MLB Player News

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.

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.

Webb allowed six earned runs on eight hits, including one home run, and one walk while striking out three across 4.1 innings in Thursday's 14-11 Cactus League win over the Rockies.

Webb returned to Cactus League action after joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, where he surrendered one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out 11 in 8.2 innings over two outings. The right-hander was hit hard in his third Cactus League start, tossing 58 of his 86 pitches for strikes while giving up six more hits than he had over his previous two spring games combined. Webb, who is set to make his fifth consecutive Opening Day start for the Giants, is coming off a strong 2025 campaign in which he posted a 3.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 224:46 K:BB across 207 innings in 34 starts.

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.

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.

Singer (blister) expects to make his next start, MLB.com reports.

The Reds haven't announced their pitching plans beyond Friday, so Singer's next scheduled start is not known. Given a typical five-game rotation, the right-hander would be in line to pitch the final Cactus League tilt for Cincinnati next Tuesday. Singer was removed early from his start Wednesday when a blister developed on his right index finger, but the issue doesn't appear to be serious. He cited the Arizona heat as a factor.

Soroka allowed one hit and one walk while striking out eight over five scoreless innings in Thursday's spring start against the White Sox.

Soroka dazzled in his first game back from a stint with Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. The right-hander threw 70 pitches (48 strikes) and will get one more spring start next Tuesday against the Guardians, Arizona's final preseason game. With Merrill Kelly (back) slated to begin the season on the injured list, Soroka will open the regular season as part of the team's five-man rotation.

Kussow recently underwent labrum surgery on his right shoulder and was placed on the FCL Mets' full-season injured list Wednesday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Kussow was a fourth-round pick by the Mets in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft. This was slated to be his first full minor-league season, but instead the right-hander will spend the entirety of the campaign recovering and rehabbing from surgery.

Kikuchi is slated to start the Angels' second game of the regular season -- which will take place Friday, March 27 in Houston -- and is expected to be "full-go" for that outing, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Kikuchi spent much of his time this spring with Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, but he had a small workload, tossing just four innings across two appearances and giving up three runs on seven hits with a 5:0 K:BB. The southpaw recently returned to the Angels and started against the Royals on Thursday, tossing 4.2 innings during which he allowed one run on two hits and three walks while fanning two batters. Kikuchi worked up to just 64 pitches in the start, but even with Opening Day just a week away, it sounds like the club feels that Kikuchi will be able to handle a full workload right away.

Severino will start the Athletics' March 27 season opener versus the Blue Jays in Toronto, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

This will be Severino's second consecutive Opening Day start and his third overall. The 32-year-old is coming off the worst season of his MLB career (20-start minimum) as he had a 4.54 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 124:50 K:BB over 162.2 innings last year. The two-time All-Star has not been able to recapture the stretch he had from 2017 to 2022, when he had a 3.10 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Since then, the right-hander has had a 4.71 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across the past three seasons.