MLB Player News

Kluber completed a one-inning simulated game Sunday with no issues, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Kluber is slated to make his Cactus League debut on March 6. His delayed start is a planned approach to reduce his arm's exposure during spring training, and there is no injury concern regarding the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner. Last season, Kluber finished among the AL's top five in wins (18), innings (215), strikeouts (227), ERA (3.14) and WHIP (1.06). Needless to say, the Indians' ace is a beast and owners can move forward with drafting him with full confidence for 2017.

Stroman struck out three Pirates over two perfect frames Monday in his spring debut.

Stroman revealed a downright filthy arsenal of pitches Monday, which explains why he's been boisterously asserting his confidence level this spring. "I had a good mix of everything," he told reporters after the game. "[Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia] did a great job of kind of mixing all my pitches. Slider, curveball, cutter, change, heater, sinker. I have a good amount of weapons to attack hitters and I'm extremely confident this year and ready to go." The 25-year-old righty, who got off to a slow start last season while rebounding from ACL surgery the prior year, didn't allow a ball out of the infield as he made Pirates' hitters look second-rate. Stroman had a 4.92 ERA through August last season, but turned it around with a 3.28 ERA in his last 11 starts.

Kopech allowed four runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over one inning in Tuesday's game against the Mariners.

Kopech is facing major-league hitters for the first time this spring, so it's understandable that the results were not good Tuesday. The right-hander with the legendary fastball lamented poor execution, particularly when he fell behind hitters. The 20-year-old Kopech, who is Chicago's third-ranked prospect according to RotoWire, is expected to open the season at High-A Winston-Salem or Double-A Birmingham.

Ramirez -- who is being stretched out as a starter -- made his spring training debut Monday, pitching 1.2 innings while giving up a run on two hits while walking two and striking out three. He said after the game that he was feeling fatigued, The Orange County Register reports.

Feeling fatigued after throwing less than two innings is a sign that the Ramirez project may not come to fruition come Opening Day. It is early, so there is time for the former reliever to build up his arm strength and stamina this spring. The lanky righty features a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s, but he doesn't have much in terms of secondary pitches, which has led to a pedestrian 6.5 K/9 in his career. The Angels can either keep Ramirez on track to become a starter, which would likely land him in Triple-A Salt Lake to start the year, or they can scrap the plan and have him join the big league club as a reliever, a role he posted a 4.35 ERA in over 78.2 innings last season.

Morton (hamstring) will make his spring debut Friday against the Mets, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The right-hander missed all of 2016 due to a torn hamstring that required surgery, but he seems to be back to form in time to make a good number of spring starts. As long as he experiences no setbacks, Morton is expected to slot in as the Astros' fourth starter, but he could see competition from Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers for starting spots as well.

Rodon is scheduled to pitch his first bullpen session of the spring on Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The White Sox continue to move Rodon along very slowly this spring, and the bullpen session is just the next step in his throwing program. He'll likely throw a few bullpen sessions before the White Sox move him on to live batting practice. The 24-year-old isn't injured, but he is expected to increase his workload in 2017, which explains why he is being eased into spring.

Montas won't be stretched out by the end of camp, CSN California's Joe Stiglich reports.

He will pitch in relief Thursday, and while the A's want to get a look at him as a starter, they will be cautious enough with him this spring that he won't be able to pitch on a starter's schedule until after the Triple-A season gets under way. An oblique injury sidelined Montas for most of 2016, which is why he is being brought along slowly. Most evaluators view Montas as a potentially dominant reliever long term, as he lacks the command and durability to profile as a starter. However the A's have every reason to get a look at him as a starter in their organization before officially converting him to the bullpen.

Snell, who gave up an earned run on four hits over two innings and also recorded a strikeout in Monday's 7-2 Grapefruit League win over the Phillies, made an in-game adjustment with his delivery, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The promising southpaw missed high with his fastball early on, a problem that Snell has been diligently addressing in his bullpen work this spring. The spotty command helped lead to a sticky situation in the first, which culminated in an RBI single by Maikel Franco after Snell had already allowed Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders to get on. However, Snell recognized his left shoulder was flying open during his delivery and made the necessary correction, helping him get through his second and final frame in somewhat smoother fashion. Although the 24-year-old has an impressive four-pitch arsenal, manager Kevin Cash continues to emphasize improved fastball command to Snell, whose solid 3.54 ERA in 2016 could be even better with a reduction of the 1.62 WHIP he also generated during his rookie campaign.

McCullers (elbow) is expected to throw a simulated game within the next few days, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCullers has been limited to throwing bullpen sessions and live batting practice thus far in camp while the Astros manage his workload carefully after elbow discomfort spelled an early end to his 2016 campaign. He appears to have progressed through those sessions without incident and looks poised to move on to the next stage of the recovery process. If all goes well during the simulated game, the right-hander would likely make his Grapefruit League debut at some point late next week.

Rodriguez is scheduled to start Thursday, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

All signs point to his recovery from knee surgery as complete, or very close to it. It is believed that Rodriguez is currently ahead of Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright in the battle for the final two spots in the Boston rotation to begin the season.