MLB Player News

Hamels was named the Rangers' Opening Day starter Friday.

The announcement is no surprise, as Hamels is easily the Rangers' most accomplished starter even if Bartolo Colon ends up making the team. The lefty has fallen off far from his days as a true frontline starter, however, after posting a 4.20 ERA with a 4.62 FIP and 4.83 xFIP in 2017. Don't be fooled into thinking the 34-year-old is anything close to an ace simply because he's the best starter on the Rangers.

Gibson continued his strong spring by giving up just one run over five innings Thursday to lower his ERA to 1.80.

Gibson has seven strikeouts and no walks in 10 innings this spring. He'll begin the season as the fourth starter as Ervin Santana's finger injury sidelines him for the first month. Gibson's spring success could be a carryover from the second half of last year when he went 7-3 with a 3.76 ERA and increased his strikeout rate from 5.6 to 8.2 K/9.

Giolito allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four over 5.1 innings Thursday against the Angels.

Giolito, who became the first White Sox starter this spring to get into the sixth inning, got off to a slow start when he allowed a triple and a home run in the first inning. He then proceeded to shut down the Angels for the rest of his outing. "Came out in the first inning [and] I did not have the -- I guess you'd say -- intensity that I should have had from the get-go," Giolito told Richard Justice of MLB.com. "For me, it's important to come out of the gate firing, and I came out in the first inning kind of like just feeling stuff out. You're not really going to have success like that. Unfortunately, it took a triple and a home run to really start to get going." Manager Rick Renteria may have James Shields start Opening Day, but Giolito looks like the ace of the staff leading up to the regular season. The right-hander has allowed four earned runs and struck out 13 over 11.1 innings.

Keuchel allowed four hits and a walk while striking out two over five scoreless innings Thursday against the Nationals.

Keuchel is cruising toward the regular season after building his pitch count to 70 on Thursday, with two more spring starts to go before he takes the ball for Houston's second game of the season. He was particularly pleased with his fastball command, per Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle. The left-hander will use his final two weeks of camp to work on his off-speed offerings.

Perez (elbow) will make his next start Sunday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's still unclear if Perez will make his Cactus League debut or appear in another minor-league game at this point. While Perez believes he can be ready for the start of the season, the Rangers are expected to play it safe with the 26-year-old and keep him on the shelf to open the year. A more concrete timetable for Perez should emerge once he's able to make his Cactus League debut.

Gonzales (hand) is scheduled to start Saturday against the Athletics, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

It appears Gonzales will be able to make his next start on schedule after getting hit by a comebacker and suffering a bruised right hand during his start against the White Sox on Monday. Assuming he gets through Saturday's outing with no issues, Gonzales should be on track to be ready for Opening Day.

Perez (elbow) said Thursday that he is hoping to start in the Rangers' Cactus League game Sunday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Perez, who pitched in a minor-league game earlier in the week, said his elbow felt solid after a bullpen session Thursday, and he's hoping to be cleared to make his Cactus League debut in the near future. The Rangers haven't confirmed his debut, however, and it's possible the team could continue to play it safe with the 26-year-old. Perez has stated his desire to be a member of the Rangers' Opening Day rotation, though it's expected that he'll open the year on the disabled list as Texas is intent on not rushing him back.

Clevinger will not make his scheduled start Thursday against the Reds due to an illness, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Clevinger has already been named to the Indians' starting rotation, so this is likely an effort to simply ensure he's healthy for the start of the season. It's unclear if the right-hander will just return for his next start or if the team will try to get him in another game sooner. Evan Marshall will start Thursday's contest in Clevinger's place.

Paxton compiled seven strikeouts while allowing two earned runs on three hits and a walk over 4.2 innings in Wednesday's 5-4 Cactus League win over the Giants.

Paxton remains on track to be the Mariners' Opening Day starter if Felix Hernandez (forearm) isn't ready to go, and Wednesday's performance was much more befitting of that role than those of his previous two appearances. The left-hander had been knocked around for 11 earned runs over 4.2 innings in that pair of trips to the mound, so the results he generated against the Giants were an especially welcome sight. Paxton's seven whiffs -- the first three which came in a dominant first inning -- were a spring high, as were his 4.2 frames. He'll look to build on the encouraging effort in a likely turn against the Angels next Monday.

Chirinos (2-0) compiled six strikeouts while allowing an earned run on three hits and a walk over three innings in Wednesday's 9-3 Grapefruit League win over the Pirates.

Chirinos bounced back nicely from a pair of rocky outings during which he'd allowed five earned runs over three innings. The trio of frames he worked Wednesday represented a spring high for the 24-year-old right-hander, who remains in the mix for a bullpen spot but feels he's versatile enough to be used as a starter in a pinch, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. "With the four starters they have already, just competing for a bullpen spot," said Chirinos through team interpreter Manny Navarro. "If they want me to start, I can start, whatever they need me to do."