MLB Player News

Gray struck out four over two scoreless innings in Wednesday's 5-0 Cactus League loss to the Padres, surrendering only one hit.

Gray's start belied the dominance that was to come, as he surrendered a leadoff double to Travis Jankowski. However, he then set down the next six men he faced, firing 19 of his 27 pitches for strikes. The ace of the A's staff refrained from throwing his slider, but showcased all of his other pitches, with his curveball and fastball particularly standing out. Now that he's officially out of the World Baseball Classic due to an insurance issue, Gray can fully focus on preparing for 2017, a season that he hopes will be nothing like a rocky 2016 campaign in which he endured two DL stints and racked up a career-worst 5.69 ERA. "He's come here on a mission this year," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I think for a lot of reasons there were some issues last year, but a healthy Sonny Gray is going to pitch well. [Today is] the type of stuff that we're used to seeing."

Rodon played catch Thursday and is lined up to toss a bullpen session Friday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

There's no injury here -- just a cautious approach to manage Rodon's workload in 2017, which is expected to climb. Easing off the southpaw in spring will allow him more innings in the regular season, during which he could finally break through as a fantasy hurler. While his prospective owners should only expect around 170 innings, he could be dominant during that span, considering last year's sizable control improvements (4.59 BB/9 in 2015, 2.95 in 2016) and 3.45 second-half ERA.

Odorizzi fired two perfect innings in Wednesday's 5-5 Grapefruit League tie with the Phillies.

Odorizzi continued the encouraging pattern of strong performances from the Rays' projected starting rotation, retiring the Phillies on just 19 pitches over his pair of frames. The 26-year-old righty threw all of his pitches except for his cutter and was so efficient that needed an additional 11 pitches in the bullpen to reach his desired workload of 30. Odorizzi also had his first opportunity to work with impressive non-roster invitee Jesus Sucre, who's impressed thus far with his ability to manage the staff.

Sale pitched a two-inning, 38-pitch simulated game Wednesday and is on track to make his spring-training debut next Monday against the Astros, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal reports.

Sale reported everything was normal and going as planned. He's just trying to get in his daily work and then build on that the next time he throws. He's scheduled to throw two innings against Houston.

Kaprielian could pitch only in simulated games this spring, and is expected to open the season with High-A Tampa, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports.

Kaprielian threw 27 innings in seven starts in the Arizona Fall League this year after getting shut down early last season with a flexor strain in his elbow. The Yankees will understandably preserve Kaprielian for the minor league season, and work on fine tuning things in a low-stress environment this spring. The Yankees' top pitching prospect, Kaprielian has the stuff and command to move quickly, although his innings will be monitored this season. He could reach the majors at some point in 2018.

Bundy, who had Tommy John surgery in 2013, will be used judiciously this season and may have a start skipped on occasion, Rich Dubroff of MLB.com reports.

Although he hasn't openly said Bundy will be on an innings limit this year, manager Buck Showalter has used choice words when discussing his plan for the right-hander. "I thought Dylan [tired] towards the end of last season -- he'd never admit it," Showalter said. "It wasn't showing up in velocities. It was just a little different crispness to his stuff. We're putting him at the back end when we get an extra day. We float him in the back." He went on to propose the idea of skipping a start before the All-Star game and slotting the 24-year-old at the bottom of the rotation in the second half of the year. With Chris Tillman out, Bundy, who will make his spring debut Wednesday against the Red Sox, will begin the campaign as the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation.

Bassitt (elbow) is expected to be allowed to throw curveballs in his next bullpen session, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports.

The right-hander began throwing off a mound in mid-February, and he seems to be progressing well on the long road to recovery from Tommy John surgery. If all goes well with this upcoming session, he could be ramped up to live BP sessions in the near future.

Cobb fired two perfect innings in Tuesday's 19-0 Grapefruit League win over the Twins. He struck out two.

The right-hander, who has a reputation for being tough on himself, nevertheless came away very pleased with his initial spring appearance, especially considering his rocky 22-inning stint at the tail end of 2016. Cobb had missed all of the 2015 campaign following Tommy John surgery, so his fresh start this spring and Tuesday's outing are considerably encouraging. "I'm happy with the results,'' Cobb said after retiring all six Twins he faced. "And I'm happy with two of the three pitches. I was extremely excited to see the movement on the fastball (clocked mostly 89-91 mph), and the ability to throw the curveball in and out of the zone when I wanted to. The changeup wasn't there every time I went to it, but there were glimpses of it.''

Keuchel (shoulder) faced hitters Wednesday for the second time this spring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Keuchel seemed fine during the session and had no problems with his delivery. The southpaw is expected to make his first spring start next week as he works his way back from shoulder inflammation which ended his 2016 campaign. Continue to monitor his progress over the coming days.

Carrasco allowed two runs on three hits (including a home run) while striking out two in Monday's exhibition game against Texas.

Carrasco's 2016 campaign came to an end in mid-September when his hand was fractured on a line drive off the bat of Ian Kinsler. After missing the team's postseason run to the World Series, Carrasco returned to the bump Monday for the first time in more than five months. He fired his full repertoire of pitches and came away feeling ready for the heavy workload that the Indians have planned for him this spring. "To be honest, it felt a little bit weird to be back on the mound," the right-hander said after the game. "At the same time, I feel good. Everything was good, coming out good. Every pitch was good. I feel great." Pitching coach Mickey Callaway has noted that Carrasco could log north of 30 innings this spring.