MLB Player News

White Sox manager Will Venable confirmed over the weekend that Burke will start the team's season opener March 27 versus the Angels in Chicago, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Burke made just four appearances (three starts) for the White Sox at the tail end of the 2024 season, but he dazzled in those outings with a 1.42 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB in 19 innings. He's been shakier this spring in allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and five walks over 10.2 innings, but with few appealing alternatives on hand, Burke was awarded the Opening Day assignment. The 25-year-old righty has shown bat-missing ability at every stop of his professional career, but the strikeout stuff has often been accompanied by walk rates north of 10 percent. Though Burke turned some heads during his brief taste of the big leagues in 2024, expect more volatility in his performance during his first season as a full-time starter in the majors.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Wednesday named Bibee the team's Opening Day starter for their March 27 matchup versus the Royals, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Bibee will be opposed by Cole Ragans in the American League Central showdown. The 26-year-old Bibee has looked sharp this spring, tossing nine scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Bibee finished the 2024 regular season with a 3.47 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 187:44 K:BB across 173.2 frames.

Spence will begin the season in the Athletics' bullpen, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The A's will go with Joey Estes as their fifth starter over Spence, who allowed nine runs (eight earned) with a 7:3 K:BB over 11.2 innings this spring. Spence is likely to operate in long relief and should be the first guy called upon when the Athletics are in need of a fill-in starter.

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.