MLB Player News

Eovaldi (1-0) fired a pair of scoreless innings in Sunday's 9-1 Grapefruit League win over the Yankees, allowing two hits and recording two strikeouts.

The veteran's recovery from 2016 Tommy John surgery took another significant step forward, with his fastball remaining in the high 90s consistently and even getting to 100 mph, according to Bill Chastain of MLB.com. Already penciled in as part of the four-man rotation that manager Kevin Cash expects to deploy in the first month of the season, Eovaldi has now fired 3.1 scoreless frames and racked up four strikeouts across two spring training appearances.

Sale faced 15 batters and threw 52 pitches over four innings in a controlled minor-league game, Nick Friar of WEEI.com reports.

Sale is taking on a more gradual pace this spring relative to last year, when he said he was in midseason form too early. That led to a fade down the stretch, when he posted a 4.09 ERA over his final 11 starts. The goal is to have him strong from April through October.

Keuchel will make his first start of spring training Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros are making a point of bringing Keuchel along slowly after the left-hander sustained a sprained left foot during the offseason.

Gausman (head) threw three shutout innings and struck out five batters Saturday against the Phillies.

Gausman didn't show any signs of being bothered by the collision he was involved in last week, as he tossed three perfect innings Saturday. This was a significant improvement over his first game of the spring, during which he gave up five runs on six hits and a walk over a mere 1.1 innings.

Kopech allowed one unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out three over 2.1 innings in Saturday's game against the Royals.

Kopech showed some escapability in his second spring outing, stranding runners at third in each of the first two innings. He wasn't pinpoint with his control Saturday but has submitted respectable numbers thus far, having allowed just one walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings. Kopech will start the season at Triple-A Charlotte, where his marching orders are to develop his changeup as a viable pitch and command his fastball. If he's able to do that with the Knights, Kopech should pitch for the White Sox at some point this season.

Hamels expressed his displeasure at the six-man starting rotation being considered by the Rangers, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. "I know that's the new analytical side of trying to reinvent the wheel, but I was brought up in the minor leagues on a five-man [rotation], and that's what I'm designed and conditioned for," Hamels said after logging 2.1 innings in his Cactus League debut Saturday.

The moment you hear about a six-man rotation, the first thought racing through a fantasy owner's mind is fewer starts. To be fair, the Rangers are merely considering it, but haven't made a final decision. If they do go to six starters, it's quite possible that they wouldn't use six starters every turn of the rotation, and they would likely keep Hamels, the staff ace, on a comfortable five-day schedule. Hamels has been a workhorse throughout his career, throwing more than 200 innings in seven straight seasons before an oblique injury limited him to 148 in 2017.

Cole allowed a run on two hits and two walks while striking out two Friday against the Mets, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Cole, who stuck to fastballs and changeups during his first spring start, attempted to get a feel for his curveball while also trying to get familiar throwing to catcher Brian McCann for the first time in game conditions. He ran his pitch count up to 53 (33 for strikes).

Verlander allowed two hits and struck out five over three innings Saturday against the Nationals, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Verlander made his second start of the spring and was sharp for a second straight outing, throwing 28 of 38 pitches for strikes. He was so efficient that he did not reach his goal of 50 pitches. Verlander's struck out nine batters over five scoreless spring innings.

Gonzales fired three scoreless innings in Friday's 4-2 Cactus League win over the Brewers, allowing three hits while recording four strikeouts.

Gonzales has now racked up eight strikeouts over five scoreless spring innings across two appearances, a particularly encouraging start for the former Cardinals first-round selection. Now almost two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Gonzales is looking for a fresh start after posting a 6.08 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over 40 innings last season between St. Louis and Seattle. Both Gonzales and the Mariners surely hope that the 11-game sample, which included eight starts, allowed the 26-year-old southpaw to shake off rust and progressively condition his surgically repaired elbow to the rigors of major-league pitching. As per Greg Johns of MLB.com, the stronger joint is already allowing Gonzales to work in an effective cutter alongside his changeup and curve this spring, helping lead to his early success.

Morton tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out one in Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Last year's hero in Game 7 of the World Series threw strikes on 17 of his 24 pitches and mainly stuck to fastballs. At the age of 33, Morton enjoyed the best season of his career in 2017 while reaching new heights with his fastball and posting a career-high 10.0 K/9.