MLB Player News

White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana showed signs of improvement in 2014 by limiting opposing hitters to only 10 home runs at hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field. And because of his home run prevention, he's hoping to become one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2015, per MLB.com.

"I think his priorities are being one of the best pitchers in the league," rotation-mate Jeff Samardzija said. "And when that happens, then I think the accolades will fall into line."

He attacks -- that's a great word for it," Samardzija said. "He gets a lot of quick outs. He pounds the zone with three or four great pitches. When you do that, you're going to be pretty successful."

The 26-year-old left-hander finished with a 9-11 record in 32 starts in 2014, but set career best numbers in strikeouts (178), ERA (3.32) and innings pitched (200 1/3).

"We're counting on his consistency this year," manager Robin Ventura said. "You start taking a peek at his track record of what he's done, the innings he's put in, he's up there with anybody in the league."

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said Tuesday the plan for starting pitcher James Paxton is to start throwing again early next week, per MLB.com. Paxton has been sidelined for more than a week after hurting his forearm when he fell to the ground during agility drills.

Three years after coming to American from Cuba, LHP Roenis Elias jumped from Double-A to the Mariners, last season. Now, he finds himself fighting to keep his spot in the starting rotation. 

Despite going 10-12, with a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts for the Mariners last year and becoming one of the rookie surprises in the American League, Elias opens spring training battling Taijuan Walker for the fifth spot in the rotation. 

The right-handed Walker is a first-round draft pick of the Mariners, and a top pitching prospect in the organization. 

That means Elias could find himself starting the season back in the minors. 

"There's not a lot of difference between this year and last," he told MLB.com's Greg Johns. "Last year I didn't come in with a spot and this year you could say the same thing. I have to work hard and do what I did last year and even improve on that."

Even if he doesn't win the job in spring, he's earned the respect of Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. 

"He's got to get stronger," McClendon said. "He pitched well when he was healthy. He's got a dynamic curveball. The change-up got better at the end of the year. His consistency with the fastball command needs to be better and if he does that, he has a chance to be a pretty darn good pitcher in this league for a long time."

Mariners pitcher James Paxton said Monday he hurt his forearm nine days ago when he fell during agility drills. He felt some mild soreness while throwing, but X-rays and an MRI came back negative.

Paxton has been held out of workouts the last few days, but he is not seriously injured. He is expected to be sidelined for a few more days before he starts throwing again.

“He actually hurt both arms,” general manager Jack Zduriencik said, per MLB.com. “He fell and grabbed himself. His left arm is a little sore and his right arm, we’re not that concerned about. But both of them, he kind of braced himself and jammed it. So no sense pushing it. We’ll let him get treatment, let it quiet down and get him out here as soon as he’s ready.”

Paxton said his foot got caught on the artificial turf in the workout area at the team’s spring complex in Arizona. He called it "an unathletic moment for me."

“You get here and ‘C’mon, you’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said. “I busted it getting ready for this and now something like this happens. It’s putting me back a little and it’s frustrating, but I just have to take it one day at a time and get ready to go for when it matters.”

Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton is not working out Monday after landing awkwardly on his right forearm during an agility drill Sunday, according to FOX Sports. However, the Mariners believe Paxton will be fine.

Rays starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi spent the offseason working to strengthen his core and base, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Odorizzi reported to camp at 197 pounds following a 17-pound weight gain.

"It was just eating a lot of food, obviously healthy food, but pretty much as much as I could shovel in," Odorizzi said. "Pretty much every meal I ate was larger than I would have had last year. … There were just a lot of meals, like six or seven a day. I'd eat something every two-three hours.

"My upper body's not that much different, it's almost all from the waist down. Just more strength for pitching, and more stability. … More body control having a sturdier base."

Odorizzi is hoping the added weight will help increase the velocity on his pitches.

"I feel really good, that's the main thing," he said. "Everything feels good coming out, my body feels strong. That's the most I can ask for coming into spring."

White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon will prep as a starter this spring, according to MLB.com.

Despite that, Rodon said he'll gladly accept a role as a reliever if that's what the team requires. Rodon said it's easier to make the adjustment to the pen if he's stretched out, so he's on board with the strategy. 

"Think about it: starters get extended five or six innings, usually, hopefully," Rodon said. "You think of it as a relief appearance, you have to get going quicker, that's one adjustment." He added that it's easier to pitch in short spurts after being stretched out than it would be to suddenly ramp up his workload if he were initially used as a reliever.

Rodon said he won't make excuses no matter what role the team chooses for him. "You have to do whatever you can to win for your team," Rodon said. "If that's an adjustment I have to make, then I'll learn to make it and I'm not going to make it a problem."

Rodon was the third pick in the 2014 draft. He's expected to compete for a spot on the team this spring, though it's likely he starts the year in the minors. 

The Rangers will have their first workouts on Saturday, which will feature pitcher Yu Darvish. General manager Jon Daniels told reporters prior to Darvish's first session that "he's right where he needs to be and ready to go," per the Dallas Morning News.

Darvish missed the final weeks of the 2014 season due to elbow inflammation, with his last start came Aug. 9 against Houston. He went 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts, tossing two complete games and one shutout.

Martin Perez, recovering from Tommy John surgery last May, has a two-a-day scheduled to open spring training with the Rangers.

Perez will have two throwing sessions, separated by a five-minute break. In the first, he'll throw 25 times. Then he'll throw 15 times at a distance of 120 feet. 

Ron Matejko of ESPN Dallas reported the details of Perez's progress. 

"We are going to work this weekend and continue to throw," Perez said. "Then next week we'll go to the bullpen and throw off flat ground for a week, and the following week in the bullpen I'll throw off the half mound." 

Perez expects to return by midseason. 

Indians manager Terry Francona spoke highly of Carlos Carrasco's confidence late last season, and is expecting the right-hander to solidify his rotation in 2015, per the Associated Press.

"Last year, we were curious," Francona said. "The way he pitched, he deserves for us to be all-in.

"There is not one ounce of difference in his stuff," Francona said. "The difference was in his confidence. You never know when they are going to get it. That's why you don't want to be the organization that gives up too soon on talent like that."

Carrasco started 2014 as a starter but was demoted to the bullpen after four rough outings in late April. The 27-year-old regained his role as a starter in August, registering a 1.30 in his final 10 starts of the year.He's slated to open the season in the team's rotation.