MLB Player News

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber pitched three innings in his spring debut, Saturday. 

Kluber allowed one run on three hits for the Indians, striking out one. 

"Not bad," Kluber told MLB.com's William Boor. "I wasn't very sharp, I didn't do a very good job of working ahead of guys, but I felt good physically, that's the most important thing."

"I think it all starts with fastball command and after you establish that you kind of move on to the other stuff," Kluber added. "For me, I'd like to have my fastball command there before I get into a game."

Justin Verlander opened his spring schedule with two shutout innings for the Tigers against the Braves on Saturday. 

Verlander threw 42 pitches, according to the unofficial count of Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. He faced nine batters, allowing one hit and two walks, while striking out two.

Verlander devoted the start to working on his breaking pitches. "I had pretty good results with it," he said.  

He's been paying special attention to his curve this spring. "I've been pleased with it so far, and I was pleased with it today," he told Fenech.

Verlander wasn't as pleased with his fastball, which topped out at 94 MPH, saying it "was all right."  

White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale is sidelined with an avulsion fracture in his right foot that could cause him to miss opening day. 

In addition to that injury, Sale told the Chicago Tribune's Colleen Kane that he's also coping with a sprained ankle. Despite that, he said he was "right on track" with his recovery. 

An MRI on Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish's right triceps showed a sprained UCL in his right elbow, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported. 

The team is discussing Tommy John surgery, which would end Darvish's 2015 season. 

The Rangers said that the team and Darvish will consult with other orthopedic surgeons over the next few days to determine if the surgery is necessary. 

"I will be disappointed if I have to miss this season, but I want to look at all options including getting a second opinion," Darvish said in a release from the team.

General manager Jon Daniels said that the injury was "not the news we wanted" in a meeting with the media, according to Fort Worth Star Telegram reporter Stefan Stevenson. He said that a best case for Darvish would be four months of rest, instead of surgery. 

White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon, the the third pick in the 2014 draft, made his spring debut Friday afternoon against the Padres. He struck out four in two shutout innings. Of his 31 pitches, 21 were called for a strike.

According to MLB.com, Rodon threw more in the bullpen following his debut.

"I didn't really expect anything, just try to go out there, pound the zone, fastball-slider and I felt good," Rodon said, per Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton (forearm) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Friday. He reported no soreness and will throw another bullpen session in a few days, per the Tacoma News Tribune.

Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who left his spring start Thursday due to right triceps tightness, will undergo an MRI on Friday. 

Darvish said he was feeling much better Friday morning, but he has yet to meet with the team doctor, per The Dallas Morning News. Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said the team wants to be cautious with Darvish.

"I'd like to sit here and tell you we have no concern, but the reality is anytime a pitcher expresses any sort of discomfort in his arm, we're going to want to evaluate it fully," Levine said, per MLB.com. "We're going to let Dr. Meister evaluate [Darvish] and review the MRI and basically tell us how concerned we should be right now.

"With the fact that he had an injury last year, if he's expressing any similar symptoms, we're going to play this by the book before we put him back on the mound. We're just not going to leave [any] stone unturned. He's too important to the team. We just want to have every single piece of information we can possibly have before we make the next decision on him."

Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson surrendered one run on two hits and one walk in two innings while striking out two in his spring debut Thursday, using the outing to work on his curveball, the Associated Press reports.

"I felt really good," Gibson said. "I'm working on some stuff, and some stuff worked out that I was working on. I threw more curveballs than normal. That's what spring training's for. It's just fun to be able to work on a particular pitch. I feel a little more comfortable."

Gibson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011, completed his first full major-league deal in 2014, going 13-12 with a 4.47 ERA and 107:57 K:BB ratio in 179 1/3 innings.

Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco threw two innings in a "B" game against the Reds on Thursday morning. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway was pleased with what he saw from the right-handed pitcher.

"He had a good tempo. He wasn't overdoing it," Callaway said, per MLB.com. "The thing that worried me coming into spring was we talked about intent and letting it go and pitching like you're out of the 'pen. Well, we don't want him doing that right now. We don't want him averaging 97 yet. He did a really good job of controlling his effort level."

After holding Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir out for the first week of spring games, the Athletics have scheduled the spring debuts of the two pitchers, MLB.com reports.

Gray, who threw a simulated game Thursday, will face the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, while Kazmir, who threw Wednesday, is set to square off with the Mariners next Thursday. Gray remains the favorite to open the season on the mound for the Athletics.