MLB Player News

Verlander struck out four of the six batters faced in Monday's game against the Mets.

Verlander's location was on point, hitting the strike zone on 20 of his 28 pitches. His bread-and-butter remains a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, but the 35-year-old right-hander is more focused on his changeup and curveball this spring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. The changeup, in particular, has been vexing for Verlander, who said he was tinkering with a split-fingered grip.

Gausman passed concussion tests after being removed from Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers following a collision, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Gausman collided with Jeimer Candelario, the on-deck hitter, while backing up home plate. He was cut and bruised near his left eye and suffered a sore back but avoided more serious injury. He doesn't expect to be significantly delayed in his preseason preparations, so it's unlikely that Monday's injury will impact him when the regular season begins.

Gausman was removed from Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers after colliding with a player behind home plate, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Specifics regarding the injury remain unclear, but Gausman apparently hurt himself after colliding with Jeimer Candelario, who was on-deck. It looked like he was being checked for a concussion before exiting the field with trainers. More should be known about his status once the team is able to further evaluate him.

Gausman will try out a new sinker grip Monday against the Tigers, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Gausman used a sinker occasionally in the first four years of his career, but didn't throw the pitch at all in 2017. He learned a different grip from new teammate Andrew Cashner this spring and will test it out in the Grapefruit League. Gausman has given up 57 home runs over the past two seasons, tied for 11th-most in the league, so a new sinker could be a valuable weapon if he's able to refine his feel for the offering over the course of the spring.

Perez (elbow) will throw a simulated game Tuesday and will start fielding work this week, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Perez is working his way back from offseason surgery to repair an elbow fracture. The initial recovery timetable would have had him missing the first month of the season, but he's reportedly been progressing ahead of schedule. A simulated game would be another step in that direction.

Gibson threw two scoreless innings and allowed no hits with no walks or strikeouts in his spring debut Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Gibson is competing for one of the final two rotation spots this spring, but looks like a lock given his strong second half (4.6 BB/9 to 2.6 BB/9 and 5.6 K/9 to 8.2 K/9). However, he still had an unremarkable 5.07 ERA overall last season (identical to his 2016 ERA). Gibson has always had good groundball rates (50.8 percent last season) so if his command gains are legitimate, he could carry that second-half success into 2018.

Cole stuck to all fastballs and changeups over two scoreless innings in Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle reports. He struck out two and hit a batter.

Cole was making his first appearance in the burnt-orange and blue uniform of the Astros. Nineteen of his 30 pitches went for strikes, and his command got better in his second frame, although he endured a long break between innings as his teammates put up a three-run frame in a long second inning. The 27-year-old right-hander will introduce his off-speed stuff in subsequent outings.

Boyd will be used as one of Detroit's starting pitchers throughout spring training and is on track to begin the season as a member of the starting rotation, Anthony French of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Boyd is in good shape to make the starting rotation for the 2018 campaign, although Francisco Liriano, Alex Wilson, Buck Farmer and Daniel Norris are also competing to earn a spot in the starting five. The 27-year old was announced as one of the starting pitchers to be used throughout spring training and tossed one inning while giving up two hits and a run Sunday against the Blue Jays. Boyd looks to start the year near the back end of the Tigers' rotation.

Mejia threw two scoreless innings with a walk and no strikeouts in his spring debut Saturday. He lost 13 pounds over the offseason as he worked out lifting tractor tires, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Mejia is competing for one of the final two spots in the rotation this spring. He's off to a good start and reports of improved conditioning can only help him in the competition. With Ervin Santana (finger) expected to be sidelined for the start of the season, the Twins could begin the season with a four-man rotation, which could leave Mejia out of the rotation mix initially if he struggles this spring.

Rodriguez (knee) is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

This news is not a real shocker as Rodriguez has not yet thrown off a mound since October surgery on his right knee. Along with Rodriguez, manager Alex Cora added Steven Wright (knee) to a list of starters unlikely to be ready for April. That leaves a mix of left-hander Roenis Elias, fellow lefty Brian Johnson and right-hander Hector Velazquez competing for a rotation spot.