MLB Player News

Groome left his debut for Low-A Greenville on Monday after just 1.1 innings with what a team official described as mild latissimus soreness, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Groome allowed nine runs on seven hits and three walks, which suggests he may have attempted to pitch through the injury. The 18-year-old left-hander was drafted in 2016 and appeared in three games in the lower minors before getting his first full-season assignment this year with the Drive.

Kopech allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out 10 over 4.1 innings in his organizational debut Saturday at Double-A Birmingham, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

The White Sox added several exciting prospects during the offseason, and perhaps no player's debut was more anticipated than Kopech and his 100 mph fastball. He ran the heater up to 102 and struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings. The corollary to all those strikeouts is an elevated pitch count that got him out of the game before he could qualify for the win. One of his developmental objectives this year is to work on his secondary pitches, like the changeup, so he doesn't have to lean on the hard stuff.

Paxton (1-0) pitched seven scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters during Monday's 6-0 win over Houston.

Considering the Astros are an admirable opponent -- especially against left-handed hurlers -- this was an impressive followup to his solid first outing. Paxton has now pitched 13 scoreless innings with a 0.69 WHIP and 13 strikeouts. He dominated his final 11 starts of 2016 with a 9.44 K/9 (26.1 percent strikeout rate), 3.19 ERA (2.45 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP through 67.2 innings, and it appears the promising lefty is picking up exactly where he left off. Paxton's fantasy stock is rising quickly.

Morton (0-1) allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings in Monday's 6-0 loss to the Mariners.

Morton was an escape artist early on, emerging unscathed through four innings, three of which saw the Mariners get runners in scoring position. But the right-hander flirted with danger one too may times in the fifth inning when Seattle plated three runs and pushed Morton's pitch count up to 89. That was it for him. He certainly could have pitched better, but he and the rest of the starters are getting little support from the bats -- Houston is hitting .232. If the offense gets going as expected, Morton might be able to survive games like Monday's down the line. He's next scheduled to start Sunday at Oakland.

Verlander allowed just an unearned run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts across seven innings en route to a no-decision Monday against the Red Sox. He struck out four.

Verlander struggled to throw strikes at times and needed 112 pitches to make it through seven innings, but the only real trouble he faced came in the second inning, when an error led to the bases loading, at which point a double play resulted in the only run for the visitors. Chris Sale was equally dominant on the other end, costing Verlander any chance he had to earn his second win. Still, the early results have been excellent, and he'll look to keep it going Saturday against the Indians.

Sale (0-1) threw 7.2 innings of two-run ball in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Tigers, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts.

Sale was done in by a solo home run by Ian Kinsler in the sixth and a Nick Castellanos single in the eighth, while Justin Verlander was equally dominant on the other end. The Red Sox gave up a king's ransom for the lefty in the offseason, but he's looked terrific in his first two starts, carrying a 1.23 ERA and a 17:2 K:BB through 14.2 innings. He's received just one run of support thus far, but it's only a matter of time before the talented Boston offense begins to pick Sale up with regularity. He'll make his next start in a home tilt against the Rays on Saturday.

Cobb (1-1) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and one walk across 7.1 innings during Monday's 8-1 loss to the Yankees. He struck out seven.

Cobb wasn't quite as effective as he was in his first start against New York, as he allowed four extra-base hits, which accounted for all of the runs on his ledger. He still threw the ball relatively well, hitting the strike zone at a 66 percent clip and piling up seven punchouts after recording just four in the previous meeting. Despite this rough outing, it was a positive sign to see Cobb go deep into the game and throw more than 100 pitches for the first time since 2014. He'll take a still-respectable 3.46 ERA into Sunday's matchup with the Red Sox.

Rodon (biceps) is scheduled to be reevaluated during the White Sox's homestand, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

In the meantime, Rodon will stay back in Arizona and continue his throwing program while his team remains on the road. He'll be reevaluated around April 21, at which point the White Sox may decide to ramp up his workouts. He is still aiming to return sometime around the middle of May, though the White Sox will proceed cautiously with the 24-year-old. Dylan Covey will continue to fill in as the fifth starter until Rodon is able to return.

Manager Joe Girardi announced that Montgomery will start Wednesday's game against the Rays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Montgomery beat out Chad Green for the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation. The Yankees weren't expected to use a fifth starter until April 16, but Montgomery will be handed the ball slightly earlier than expected because Girardi wants to give Masahiro Tanako and CC Sabathia an extra day of rest. New York's management was apparently pleased with his five-inning outing at High-A Tampa last Thursday; he allowed one run (unearned) through five innings while striking out eight.

Bassitt (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session Monday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Bassitt faced live hitters last week for the first time, and Monday marked his first bullpen session, so he's making progress. Next up will be a second session Thursday, when he's expected to throw two sets of 15 pitches to live hitters. After that, Bassitt will be evaluated and possibly sent on a rehab assignment.