MLB Player News

Kopech (forearm) was moved to the 15-day injured list Monday.

Kopech has been dealing with right forearm inflammation since the offseason and it'll force him to begin the 2025 season on the injured list. He's progressed to throwing bullpen sessions, but the team has yet to provide an update on when he'll advance to facing live hitters.

Harrison showed better velocity in his last Cactus League appearance Sunday versus the Athletics, sitting at 93-to-94 mph and touching 95 mph several times, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The bump up in velocity is encouraging, as Harrison had been sitting in the low-90s in camp after losing 13 pounds due to a virus. However, while his weight and velocity are coming back, Harrison's results this spring have not been encouraging, particularly his last two times out when he surrendered a combined eight runs in 4.2 innings. Meanwhile, Hayden Birdsong (0.75 ERA, 18:0 in 12 innings) and Landen Roupp (3.75 ERA, 14:1 K:BB in 12 frames) have both been excellent. The competition for the fifth spot in the Giants' rotation could come down to the wire.

The Blue Jays placed Manoah (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Richard Lovelady, whose contract was selected Monday. Manoah has begun to throw off a mound but is not expected back from his hybrid internal brace procedure until August.

Harrington remains in big-league camp and will start Tuesday against the Phillies, Tribune-Review Sports reports.

Harrington didn't come into spring training with as much buzz as Bubba Chandler, but he's a very good pitching prospect in his own right and is the last prospect left competing for a rotation spot. Harrington could just be an insurance policy in case one of the Pirates' other starters gets injured before the start of the season, but Harrington looked sharp while striking out five batters over three innings in an intrasquad game last week, per Chris Clegg of The Dynasty Dugout.

Manager Rob Thomson announced Monday that Wheeler will receive the start for the Phillies' March 27 season opener versus the Nationals in Washington, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

He will square off against MacKenzie Gore, who was named the Nationals' Opening Day starter earlier Monday. Wheeler was an obvious choice after another stellar showing in 2024 in which he collected a 2.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 224:52 K:BB across an even 200 innings during the regular season.

Thorpe (elbow) will make an appearance in a minor-league game Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said Monday that Thorpe is "responding well" as the team continues the pitcher's slow ramp-up following surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow last September. He will begin the season on the injured list, and it's not yet clear how long he might be sidelined.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay informed Murdock on Monday that he's made the Opening Day roster, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

A Rule 5 selection from the Royals over the winter, Murdock earned a spot on the 26-man roster by allowing just three runs with a 7:5 K:BB over 7.2 Cactus League innings. The tall right-hander should operate in low-leverage relief situations for the Athletics initially.

Strider (elbow) struck out six batters over 2.2 perfect innings during his Grapefruit League debut Monday versus the Red Sox.

Cleared to pitch for the first time since April 5, 2024 after completing his recovery from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow, Strider looked as dominant as ever Monday. He found the strike zone on 23 of his 27 pitches and struck out six of the eight batters he faced, with the other two outs coming on a weak popout into foul territory and a first-pitch groundout. His velocity also appeared right in line with pre-surgery levels, with Strider topping out at 98 miles per hour on a first-inning strikeout of outfield prospect Roman Anthony. Since Strider will still need to get stretched out over the course of multiple starts, he remains on track to open the season on the 15-day injured list, but his dominant performance Monday makes a mid-to-late April debut increasingly realistic and is likely to send his ADP soaring.

Henderson is a "leading contender" to make starts for the Brewers in April following the injury to Tobias Myers (oblique), Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Henderson was cut from major-league camp last week, but he will be back to make a start Monday against the Padres and it appears he might be ahead of Tyler Alexander in the rotation pecking order. The 23-year-old Henderson has spun 5.2 scoreless frames with an 8:1 K:BB during Cactus League play. Myers could be back before the end of April and Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) might be ready around then, too, so Henderson's stay in the rotation -- if he is indeed part of it -- could be brief.

The Athletics announced Monday that Severino will start their March 27 season opener versus the Mariners in Seattle, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Severino became the obvious choice to take the hill for the Athletics on Opening Day the moment he signed a three-year, $67 million contract in December, the largest guaranteed deal in franchise history. After injuries limited him to fewer than 20 starts in each of his final five seasons with the Yankees from 2019 through 2023, Severino proved to be durable in his lone campaign with the Mets in 2024, turning in a 3.91 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 31 starts. The Athletics are banking on the 31-year-old Severino avoiding the pitfalls on the health front that plagued him throughout his twenties and emerging as a capable innings eater at the front of the rotation in 2025.