MLB Player News

Rodon was scratched from Friday's Cactus League game due to tightness in his biceps, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

This isn't promising news for either Rodon or the White Sox. He will head for an MRI, though the team doesn't believe there is any structural damage at this point. Even so, they were moving Rodon along very slowly this spring in anticipation of an increased workload, so if there isn't any structural damage, it's still likely he'll miss some time to start the season. This is obviously a situation to monitor, and more will be known about the southpaw's status after the test results are revealed.

The Astros have named Keuchel as their Opening Day starter, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The southpaw has held up well since returning from rehab on the rotator cuff issues in his left shoulder. The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner could wind up a profitable fantasy pick this season, though even with Keuchel's recent healthy stretch, pitchers with shoulder injuries carry extra risk.

Verlander pitched six innings in Thursday's spring training loss to the Braves, allowing just two hits and one earned run. He struck out four.

Verlander looks locked in, as he now has his spring training ERA down to 1.99. Just two years ago, it seemed like maybe Verlander was hitting the downswing of his career, as he posted a 4.54 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. But the 34-year-old had a resurgence in 2016, posting a 3.04 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while striking out 254 in 227.2 innings. Verlander doesn't have the velocity he once did, but he's been able to adjust and remains a top-tier fantasy starter heading into 2017.

Montgomery was impressive in his first start of spring training Thursday against Tampa Bay as he gave up two runs over 4.1 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. "I liked what I saw - a lot," manager Joe Girardi told Newsday.

Montgomery has gone from a dark horse candidate to make the bullpen to the thick of the competition to win a spot in the rotation. He has a 3.68 ERA with a 13:2 K:BB in 14.2 innings this spring. He's competing with Luis Severino, Adam Warren, Bryan Mitchell and Luis Cessa for the final spot in the rotation.

Quintana allowed two hits without a walk and struck out three over seven innings Thursday against the Reds, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

With more than a dozen scouts looking on, Quintana filled their notebooks as he retired the first 17 batters faced and needed just 79 pitches. He tossed a few more in the bullpen to get up around 90. He's ahead of most pitchers because he prepared himself to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. With one final outing next week before the start of the regular season, Quintana still hasn't been named the White Sox's starter for Opening Day, though he's on schedule for that honor. By not naming him, the team leaves open the possibility of trading him.

Paxton (illness) will have his scheduled start Friday skipped due to a head cold, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Hisashi Iwakuma will take Paxton's spot on the mound for Friday's game against the Royals. Fortunately, Johns is reporting that Paxton is just dealing with a case of the cold, so there's little reason for concern regarding the hard-throwing lefty's status heading into the season. Although Paxton has given up four earned runs over 9.0 innings this spring, he's sporting a strong 11:1 K:BB over that stretch.

Bassitt (elbow) threw another successful 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, John Hickey of The East Bay Times reports.

Bassitt was able to do the same in a session the prior Tuesday as he continues his recovery from last year's Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old right-hander "was able to throw all his pitches" according to manager Bob Melvin, with the successful session ostensibly bringing him one step closer to a return to game action.

Montas, who earned a two-inning save in Wednesday's 5-3 Cactus League win over the White Sox with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit over two innings, is a contender for the final bullpen spot, John Hickey of The East Bay Times reports.

The young fireballer has racked up a sparkling 9:1 K:BB along with a 1.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over his four appearances and possesses the ever-coveted 100 mph fastball. While the A's would ideally like to have more than one southpaw in the bullpen, the struggles of Daniel Coulombe and Ross Detwiler, who each sport a 9.39 ERA, are making that possibility increasingly less likely. That leaves a potential spot open for Montas, who has the stuff to serve as an excellent late-inning option right away.

The Yankees were hoping Severino would emerge this spring as a clear choice for the big league rotation, but so far he has failed to do so, Newsday's Anthony Rieber reports.

Prospect Jordan Montgomery (3.48 ERA this spring) was recently added to the competition for the final two spots in the rotation, along with Severino, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell, Luis Cessa and Adam Warren. Green (1.50 ERA) has been the most impressive this spring, and figures to be the favorite to open the year as the No. 4 starter. Severino is seen as the most talented of the bunch, but his 5.06 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 10.2 innings have him looking like a pitcher who isn't ready to turn over a big league lineup. He still has two minor league options, so the most likely scenario seems to be an assignment to Triple-A to start the season.

Berrios may not break camp with the Twins because he only threw 40 pitches in his World Baseball Classic appearance Thursday, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports.

The right-hander may not have stretched out sufficiently in order to join the opening week rotation. Tyler Duffey and Adalberto Mejia likely rank ahead of him because they've had normal spring workloads. Of course, Berrios holds the most upside of the trio, and whenever he does catch up, the 22-year-old could leave the minors and join the starting quintet. Perhaps working with elite pitch-framing catcher Jason Castro could take Berrios to another level after his disastrous 2016 MLB debut.