MLB Player News

Boyd pitched five scoreless innings in Friday's spring training win over the Braves. He allowed three hits and struck out five.

Boyd continues to do everything he can to lock down the No. 5 spot in the rotation. He has a 2.49 ERA this spring with 21 strikeouts and zero walks. "He continues to pitch consistently well," manager Brad Ausmus told Jason Beck of MLB.com. "As well as anyone in camp." Boyd is battling veteran Anibal Sanchez for the spot.

Darvish will be the Opening Day starter against Cleveland.

It will be Darvish's first Opening Day start and a well-deserved honor in his fifth season with the Rangers. The 30-year-old righty returned from Tommy John surgery last season to compile a 3.41 ERA and a 132:31 K:BB ratio over 17 starts and could be on track to return to his dominant pre-surgery form. Darvish will form a powerful rotation duo with teammate Cole Hamels, who will likely start the second game of the season.

Rodon (biceps) will travel to Los Angeles to get a second opinion Monday, but says the clean MRI is "reassuring," Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Rodon noted that he had never felt such severe tightness as he did Thursday and that it was a "scary" experience, so getting a second opinion is likely a precautionary move with Opening Day just nine days away. The southpaw has taken on a light workload this spring to better condition his arm for late-season innings after he posted a 4.04 ERA over 28 starts with the White Sox last season. He's expected to open the season on the DL.

Carrasco, making his first spring appearance since experiencing elbow discomfort during his start on March 13, tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two in Friday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.

The Cubs deployed a makeshift lineup, but the importance of Carrasco's smooth performance shouldn't be understated. Health has been the righty's biggest foe over the past year, and he received a huge scare earlier in camp when his throwing elbow flared up. However, he appears to be back on track and feels confident there's nothing to worry about moving forward. Over the next 10 days, the Indians will need to decide how to handle Carrasco's comeback in terms of the rotation alignment. Due to early-season off days, manager Terry Francona has the option of not using a fifth starter until April 15. If the club feels Carrasco needs more time to get his innings and pitch count up, he could be slotted in the back of the rotation.

Miley, who was scratched from his last start due to illness, threw on Thursday's off day and could make his next start in a minor league game, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports.

Manager Buck Showalter said the lefty was fatigued toward the end of his throwing session, so maybe Miley isn't quite 100 percent just yet. Either way, it was a positive sign to see the 30-year-old back at work. Miley should have time to squeeze in at least one more Grapefruit League outing to go along with a minor league start before Opening Day.

McCullers (foot) will start either the second or third game of the regular season, Brian McTaggart of the Astros' official site reports.

McCullers, who was forced to leave his last start due to a foot injury, will make his fourth spring start Saturday against the Nationals. The injury was not considered serious at the time, a notion supported by manager A.J. Hinch penciling him in for a start during the first rotation of the regular season. The only thing to be determined is the rotation's order. As expected, Hinch named Dallas Keuchel the Opening Day starter followed by McCullers and Charlie Morton in a yet-to-be-determined order.

Morton will pitch either the second game of the regular season or the third, Brian McTaggart of the Astros' official site reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch sketched out the first few games of the season, naming Dallas Keuchel the Opening Day starter followed by Morton and Lance McCullers in an order to be determined. Morton made his penultimate spring start Friday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings. He's allowed two earned runs, 10 hits and six walks while striking out 17 over 17.1 innings this spring.

Meyer has been reassigned to Triple-A Salt Lake, The Orange County Register reports Friday.

Meyer's best shot to make the team this year was as a reliever. Currently, the Angels feel his future is still as a starting pitcher, and he was too inconsistent this spring to unseat any of the club's stable of veteran hurlers. If Meyer can't start getting results consistently as a starter soon, though, a switch to the bullpen could be coming.

Rodon (biceps) had an MRI on Friday that revealed no structural damage, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Rodon was scratched Friday with biceps tightness, but the MRI he underwent revealed no structural damage, which is what the White Sox originally believed was the case. He's still set to get a second opinion, but for now it seems like the worst-case scenario was avoided. The 24-year-old is still likely to miss the start of the season, but a firmer timetable should be available after the second opinion.

Quintana was named the Opening Day starter for the White Sox on Friday, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Quintana was the clear frontrunner after the White Sox traded Chris Sale to the Red Sox in the offseason. The 28-year-old is coming off his best season yet, earning his first All-Star Game selection after posting a 3.20 ERA with 181 strikeouts across 208 innings.