MLB Player News

Verlander struck out one over two hitless innings Monday against the Mets.

Verlander worked with offseason catching addition Robinson Chirinos for the first time in game action. The two have been batterymates for bullpen sessions in camp and meshed well Monday. The 36-year-old Verlander is expected to be Houston's starter Opening Day.

Rodon threw a 40-pitch simulated game Monday, facing live hitters and working with new catcher Brian McCann, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Rodon was pleased with the results, telling reporters he was working on all of his pitches and locating them in preparation for game action later this spring. As the throwing schedules are lined up -- whether in simulated games or Cactus League games -- the rotation is shaping up to have the left-handed Rodon first. He's followed by Ivan Nova, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and whoever emerges as the fifth starter.

Kikuchi was charged with two unearned runs over two innings against the Reds on Monday. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one.

It was Kikuchi's Cactus League debut. He showcased an ability to hide the ball well with his delivery and made Joey Votto look bad on a strikeout, which isn't easy to do. "Very good curveball," Votto remarked to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. "It's very surprising. In the league right now, there are not many pitchers that throw a curveball like that." Kikuchi will likely start one of the two games between Seattle and Oakland in the Tokyo Dome to kick off the regular season (March 20-21).

Whitley is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Mets, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Ace Justin Verlander will start for the Astros and likely cover around two innings before giving way to Whitley, who is one of several pitchers competing for a back-end rotation spot in spring training. Though Whitley is the Astros' top prospect and arguably the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, Houston's wealth of intriguing rotation candidates makes it likely that the 21-year-old opens 2019 at Triple-A Round Rock or Double-A Corpus Christi. He finished the 2018 campaign with the latter affiliate, with whom he supplied a 3.76 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while striking out 34 in 26.1 innings.

Valdez permitted three baserunners in two scoreless innings Sunday against the Braves.

Valdez's command was off during his first spring start, but he wiggled out of danger by inducing a pair of double-play grounders. The left-hander's goal is to harness better command of his fastball so that he doesn't need to escape sticky situations. On Sunday, he sailed his first pitch to the backstop, walked a batter on four pitches and hit another. "You saw some of the stuff he's working on this spring," manager A.J. Hinch told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "He's got to harness that in a little bit, get into some better counts and avoid some dangerous situations." Valdez is competing with Josh James and Brad Peacock for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

Luzardo is not at camp Sunday due to illness, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The absence comes two days after his spring debut against the Mariners on Friday, in which he allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one in an inning of work. He's scheduled to pitch again in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, though that plan could change if his throwing schedule is altered by the illness.

Ramirez (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ramirez will make way on the 40-man roster for Kaleb Cowart, who was claimed off waivers in a corresponding move. The transaction has no effect on Ramirez's return timeline, as he's targeting a June return from Tommy John surgery.

Valdez will start Sunday's game against the Braves, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez is in the mix for the open fifth starter job, the Astros' most significant opening this spring. Fellow youngster Josh James and Brad Peacock will also get a look. Valdez posted a 2.59 ERA in five starts (2.19 overall) in 2018, but there are signs that he was not all that dominant. The right-hander walked 24 batters and posted a 4.69 FIP over 37 innings.

Gibson (illness) will not pitch in a game in the first week of spring action, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The right-hander is still gaining back strength from his time suffering from E. coli in late January. He's largely over the illness itself, but the team still wants to ease him back into game action since the issue did take a bit of a toll on his body. Gibson's exact return date is uncertain, but he's expected to be ready by the time Opening Day rolls around.

Kaprielian (shoulder) said that he isn't having any issues with his injured lat as of Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This is certainly encouraging news, though it should still be taken with caution given the prospect's injury history. Keprielian will be re-evaluated over the weekend with the hope of returning to throwing soon, which is roughly on track with the original two-week shutdown timetable issued last week.