MLB Player News

Rodriguez has improved the depth of his slider as well as being able to throw it to both sides of the plate, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports. "It's that pitch that has advanced him a little bit more this spring," said manager John Farrell.

Rodriguez allowed two hits and three walks while striking out six in four scoreless innings Friday, giving him a 2.08 ERA with 13 strikeouts and five walks over 13 spring innings. His performance this spring, coupled with a strong finish to 2016, points to the left-hander being an important piece of Boston's rotation, particularly with the uncertainty surrounding David Price.

Kopech could make an impact in the major leagues sooner as a reliever than a starter, according to one National League scout, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

The White Sox will continue to prepare Kopech as a starter, but the subject of using him as a reliever was raised after the young right-hander struck out five in two relief innings Friday. Aside from any young pitcher's goal of improving fastball command, Kopech also needs to develop his changeup. Developing the changeup and building the arm strength to throw 200 innings in a season will take time. At present, his elite fastball (rated 80 on the 20-80 scale) and slider (60) suggest he could pitch as a late-inning reliever immediately. Given that the White Sox aren't in a position to contend immediately, we expect Kopech to remain on track to be a starter.

Keuchel threw four scoreless innings Friday against the Braves in his second spring start, Jodie Wagner of the Houston Chronicle reports. "It was a continuation from my last start out, and the stamina was there. I probably could have thrown another inning or two, so that's a good sign," the left-hander said.

Keuchel, who pitched three scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut against the Nationals last Sunday, allowed three singles and didn't walk a batter while striking out two. He got up to 42 pitches, 29 for strikes, and said his fastball command wasn't where he wanted, but it was a positive sign for the hurler who missed the final five weeks of the 2016 season due to shoulder inflammation. He'll make two more spring starts with the goal of hitting six or seven innings in his final one.

Cobb threw 78 pitches over 4.1 innings against Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cobb cruised through his first four innings against the Twins affiliate before running into trouble in the fifth. His final line included three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks. He found the strike zone with 52 of his offerings and notched four strikeouts overall in an outing intended to keep Cobb on his regular pitching schedule. "Four good innings and then I hit a little bit of a wall in the fifth,'' Cobb said. "Probably a little bit of lost focus more than anything. But overall it was a great day.''

Oakland GM Billy Beane says the team sees Montas as a future starter, but he will be used as a reliever this season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not surprising that the A's want to exercise caution with Montas, who hasn't seen a starter's workload since 2015. The young right-hander has shown intriguing potential this spring, allowing just one run over four innings and reaching the upper-90s with his fastball, but is almost certain to begin the season at Triple-A Nashville. Montas had his 2016 season sidelined by broken ribs, posting a 2.25 ERA over just seven minor league games in the Dodgers' system. He remains a strong possibility for a call-up this summer.

Stroman is scheduled to start Friday for Team USA against Puerto Rico in the WBC, MLB.com reports.

He will oppose Seth Lugo at Pecto Park in his second start in the World Baseball Classic. While Stroman will be facing a team that includes the likes of Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Beltran, his confidence should be sky high after a dominant performance against an even more dangerous Dominican Republic lineup his last time out. Stroman held the Dominican Republic to three hits over 4.2 scoreless innings last weekend, striking out three batters with zero walks.

Meyer appears to be ticketed for Triple-A Salt Lake City, The Orange County Register reports.

No official move has been made, and Meyer is slated to pitch against the Rangers on Friday, but a start in the minors seems inevitable after the 2011 first-round draft pick posted inconsistent results through three spring starts (5.79 ERA). If he is sent to the minors, the lanky righty could be called upon to start during the season should any of the Angels' projected starters struggle or go down to injury.

Smyly said he wasn't taken by surprise by the increased velocity he showed in his World Baseball Classic start, crediting extra rest between starts, adrenaline and his offseason work for the boost, Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com reports.

The left-hander is set to throw Tuesday with the Mariners. Unfortunately, Smyly will struggle to find similar breaks between outings in the regular season to the ones he's enjoyed in the WBC. Perhaps Seattle will make some effort to manage his workload and provide him with extra rest, considering his past health woes. Even with that concern, the 27-year-old remains an attractive upside option to round out a fantasy pitching staff.

Rodon will start his first Cactus League game Sunday and will throw a side session Friday to prepare for it, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reports.

It's a welcome development for the left-hander, who has been handled carefully this spring in order to preserve his innings and arm heading into 2017. Rodon's noteworthy improvement with his control (3.0 BB/9 last year) while sustaining his dominance (9.2 K/9) bodes well for his development. Perhaps he'll deliver on at least some of his lofty upside if he can work more than last season's 165 innings, which could make him one of fantasy's most profitable starting pitchers in 2017.

Sale didn't give up much loud contact but allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out three over four innings in Thursday's game against the Pirates, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Sale tossed 74 pitches Thursday, adding to his arm strength and reported feeling fine after the game, which is the news to take away from this outing. Sale, however, was not pleased about Pittsburgh hitters stringing together so many hits off weak contact. The left-hander will have two more starts before camp breaks, so he's right on schedule for the start of the regular season.