MLB Player News

Ramirez fired a pair of scoreless innings Thursday, giving up a hit and striking out one in a spring training win over the Giants.

This was an important step for the 29-year-old, as he is not only looking to re-earn a rotation spot this spring, but he is also trying to prove that his elbow is healthy after undergoing stem cell therapy last September on a partially torn UCL. Assuming the rest of the Angels' starting candidates remain healthy this spring, Ramirez appears destined for a return to the bullpen. Even if he were to win a rotation spot, his inconsistent performance as a starter last season (4.15 ERA and 2.1 K/BB) would limit his value to deeper formats out of the gates.

Cease (shoulder) tossed 1.1 frames in his spring debut Wednesday. He allowed a hit and struck out one.

The pitching prospect was shut down at the tail-end of last season due to shoulder fatigue, but it doesn't seem like those issues have cropped up this spring. Better yet, Cease's stuff seemed to be fully back, as his fastball was recorded to be as fast as 98 miles per hour. Cease hasn't pitched an inning above High-A ball, so he's still a ways away from the majors, but the future is bright for him if he can continue to post gaudy strikeout numbers like he did last season (126 punch-outs in 93.1 innings).

Giolito allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out one over two innings Wednesday against Texas.

Giolito took his first spring outing in stride, understanding it's a process, so allowing two first-inning runs didn't phase him. His fastball reached 95 mph, up from where it was last season, and he told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune his curveball worked well. He was just rushing his delivery a bit, particularly from the stretch. The 23-year-old right-hander had a nice seven-start run with the White Sox last season, but had a penchant for giving up long balls (eight HR in 45.1 innings). Giolito will look to build off that experience and further hone his secondary pitches.

McCullers did not throw a curveball during his spring debut Wednesday, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports. He allowed two hits and struck out three over two scoreless innings against the Twins.

The right-hander threw nothing but fastballs and changeups, the latter pitch being something he wants to work on this spring. McCullers can throw a curveball in his sleep, but the changeup is a pitch he lost a feel for last season, so he's making an effort to find it before the regular season. Opponents teed off on his changeup, batting .409 and slugging .591 against it in 2017.

Rodriguez (knee) threw a successful bullpen session Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Everything apparently went off without a hitch in what marked the first time Rodriguez was able to throw off a mound since undergoing right knee surgery in October. He tossed 35 pitches Wednesday, mixing in changeups and fastballs, and said his knee felt strong afterwards. The 24-year-old is now scheduled to throw a 45-pitch bullpen Saturday, and if he gets through that with no issues, he could progress to live batting practice shortly thereafter. While Rodriguez's progress is encouraging, he's still expected to miss a good chunk of April.

Manager Kevin Cash said Chirinos is in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays already have the four starters they're planning to open the season with, but Chirinos, who has worked primarily as a starter throughout his professional career, could initially make the team in a relief role before potentially getting a look in the rotation when Tampa Bay needs a fifth starter. The well-regarded 24-year-old has impressed so far in Grapefruit League action, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out two batters in 3.2 scoreless innings. He posted a sharp 2.73 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 168.1 innings between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham last season.

Rodriguez was able to throw off the mound Wednesday for the first time since undergoing right knee surgery in October, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

This marked the biggest step forward in Rodriguez's progress since the procedure. It's likely that he will miss a majority of April. Alongside Rodriguez, Steven Wright was also able to toe the rubber for the first time since undergoing his knee surgery last May.

Gausman (head) is still scheduled to start Saturday's spring game against the Phillies, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The right-hander was a little banged up after colliding with Jeimer Candelario in Monday's contest, but it seems like the issues won't take him off his original pitching schedule. Gausman escaped the incident with just cuts and bruises (i.e. no concussion), so this likely won't hamper him once the regular season rolls around.

Stroman is battling shoulder inflammation, which may cause him to miss Opening Day, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Stroman doesn't have a timetable for his spring debut and wouldn't commit to being ready by Opening Day, though he did say he would be ready near the start of the season. He's been a workhorse the past two seasons, pitching over 200 innings in both, and while he did miss most of the 2015 season, that was with a torn ACL rather than arm trouble. If his shoulder injury is no worse than initially reported, he may not miss more than a start or two (if any), which wouldn't be a significant hit to his fantasy stock. Of course, there's always the possibility that the issue lingers and affects his performance or resurfaces throughout the season, so at the very least this adds some amount of risk to Stroman's profile.

Kopech allowed two hits and struck out three batters over two scoreless innings in Monday's game against the Athletics.

The most important part of the day was no walks and getting his secondary pitches over for strikes, an area of focus for Kopech this spring. "I got behind in the count a couple of times and it gave me an opportunity to really work on my changeup and off-speed pitches," the 21-year-old told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. "I think 2-0 I threw a changeup three times and it helped me really focus on staying behind it and getting a strike with the pitch." It was a strong performance out of the gate for Kopech, who is expected to start the season at Triple-A Charlotte. If he finds a comfort level and consistency with the changeup -- a third pitch along with his fastball and slider -- it's very likely he'll get a callup to Chicago later in the season.