MLB Player News

Estes will open the season as the fifth starter in the Athletics rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

He'll receive the spot over Mitch Spence, who will begin the season in the bullpen. Estes spent the bulk of the 2024 campaign in the rotation, finishing with a 5.01 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 92:27 K:BB over 127.2 innings. His leash on a starting job could be fairly short.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Schmidt (shoulder) will not be built up to 75-to-80 pitches for the start of the season, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Curry adds that the Yankees are likely to be cautious with Schmidt, so it's possible, if not probable, that he won't be ready for his first turn in the rotation April 3 versus the Diamondbacks. If Schmidt is indeed not ready, both Carlos Carrasco and Will Warren could open the season in the Yankees' rotation. Schmidt will throw a live batting practice session Thursday as he works his way back from a shoulder issue and a potential absence for the righty could be brief if he avoids setbacks.

Tiger (elbow) will miss the 2025 season after undergoing internal brace surgery in September, MLB Pipeline reports.

Tiger has a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and slider and also throws a decent splitter. He will head into his age-25 season in 2026 with just 46 pro innings under his belt and zero experience above High-A.

Mahle allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings in Tuesday's start against the Guardians.

Mahle was back in a major-league setting, making his fourth Cactus League start, after spending time with minor leaguers following a minor forearm issue. While Mahle worked his way back from forearm soreness, the Texas pitching staff was hit hard by injuries to Cody Bradford (elbow) and Jon Gray (wrist). That means Mahle becomes an even more important piece in the rotation. The right-hander looks ready for the regular season with a 3.21 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 14 Cactus League innings.

Ortiz allowed four runs on two hits and six walks while striking out two over four innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Rangers.

It was another rocky outing for Ortiz, who made his fifth Cactus League start. The free passes continued a trend that has seen him walk 11 batters over his last 10.1 spring innings and 12 overall in 14.2 innings. Unsurprisingly, the walks have wreaked havoc on his spring ERA (11.66). Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt told Tim Stebbins of MLB.com that the right-hander's stuff plays when he's in the zone, but Ortiz needs to work on being more consistent with his delivery. "Because when we see him in the zone, we see what he can do. And that's to be an elite pitcher," Vogt said. Ortiz is short on experience in the majors, having appeared in 59 games (34 starts) since his debut in 2022. He'll continue to work with pitching coach Carl Willis to bring out the 2024 version of Ortiz, who posted a 3.32 ERA in 37 games (15 starts) for Pittsburgh.

McCullers (forearm) threw one inning without allowing a hit or a run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

McCullers took the mound for the first time since the 2022 World Series after working through several different arm injuries. He threw 13 pitches as a first step in what will likely remain a lengthy ramp up to return to big-league action. Nevertheless, it was a positive sign of his potential to make an impact with Houston in 2025.

Kirby (shoulder) hopes to begin playing catch in the next few days, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After receiving an injection last week, Kirby has since resumed strengthening exercises but will remain in Arizona for three more weeks to continue his rehab. The Mariners shut Kirby down from throwing on March 7 due to right shoulder inflammation, and the star right-hander's timetable for a return remains up in the air a bit. With Kirby's throwing program still yet to begin, it sounds like fantasy managers shouldn't plan on having him available until mid-April at the earliest. "I'm hoping to get back up there by the middle of April," Kirby said.

Povich picked up the win after throwing five hitless innings with three walks in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. He struck out six.

Battling with Albert Suarez for Baltimore's final rotation spot in Grayson Rodriguez's (elbow) stead, Povich dazzled against Toronto's regular lineup to stake his claim to open the season as a starter. Although the 24-year-old left-hander stumbled with five runs allowed in last Friday's Grapefruit League start, Povich carries a 3.07 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 15 strikeouts over 14.2 innings this spring, including three scoreless outings. Povich acknowledged after Tuesday's game that it could have been his last spring appearance, per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, but the aforementioned Suarez is scheduled to start Friday's exhibition contest against the Tigers for his final audition before the Orioles decide on their fifth starter.

Cecconi was diagnosed with a mild left oblique strain Tuesday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Cecconi's injury will put an early end to his spring after just three appearances, during which he allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 5.1 innings. The right-hander has already begun rehab, though he hasn't yet been cleared for throwing and will begin the season on the injured list. Once he receives the green light to start a throwing program, a clearer return timeline may emerge.

Corbin will not join the Rangers in Arizona for the final few days of camp as he awaits the imminent birth of his child, but he will meet the team in Texas, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Corbin inked a one-year deal with Texas on Tuesday, but his first game action with the new club will have to wait. The Rangers wrap up their Cactus League schedule March 22 before heading home to Arlington to play two exhibition games against the Royals on March 24 and 25.