MLB Player News

Bridwell could be next in line to enter the Angels' six-man rotation if Andrew Heaney (elbow) is unable to go at the start of the regular season, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Heaney suffered a scare when his oft-injured elbow flared up in his last start, and while the injury isn't considered serious, it potentially opens up a path for Bridwell to make the rotation if the former is required to start the year on the disabled list. The 26-year-old has struggled at times this spring, but he is coming off a solid start against the Diamondbacks' regulars Tuesday (5.2 innings, three runs, two walks and five strikeouts) and would likely be the first man up should a rotation spot open up this season after posting a 3.64 ERA over 121 innings last year. Bridwell's pedestrian 5.4 K/9 would likely limit his value to deeper formats if he were to enter the rotation.

Blackburn (0-3) allowed seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.1 innings in Tuesday's 8-2 Cactus League loss to the Dodgers. He struck out three.

The numbers tell the story of how much of a step back the outing was, with solo home runs from Chris Taylor and Yasmani Grandal the most impactful of the five extra-base hits Blackburn allowed over his brief time on the mound. He blamed the rocky performance on trying to tweak multiple mechanical issues during the start, Susan Slusser of SFGate.com reports. "It was me just trying to fix too many things at once instead of focusing on what I should have focused on," Blackburn said. "I've been working on a lot of things all spring and then today, nothing was there, so it went through my head about four or five different things to fix and that's not the right place to do it." Despite the forgettable performance, Blackburn still figures to have a solid chance of earning a starting rotation spot, although the recent addition of veteran Trevor Cahill adds another potential candidate to the mix.

Cobb will begin the 2018 season with a minor-league affiliate of the Orioles in order to build up his arm strength, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Cobb agreed to a four-year deal with Baltimore on Tuesday. While he's in position to be the team's ace for the upcoming campaign, he will need to stretch out in the minors for a couple games before making his debut with the Orioles at the major-league level since there isn't enough time left in spring training for him to get up to speed. At this point, there hasn't been a set date on his return to the majors, but a clearer picture should come into focus after he takes the mound in the minors.

Manning was diagnosed with a low-level oblique strain and will rest until he is pain free and then resume a throwing program.

The Tigers were very intent on making it clear that this is not an injury that they think will lead to surgery, but that is still a possibility if his pain does not subside. According to the team, he is expected to start the year in extended spring training for a couple weeks before being activated at Low-A West Michigan. His dynasty-league stock should take a small hit due to this news.

Manager Alex Cora stated that the chance for Rodriguez (knee) to pitch against Tampa Bay during the first series of the season is "less than 50 percent," The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham reports.

Rodriguez remains in play to start Boston's fourth game of the 2018 campaign against the Rays on April 1, but it's looking more and more likely that he will miss at least one start while working his knee back to full health. He recently threw four innings in a minor-league start, during which his knee "felt great," according to Cora. Steven Wright (knee) is also a candidate to start the series finale against Tampa Bay, alongside Hector Velazquez, in the event that Rodriguez is unable to appear.

Kopech, who was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday, needs to continue to develop his changeup, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Kopech's final two appearances in major-league camp didn't go so well -- 12 runs (nine earned) in 2.2 innings -- but there were signs early on that he's getting a feel for the changeup. He also needs to clean up his command. If the organization sees improvement in both the changeup and command at Triple-A Charlotte, Kopech could be up with Chicago at some point in mid-May, which would delay his service-time clock and limit the number of innings he throws in the chilly Midwestern spring.

Giolito allowed two hits and struck out four over 6.1 scoreless innings Tuesday against the Rangers.

This was the best of Giolito's four Cactus League starts and lowered his spring ERA to 2.04. The 23-year-old right-hander has allowed fewer than one baserunner per inning and is pegged to be the second starter, but could become the staff leader if (when) the White Sox trade James Shields. Even with Shields still on the roster, it would not be surprising to see Giolito emerge as the staff ace.

Cobb and the Orioles agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth $57 million Tuesday, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

It was recently reported that Baltimore was the leading candidate to sign Cobb. Those plans seem to have come to fruition, as Cobb is remaining in the AL East on a four-year deal with the Orioles. He'll give their rotation a significant boost, as he's coming off a season in which he logged a 3.66 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 29 starts (179.1 innings). While his control was sound (2.2 BB/9), Cobb's subpar 6.4 K/9 left much to be desired. Due to how late Cobb signed with a club, it's unclear if he'll be available by Opening Day.

Rodriguez (knee) threw four innings in a minor-league start Tuesday and will be given the opportunity to open the season in the rotation, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

There isn't much time for Rodriguez to get ready, but manager Alex Cora mentioned the club will accelerate the left-hander's schedule. He's expected to throw three innings on three days rest Saturday. "We're just keeping that door open to see if he's ready to start the season with us," Cora said. "I heard everything was fine. His knee felt great. The stuff was there. We'll see how he reacts tomorrow, but that's the plan -- for him to pitch in four days." He could get one more spring start beyond Saturday and potentially have himself ready to start the fourth or fifth game of the regular season.

Rodriguez (knee) is a candidate to start Boston's fourth game of the season, which comes against the Rays, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Rodriguez has been able to increase his level of activity recently, as he threw live batting practice on numerous occasions over the last week and is scheduled to throw four innings in a minor-league game Tuesday. Manager Alex Cora said that the next step for Rodriguez will likely be pitching in one of Boston's remaining Grapefruit League games, at which point it should become more clear if he'll be available to start early in the year.