MLB Player News

Rodriguez (knee) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

The Red Sox are going easy on its three starters competing for the final two spots in the rotation. None of the group that includes Rodriguez, Steven Wright (shoulder) and Drew Pomeranz (elbow) have thrown off a mound yet, though all participated in Tuesday's fielding drills. Because there are more days in spring training this year, a consequence of the need for pitchers participating in the World Baseball Classic to prepare themselves, manager John Farrell can use those extra days to take things slow with the three starters.

Keuchel (shoulder) had a 20-pitch bullpen session and reported feeling good, Brett Dolan of CBS Houston reports.

Keuchel, who should be Houston's Opening Day starter if healthy, was shut down in September of last season with a case of shoulder inflammation. The 2015 Cy Young award winner in American League said he never felt right when he reported to spring training in 2016. He nevertheless took the ball every fifth day -- that's what staff ace's do -- but hitters caught up to all of his pitches, particularly his trademark sinker. The Astros have added some lumber in the offseason, which should help the starting staff, but they'll need Keuchel healthy if they want to contend in the A.L. West.

Rodon is easing into spring training as he is expected to increase his workload in 2017, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He said he isn't expected to throw until Friday, and that the White Sox are taking it slow with him because his workload is going to be a bit more this year. The 24-year-old will be a big part of the White Sox pitching staff, who traded their ace Chris Sale in the offseason and are still considering moving their current ace Jose Quintana.

Gausman is the favorite to start Opening Day with Chris Tillman ruled out, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

With Chris Tillman ruled out for Opening Day with shoulder issues, Gausman has emerged as the frontrunner to takeover the job. The 26-year-old posted a 3.61 ERA with a 174:47 K:BB ratio across 179.2 innings (30 starts) with the Orioles last season.

Meyer is part of a 12-man competition for two available slots in the Anaheim rotation this spring, the Orange County Register reports.

Of that group, Meyer is likely behind Tyler Skaggs and Jesse Chavez, if not a few others, to claim one of the vacancies behind Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, and Ricky Nolasco to begin the season. The Angels have spent the last several months making moves to bolster their pitching depth, and Meyer was a part of that in the second half of the 2016 season when he was acquired from the Twins. In five starts with the Angels last season, Meyer posted a 4.57 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with a 24:13 K:BB in 21.2 innings. His best chance of cracking the team's Opening Day roster is likely as a reliever, but the former first-round pick still offers mid-90s heat with his fastball and an arsenal that gets opposing hitters to whiff often. He'll simply need to develop more control in order to stick as a starter.

Bassitt (elbow) is using his recovery from Tommy John surgery to revamp his mechanics, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bassitt had Tommy John surgery last May, and he said that during his recovery he is also revamping his mechanics, which he said were a disaster. He posted a 6.11 ERA across 28 innings before his injury last year, so we will see is his revamped mechanics and a healthy elbow can help him post better numbers when he rejoins the A's later in 2017.

Nolasco is considered one of the Angels' top four starters heading into spring training, Jose Mota of MLB Network reports.

Nolasco had a bit of a renaissance season with the Twins and the Angels lasts season, posting a 4.42 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 197.2 innings. While those numbers aren't making fantasy owners line up to draft him, they were certainly an improvement over his totals from the two previous seasons. While the Angels may consider him a pitcher worth relying on every fifth day, fantasy owners can certainly find better options in drafts this year.

Stroman won his arbitration hearing Tuesday and will receive $3.4 million for the 2017 season, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

The Blue Jays were proposing a $3.1 million salary, but the arbiter sided with Stroman, who is considered by some to be the team's No. 1 starter. This will be the second year in a row that a strong finish to the prior season has Stroman generating a lot of buzz in drafts as a breakout candidate. He posted a 4.37 ERA last year, but his fielding independent numbers were much stronger and he notched a 3.89 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 83 strikeouts over 88 innings in the second half.

Bassitt (elbow) threw 20 pitches off the mound on Tuesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bassitt had Tommy John surgery in May 2016 and looks to be on track with his recovery from the procedure. Bassitt was solid for the A's in 2015 (3.56 ERA in 86 innings), but struggled badly before his injury in 2016, posting a 6.11 ERA in 28 innings. He will likely be shooting to rejoin the A's in the second half of the 2017 season.

Odorizzi won his arbitration hearing Tuesday and will receive $4.1 million for the 2017 season, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

The Rays had proposed paying Odorizzi $3.825 million for the upcoming season, but the arbiter rewarded the right-hander's consistency since becoming a full-time member of the big league rotation. He has posted an ERA under 3.70 in each of the last two seasons, although his fielding independent numbers suggest he may regress slightly in 2017.