MLB Player News

Scherzer said after starting in a minor-league game Monday that his right thumb still "hurts," Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "It hurts to grip the ball," Scherzer said, adding that the thumb has been giving him problems once he gets to around 50 pitches in spring outings.

The pitcher also noted that the thumb is "absolutely critical to your arm health" and implied that he's had problems with it "since 2023." What this all means for Scherzer's outlook is not yet clear. He is working with a hand specialist, doctors and trainers and expects to know more about his status within the next couple days. If Scherzer needs time on the injured list to begin the season, Yariel Rodriguez could step into the Blue Jays' rotation.

Senga is expected to make his first start of the season April 1 in Miami, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

That would be the Mets' fifth game of the year, after the team opens the season with a three-game set in Houston. The decision to hold Senga back is a strong sign New York will continue to monitor his workload in 2025, but the 32-year-old says he's felt good this spring and hasn't had trouble bouncing back from any of his outings. "I have a growing understanding of where my body is and what I can do and can't do at this point," Senga said after Friday's start. The Mets need him to regain his 2023 form, when he produced a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 202:77 K:BB over 166.1 innings in his North America debut.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Rodriguez (elbow) will play catch Tuesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The right-hander will begin his throwing progression as he works his way back from elbow inflammation. Rodriguez is essentially going to be rebuilding his arm strength from scratch, so the plan is for his throwing progression to be slow and steady. A timetable for his season debut could be available in the coming weeks.

Canning is expected to start the third game of the Mets' season-opening series in Houston, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

That would line the right-hander up to face the Astros on March 29 after Clay Holmes and Tylor Megill work the first two games of the series, with David Peterson and Kodai Senga rounding out the initial rotation. Canning has yet to give up an earned run this spring with a 7:1 K:BB over 5.1 innings, and the Mets have adjusted his pitch mix to emphasize his slider and sinker over his mediocre four-seam fastball -- a pitch that generated a 14.8 percent whiff rate and 44.1 percent hard-hit rate last year along with a minus-12 run value. Canning could have a small window in which to establish himself with Sean Manaea (oblique) potentially returning in mid-April.

Megill is expected to start the second game of the Mets' season-opening series in Houston, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

That would line the right-hander up to face the Astros on March 28 after Clay Holmes gets the nod Opening Day, with Griffin Canning, David Peterson and Kodai Senga following in the rotation. Megill has looked good this spring, posting a 13:2 K:BB over 11.2 innings, and he should get a few turns through the rotation to establish himself as a reliable option with Sean Manaea (oblique) not set to return until at least mid-April, and Frankie Montas (lat) on the shelf into May.

Quantrill gave up one hit and two walks over three scoreless innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out one.

The 30-year-old right-hander has been scuffling this spring, but he looked a little more comfortable Sunday as he built up to 43 pitches (23 strikes). Quantrill is ticketed for a spot in the Marlins' Opening Day rotation, but his 9.45 ERA and 3:4 K:BB through 6.2 spring innings don't offer much optimism that he'll be a useful arm for fantasy purposes. Over the last two seasons for Cleveland and Colorado, he's stumbled to a 5.08 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 48 starts.

The Athletics optioned Ginn to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Ginn was in contention for a spot in the Athletics' Opening Day rotation heading into camp, but he'll open the season in the minors after struggling over his five Cactus League outings (7.62 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB in 13 innings). If the right-hander can iron out his control issues at Triple-A, he should be one of the top candidates to enter the rotation if the Athletics are in need of another starter at any point this season.

Carrasco is likely to open the season in the Yankees' rotation, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

In camp as a non-roster invitee, Carrasco has pitched well during Grapefruit League action, holding a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB over 11 innings. Injuries to Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Luis Gil (lat) have opened up two spots in the Yankees' rotation. Marcus Stroman is expected to fill one of the spots, and it sounds like Carrasco might be favored over Will Warren to occupy the other.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that the club is discussing using a six-man rotation to begin the season, with McGreevy serving as the sixth starter, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas are locked into rotation spots, and Andre Pallante and Steven Matz are heavily favored for two other slots. Utilizing a six-man rotation would add a spot for McGreevy, who could swing back-and-forth between starting and relieving, per Denton. McGreevy has been the club's best starter this spring, allowing just two runs with an 8:0 K:BB over 11.2 innings.

Manager John Schneider announced Monday that Berrios will start the Blue Jays' March 27 season opener versus the Orioles in Toronto, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Though Max Scherzer (thumb) and Kevin Gausman also represented worthy candidates for the Opening Day nod, both have been eased along more slowly in spring training, which may have factored into Schneider's decision to go with Berrios in the first game of the season. Berrios has already made four Grapefruit League starts and struck out seven over six scoreless innings in his most recent outing Sunday versus Atlanta, so he should be able to give the Blue Jays plenty of length right away to begin the season. Berrios is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he submitted a 3.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP -- his best marks since 2021 -- but his strikeout rate dropped to 19.5 percent, his lowest of any season in which he made at least 15 starts.