MLB Player News
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Tanner Bibee SP | CLE
Guardians' Tanner Bibee: Receiving Opening Day nod
The Guardians named Bibee as their starter for Opening Day against the Mariners on Thursday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
It'll be the first Opening Day start for Bibee, who was scheduled to do so last season before being a late scratch due to an illness. The right-hander is coming off an up-and-down 2024 campaign during which he posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 162:54 K:BB across 182.1 regular-season innings. Now entering his age-27 campaign, Bibee will look to regain the form that resulted in a 3.25 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across his first two MLB seasons in 2023 and 2024.
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Jack Kochanowicz SP | LAA
Angels' Jack Kochanowicz: Makes Opening Day roster
Kochanowicz was informed Friday that he made the Angels' Opening Day roster in an unspecified role, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Kochanowicz has been competing for a spot in the Halos' rotation, and while it's not a guarantee he'll be a starter, he's officially made the team. Still, there's a strong chance Kochanowicz is part of the rotation, given Alek Manoah's struggles this spring and an elbow issue for Grayson Rodriguez. Kochanowicz posted a 6.81 ERA across 111.0 innings for the Angels last season.
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Grayson Rodriguez SP | LAA
Angels' Grayson Rodriguez: Plays down injury concern
Rodriguez (arm) played light catch Friday and said he doesn't consider his injury serious, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Rodriguez is taking a cautious approach in his recovery from a dead arm, but that's due to his injury history rather than the severity of the current issue, as the right-hander called the injury "not serious." Still, it's unclear if Rodriguez will have to open the regular season on the injured list.
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Joe Ryan SP | MIN
Twins' Joe Ryan: Named Opening Day starter
Ryan will start the Twins' Opening Day game against Baltimore, the team announced Friday.
With Pablo Lopez (elbow) sidelined, it's not a surprise to see Ryan get the Opening Day nod. It'll be his second Opening Day start, with his first coming in 2022. Ryan set career bests in ERA (3.42) and innings pitched (171) in 2025.
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George Klassen SP | LAA
Angels' George Klassen: Assigned to minor-league camp
The Angels assigned Klassen to minor-league camp Friday.
Klassen's strong start to spring training put him in contention to make the Angels' big-league rotation, but it looks like the 24-year-old will open 2026 in the minors. One of the Halos' top prospects, Klassen posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB across 11.2 innings this spring.
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Eric Lauer SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Eric Lauer: Rotation spot opens
Lauer is expected to begin the season in the Blue Jays' rotation with Trey Yesavage (shoulder) headed for the IL, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
While manager John Schneider didn't guarantee the southpaw a spot in the rotation Thursday, there wouldn't seem to be any other clear options in camp for Toronto with Yesavage, Shane Bieber (forearm) and Jose Berrios (elbow) all on the shelf. "He's got a good chance," Schneider said. "Just got to figure out exactly who is where." The Jays play seven straight games to begin their regular season, six at home against the A's and Rockies before beginning a road series against the White Sox on April 2, so using a four-man rotation early wouldn't seem to be an option. Lauer's last spring outing came on a back field, but he built up to nearly 70 pitches in a minor-league game. Over 104.2 innings in a swingman role in 2025, the 30-year-old posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 102:26 K:BB in 28 appearances (15 starts).
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Sawyer Gipson-Long SP | DET
Tigers' Sawyer Gipson-Long: To throw bullpen Saturday
Gipson-Long (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Gipson-Long looks to still be on track for an Opening Day return, which is encouraging after the 28-year-old sustained an oblique strain early in spring training. Considering the Tigers bolstered their starting rotation this offseason, Gipson-Long likely would be in a bullpen role if he makes the MLB roster.
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Max Fried SP | NYY
Yankees' Max Fried: Wild in final spring tune-up
Fried walked four batters and allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts over five innings in a split-squad Grapefruit League start against Baltimore on Thursday.
Fried had trouble finding the zone Thursday, throwing a modest 48 strikes among his 81 pitches and issuing four free passes. With that said, none of the batters he walked came around to score, and most of the damage against the veteran hurler came on a two-run homer by Coby Mayo in the second inning. This was almost certainly Fried's final appearance of the spring, and he'll finish the exhibition slate with a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB over 14.1 innings spanning five starts. The right-hander's next start will take place on Opening Day -- Wednesday, March 25 against San Francisco.
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Aaron Civale SP | ATH
Athletics' Aaron Civale: Dominant in spring start
Civale allowed two hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts across six scoreless innings in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Mariners.
Civale was in control throughout Thursday's start, consistently generating whiffs and tallying 11 strikeouts -- a mark he hasn't reached in regular-season play since 2023. This was a much-needed positive outing for the right-hander, who had surrendered eight runs across 7.2 innings in his previous two Cactus League appearances. After splitting time between the Brewers, White Sox and Cubs and posting a combined 4.85 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 23 regular-season appearances (18 starts) and 102 innings in 2025, Civale inked a one-year deal with the Athletics in February and is in line to slot into the starting rotation.
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Seth Lugo SP | KC
Royals' Seth Lugo: Sees MiLB action in return from WBC
Lugo threw five innings in a minor-league game Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Lugo threw 72 pitches without issuing a walk and worked through some traffic, reportedly feeling great as he returned to camp after participating in the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico. After posting a 4.15 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 26 starts and 145.1 innings in 2025, Lugo was shut down in September due to a back injury, though the issue doesn't appear to be lingering into the spring. The veteran righty will slot into the Kansas City rotation and look to get closer to his 2024 production, when he posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 206.2 innings.