MLB Player News

Gibson gave up one run over five innings Thursday to lower his spring training ERA to 2.08. He has a 13:4 K:BB in 17.1 innings.

Gibson altered his delivery in the offseason to help reduce shoulder pain he had last season. So far the results are encouraging as he's set to begin the season as the No. 3 starter.

Whitley threw a live batting-practice session Thursday, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

Whitley, the Astros' first-round draft pick (17th overall) in the 2016 draft, said his main focus is calming down his tempo. Pitchers that throw as hard as Whitley can get into the habit of overthrowing. He met with Astros pitching coordinator Doug White, who told him easing up on his delivery will take some stress of his arm and body. The 19-year-old right-hander could start the season at Low-A Quad Cities.

Kaprielian was reassigned to minor league camp after tossing two no-hit innings in his spring debut Thursday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Kaprielian was shut down early in 2016 with a flexor strain in his elbow, and it was uncertain if he was going to make a Grapefruit League start before heading to the minors, but he 23-year-old responded well to his his workload and was given the chance to show his stuff before being sent down. He'll likely start the season at High-A or Double-A, but could earn a call-up if he stays healthy and pitches well. It's possible that he could make his big league debut this year as a reliever and then join the big league rotation at some point in 2018.

Carrasco (elbow) is feeling good and was cleared to play catch Thursday, according to Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. Carrasco is slated to throw in a minor league or simulated game in the coming days, unless he suffers a setback.

It's mildly good news for the right-hander with swelling in his throwing elbow, though fantasy owners should monitor his progress before considering him in drafts. Luckily, caution may put him on track to miss only minimal, if any, regular-season time, considering tests didn't reveal structural damage, according to manager Terry Francona. Still, for all the wondrous skills Carrasco displays when on the mound, his injury-laden past should prompt caution when bidding on him.

Manager Scott Servais expects Smyly to rejoin Mariners camp after his Wednesday start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The initial schedule was a one-and-done appearance in the Classic. Smyly dominated Team Venezuela, striking out eight batters without a walk, throwing 44 strikes in 61 pitches and allowing only an unearned run. The southpaw struck out the final six batters he faced to continue a dazzling March run: He's allowed only one run in 9.2 spring training innings. Following a dismal 2017 in which the veteran absorbed a 4.88 ERA, Smyly ranks as an alluring rebound candidate.

Smyly gave up one run (unearned) in 4.2 innings of work Wednesday, allowing three hits while striking out eight in Team USA's 4-2 victory over Team Venezuela.

On top of his eight strikeouts, Smyly didn't walk a batter and threw 44 of his 61 total pitches for strikes. He's looked great all spring, as the southpaw has only conceded one run in 9.2 innings so far. The 27-year-old will look to carry his form into the season, where he'll look to rebound from a tough 2016 that featured a disappointing 4.88 ERA in 175.1 innings.

Mejia threw 3.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and no walks in Wednesday's win over St. Louis to lower his spring ERA to 0.87. "We're open-minded. There's a lot of competition here, a lot of people in the mix. I was looking forward to seeing what he can do, and so far he's done a nice job," manager Paul Molitor told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

With Trevor May out for the season with a sprained UCL, the competition for the fifth starter job is still wide open. Mejia was seen as a longshot, but another strong outing or two could put him in serious consideration.

Paxton gave up an earned run on three hits over four innings in Tuesday's 7-6 Cactus League win over the White Sox. He struck out four.

Paxton cruised through what was his longest stint of spring, with the third-inning solo home run he surrendered to Yolmer Sanchez the only true blemish on his 62-pitch outing. The left-hander has posted an 0.89 WHIP and .212 BAA over nine spring innings, with the three round-trippers on his ledger thus far the one area of concern. Despite the one long ball Tuesday, Paxton came away feeling positive overall about his progress through three appearances. "I didn't feel great out there and didn't have my best stuff," Paxton said. "But I mixed speeds a little, kept them off balance. It's going to happen during the season. There'll be days I don't have my good curveball or cutter and just have to figure it out."

Odorizzi recorded four strikeouts and surrendered three earned runs on five hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in Tuesday's 10-6 Grapefruit League split-squad victory over the Yankees.

On what was a particularly windy day, Odorizzi wasn't at his sharpest by any means, giving up a solo shot to Gary Sanchez in the first, along with an RBI double to Gleyber Torres and run-scoring single to Ronald Torreyes in the second. The fact that the Yankees are Odorizzi's first regular season opponent did admittedly cause him to pitch a bit differently than usual, as he deployed his cutter for the first time and also focused on his slider while minimizing the use of his fastball and changeup. "When you face a team twice and they happen to be your opening day opponent, you don't tend to show them a lot of your go-to stuff," he said. "I was more focused on offspeed and just kind of putting that in their head a little bit. So show it, and once it's the season everything is a little bit different. I got my work in, that's for sure."

Snell gave up an earned run on one hit and five walks over 2.2 innings in Tuesday's 9-6 Grapefruit League split-squad win over the Orioles. He recorded a strikeout.

Snell's command issues were more prevalent than ever, with the young lefty not coming close to the five innings he was scheduled to pitch.The 24-year-old experienced the same breakdown in mechanics that bedeviled him last Thursday versus the Pirates, namely, his left shoulder flying open during his delivery. Snell threw a whopping 60 pitches overall during his time on the mound and is running out of time to get deeper into a game before the regular season. "This next outing is an important one for him," Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey said. "He needs to get deep in the ballgame, at least into the fifth inning, because he hasn't been close yet. We need to get over that hurdle real quick here."