MLB Player News

Dunning (forearm) will meet with Dr. James Andrews on Monday to determine whether he'll need Tommy John surgery, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Dunning had recently been shut down for two weeks with what was originally diagnosed as forearm discomfort. It sounds as though the issue may be worse than that, and when Dr. Andrews is involved, the situation generally isn't good. A clearer prognosis should emerge following the visit.

Heaney has been shut down from throwing due to irritation in his left elbow, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The MRI didn't show significant damage, but manager Brad Ausmus admitted Heaney might not be ready for Opening Day. He started last season on the shelf with a similar issue and was still able to have a very effective season, but it is certainly troubling that the same elbow that gave him trouble earlier in camp this year is once again an issue.

Stephens was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

He is close to big-league ready, but has a very low ceiling and is more of an organizational depth arm or middle reliever long term.

Cease was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte.

This was inevitable, as Cease only logged 52.1 innings at Double-A and zero innings at Triple-A. He is Chicago's best healthy pitching prospect, and is expected to debut in the majors sometime this summer if he stays healthy.

Cobb will start on Opening Day on the road against the Yankees.

This will be Cobb's first Opening Day start, and he has a pretty tall task, taking on a Yankees lineup that could set an MLB record this year for home runs in a season. His 2018 numbers are pretty poor. He did manage a 2.56 ERA (4.28 FIP, 4.20 xFIP) in the second half, but still had a very mediocre strikeout rate (16.2 percent) over that stretch.

The Blue Jays named Stroman as their starter for the regular-season opener March 28 versus the Tigers, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Stroman, who is scheduled to make his fourth start of the spring Wednesday against the Orioles, has looked sharp thus far during Grapefruit League play, holding opposing hitters to a .143 average through eight innings. Perhaps more so than his strong numbers this spring, Stroman's improved health is probably the most positive development for his fantasy outlook coming off a 2018 campaign that was sullied by injury. Stroman was limited to just 19 starts last season and saw his performance suffer while he battled shoulder fatigue and a blister on his pitching hand, but he could be a bounce-back candidate after enjoying a relatively normal offseason and experiencing no setbacks since reporting to camp.

Kikuchi will throw 4-5 innings an intrasquad game Wednesday after his scheduled final Cactus League start was rained out Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw is slated to work up to between 75 and 85 pitches in his final tune-up prior to taking the hill for the Mariners' second game of the season in his native Japan. Kikuchi has gotten nine innings of work in across three starts thus far this spring, generating a 2-1 record and 4.00 ERA.

Morton was impressive during a simulated game at the Rays' spring complex in Port Charlotte on Tuesday, Ralph Long of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander worked up to 58 pitches during the outing, which was closely overseen by pitching coach Kyle Snyder. Morton is yet to be scored on this spring in game action, although he's only fired 3.2 innings across a pair of appearances. The expected No. 2 starter behind staff ace Blake Snell, Morton recently stated he expects the two-year, $30 million deal he signed with the Rays this offseason to be the last of his professional career, David Adler of MLB.com reports.

Rodon's scheduled start Tuesday was rained out, but he put in his work by throwing to hitters in the batting cages, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Rodon got up and down six times and threw nearly 85 pitches. The left-hander is on schedule to pitch Opening Day, March 28, against the Royals.

Verlander allowed four runs on six hits, including three home runs, while striking out six over five innings Tuesday.

Verlander reported being "out of sync," according to Alyson Footer of MLB.com. Part of that was attributed to the ineffectiveness of his slider. Much of his focus this spring has been on his changeup, which may have caused Verlander to divert attention from his slider. "Just wasn't there, really," the right-hander said. "It's something I need to focus on before the end of spring training, starting now." Houston's ace reached 73 pitches and, with two more spring starts, is on schedule to start Opening Day, March 28, against the Rays.