MLB Player News

Morton allowed one hit and struck out eight over 5.1 scoreless innings in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Brewers.

Morton's previous outing was one to forget, but he bounced back with panache Tuesday. After he allowed a first-inning single -- a baserunner wiped out with a double-play -- no Brewer reached base safely against Morton. Other than the aforementioned poor outing, the 34-year-old right-hander had a very encouraging spring, hinting that last season's breakthrough was no outlier.

Heaney (elbow) will throw off a mound Tuesday, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Despite the inflammation, Heaney is confident he will be able to make his first scheduled start of the season April 11, when the Angels will first need a sixth starter. If all goes well Tuesday, expect him to be able to make his debut as planned, even if he opens the season on the 10-day disabled list.

Paxton (1-0) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk over five innings in Sunday's 11-7 Cactus League win over the Padres. He struck out six.

Just passed over by Felix Hernandez (forearm) for the Opening Day start, Paxton nevertheless came out and delivered an effort befitting his No. 2 starter role. The two earned runs he was touched up for came in the form of solo shots in his final inning, and he was able to work up to 88 pitches overall, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Despite the pair of hiccups, manager Scott Servais came away feeling secure in one of the most important components of his rotation heading into the regular season. "Pax threw the ball really well," Servais said. "He got a couple balls up in the wind that didn't help him out, but he got his pitches in, his stuff was good, his curve was good. I just probably held my breath as much as anything with him out there just to get his pitches in, get him off the mound and let's move forward."

Rodriguez (knee) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday, Scott Lauber of ESPN.com reports.

Rodriguez is recovering from October knee surgery. He had an outside shot at being ready to take his first turn in the rotation, but the Red Sox decided to play it safe. He'll continue to build up his pitch count and, barring setbacks, should be able to take the mound soon after his 10 days on the DL are up.

Cobb tossed a three-inning simulated game Sunday, tossing approximately 60 pitches during the outing, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter relayed that Cobb's velocity was "strong" during the outing and that the right-hander remains on track to make his regular-season debut as early as April 9. Until that date, Cobb will continue to build up his arm in the minors, with the 28-year-old slated to cover four innings later this week before likely reporting to Double-A Bowie in early April for a five- or six-inning start. The Orioles are expected to deploy either Mike Wright or Miguel Castro as their fifth starter until Cobb is ready to slot into the big-league rotation.

Giolito finished the Cactus League with a 2.04 ERA, walked four and struck out 17 over 17 spring innings.

Giolito was the best starter on the staff during spring training. He picked up some velocity on his fastball while commanding his entire repertoire, which includes a curveball, slider and changeup. He's in line to follow Opening Day starter James Shields and will pitch Saturday, March 31 against the Royals in Kansas City.

Sale (hip) is expected to throw an aggressive bullpen session in preparation for his start in the season opener Thursday against the Rays, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports.

Two days after being struck in the hip by a line drive in his final outing of spring training, Sale seems to be feeling fine, as he was able to throw long toss Sunday without any apparent issues. To make up for his abbreviated Grapefruit League start Saturday, Sale is expected to ramp up his pitch count more than normal during the bullpen session, which should allow him to take on a full innings load Opening Day. It's still worth checking back in on Sale's status after the side session, but he's looking like a safe activation for the first week of the season.

Keuchel allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five over five innings Sunday against the Marlins.

Keuchel closed out a successful Grapefruit League circuit with a 2.35 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 15.1 innings. The left-hander told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that he was pleased to get his breaking ball over the plate for strikes and recorded a few punchouts with his secondary pitches. Keuchel deemed himself "ready to go and have some fun" when he makes first start of the regular season Friday, March 30, against the Rangers in Arlington.

Snell, who racked up eight strikeouts and allowed four earned runs on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings in his final spring start Saturday against the Pirates, earned high marks from manager Kevin Cash for his overall spring performance, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "He's in a good mindset," Cash said. "He's excited for the season. He could not have had a better spring from a work standpoint, and just an overall effort."

The lefty's spring could be considered an extension of his strong finish to 2017, when he went 5-1 with a 2.84 ERA over his final 10 starts. Snell generated a similarly solid 3.12 ERA over five spring turns, and in addition to having the opportunity to refine mechanical issues like location during the exhibition slate, he feels his improved intangibles place him on the precipice of a stellar campaign as much as anything else. "Last year to this year is completely different," Snell said. "Just mindset wise. And where I stand right now, it's way different. I think everyone can tell. Just focus. Ready to go. Been waiting for this season a long time, so definitely excited that it's here now."

Chirinos was informed Sunday that he earned a spot on the Rays' Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After delivering stellar numbers while splitting time in a starting role between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham last season, Chirinos will work as a multi-inning reliever for the Rays, who plan to deploy a four-man rotation at least at the outset of this season. While he won't warrant immediate rostering in most deeper mixed settings, Chirinos could be an appealing pickup for fantasy owners looking for ratio stabilization if the right-hander's four-pitch mix plays up out of the bullpen as the Rays anticipate it will.