the Orioles presumably envision him filling a long-relief role to begin the campaign. Manager Brandon Hyde has already said that the team will use Nate Karns as an opener for Saturday's game, so Means and the Orioles' other swingman, Jimmy Yacabonis, could both be tasked with covering multiple innings out of the bullpen that day.

Bundy is slated to start the Orioles' third game of the season Sunday versus the Yankees, Ryan Homler of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Heading into the week, Bundy looked to open the season as the Orioles' No. 2 starter, but he'll be pushed back a day in the pitching schedule with manager Brandon Hyde choosing to use Nate Karns as an opener in Saturday's contest. The extra day off can only help Bundy, who was lit up for 19 runs on 36 hits and four walks over 21.2 innings in spring training.

Smyly allowed three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five over 3.2 innings Tuesday against the Indians.

Smyly needed 73 pitches, including 33 in the fourth inning, to get 11 outs in the Rangers' final spring game. He hasn't thrown more than four innings this spring and is line to pitch Monday at home against Houston.