MLB Player News

Rodriguez (knee) is scheduled to start Sunday against the Rays, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com reports.

Rodriguez, who is working his way back from October knee surgery, has been cleared to make his 2018 big-league debut after getting through a minor-league start at extended spring training earlier in the week with no issues. The soon-to-be 25-year-old posted a 4.19 ERA and 150:50 K:BB across 137.1 innings (24 starts, one relief appearance) in 2017. The Red Sox will need to open up a spot on their 25-man roster prior to activating Rodriguez from the DL.

Perez will open the year at High-A Tampa, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.

He logged 123.2 innings at Low-A last season, so this assignment was expected. Perez, who stands 6-foot-8, 190 pounds, has a big fastball, potentially plus changeup and a couple useful breaking balls. The typical concerns that follow uber-tall pitchers up the ladder apply, as his delivery can be inconsistent, which leads to mediocre command. He is already 22 years old, so he will be expected to have success against High-A hitters. It will be important for him to continue to add weight to his slender frame in the coming years.

Sauer will open the year in extended spring training, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.

The Yankees landed Sauer with the No. 54 overall pick in last year's draft, but he received a larger signing bonus ($2.4975 million) than their first-round pick, Clark Schmidt. He quickly rewarded that financial commitment, showing a plus fastball and potentially plus curveball in 11.2 innings in the Gulf Coast League. Sauer has a ton of upside, particularly if his changeup develops into a quality third pitch. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until short-season leagues begin this summer to see him make his 2018 debut.

Medina will open the year in extended spring training, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports.

This was the expectation all offseason, as Medina, despite all his physical gifts, is still very raw. He walked 14 batters in 23 innings in the Appalachian League last year while flashing frontline starter upside. The 6-foot-1 righty only threw 38.2 innings in 2017, so the fact that he won't open the year in a full-season league lines up well with a likely innings cap this year. Few rookie-level pitchers can match his upside, so if an impatient dynasty-league owner drops him before short-season leagues begin, it would be wise to scoop him up.

Blackburn (forearm) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This move clears a spot on the Athletics' 40-man roster for the addition of Trayce Thompson, who was claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Thursday. Blackburn was hoping to resume throwing sometime this week but was shut down after experiencing renewed soreness in his forearm. He'll now be sidelined until at least the end of May. In the meantime, Daniel Gossett will remain in Oakland's rotation until Blackburn is healthy, though Trevor Cahill looms as a potential replacement once he builds up his arm following a delayed start to spring training.

Perez (elbow) was activated from the 10-day disabled list and will start Thursday's game against the Athletics.

As expected, Perez is set to make his season debut after missing his first turn in the rotation while recovering from an offseason elbow injury. The 27-year-old threw six innings in a simulated game Friday and reported no issues afterwards, clearing the way for him to make his season debut with the big club. Across 32 starts in 2017, Perez posted a 4.82 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 115:63 K:BB across 185 innings. Jose Leclerc was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room for Perez on the roster.

Jorge (triceps soreness) will open the year on the disabled list at Double-A Chattanooga, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports.

Despite having over 200 innings under his belt at Double-A and making three starts at Triple-A last year, Jorge was surprisingly assigned back to Chattanooga. It is unclear how much time he will miss with triceps soreness. He doesn't appear particularly close to contributing at the big-league level.

Odorizzi allowed three runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 4.1 innings in a no-decision Wednesday against Pittsburgh.

Odorizzi just couldn't get his footing, as he threw just 12 first-pitch strikes to 21 hitters and just 48 strikes out of 87 total pitches. Things could have been much worse had his bullpen and defense not bailed him out, as the Twins stranded a runner on the bases and threw another one out following Odorizzi's fifth-inning exit. Still, on the strength of his brilliant opening start, Odorizzi owns a 2.61 ERA.

Bundy allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out eight through six innings Wednesday but was left with a no-decision against the Astros.

Bundy has a whopping 15 strikeouts against just three walks in his first two starts, covering 13 innings. With Baltimore's offense cold so far, however, he has been rewarded with a pair of no-decisions for these efforts. Bundy is finally starting to look like the pitcher he was hyped up to be back when he was a top prospect a half-decade ago, but this Orioles lineup may not be good enough to get him the wins he needs to be a fantasy ace.

Snell (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and three walks across 3.1 innings Wednesday against the Yankees. He struck out five.

Snell was never able to find his footing Wednesday, and the Yankees' potent lineup made him pay. After allowing a leadoff single to Brett Gardner, Snell served up a mammoth two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton two batters later. Snell allowed another two-run shot in the third inning -- this one to Gary Sanchez -- before ultimately getting yanked after recording just 10 outs on 90 pitches. He'll look to get back on track in his next outing, which is set for Tuesday in what should be a more favorable matchup against the White Sox.