MLB Player News

Angels manager Ron Washington named Kikuchi the team's Opening Day starter for their March 27 matchup against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The skipper referred to the decision as "obvious" after Kikuchi was handed a three-year, $63 million contract over the offseason. With the lowly White Sox on the docket for the opener, Kikuchi will have a great chance to make a positive first impression with his new club.

The Rangers paused Drake's throwing program Thursday while he manages a stiff back, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The injury seems to be of the day-to-day variety, but Drake's prognosis could change if he fails to respond well to rest in the coming days. The 24-year-old is coming off a breakout 2024 campaign in which he posted a 2.29 ERA and 148:31 K:BB across 106 innings covering three levels. If healthy, Drake will likely begin the 2025 season either at Double-A Frisco or Triple-A Round Rock.

Morton wasn't present for Thursday's full-squad workout due to an illness, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Provided the ailment isn't anything too severe, Morton should resume working out with the Orioles within the next few days. After signing a one-year, $15 million deal with Baltimore over the winter, Morton is expected to open his age-41 season as the Orioles' No. 3 starter behind Grayson Rodriguez and Zach Eflin.

Susana hit 100 mph with his fastball in his first bullpen session of the spring and looked dominant during a live batting practice session Wednesday as he worked in his slider, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

The 20-year-old right-hander will continue to be developed as a starter in the minors, but Susana could likely make an immediate impact in the majors if he got fast-tracked as a reliever. Improving his command and refining his changeup will be Susana's main goals in 2025 after he posted a 4.34 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and eye-popping 157:48 K:BB through 103.2 innings last season split between Single-A and High-A.

Hughes (elbow) is scheduled to make a two-inning start in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Hughes didn't make any minor-league appearances in the 2024 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery during the summer of 2023, but he returned to action in the Arizona Fall League, where he turned in an 8.31 ERA over 17.1 innings across six starts. Despite his poor results, the 23-year-old Hughes seemingly came out of the AFL without any issue, and he'll be facing no restrictions while he takes part in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee. Hughes isn't a serious candidate to break camp with the Rockies and will likely head to Double-A Hartford to begin the season.

Giolito (elbow) is scheduled to throw his first live batting practice session of the spring in the coming days, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Giolito is a few days behind the Red Sox' other starting pitchers as he comes back from an internal brace procedure, but he has already thrown several bullpen sessions. The expectation is that the right-hander will be ready to go for Opening Day, and he should open the season in Boston's rotation, particularly if the club elects to go with a six-man setup.

Schmidt (back) will throw a bullpen session Friday and is unconcerned about his availability for Opening Day, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Schmidt has been slowed a bit early on in camp by a minor back issue, but he'll resume mound work Friday and expects to be ready to pitch in Grapefruit League games soon. Barring a setback, the right-hander should be ready to roll come Opening Day.

Owens is looking sharp so far in spring training and could push for an MLB bullpen role this season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Owens, who was acquired last summer in the trade that sent Carson Kelly to Texas, is just 5-foot-10, but he has a unique delivery and can reach the upper 90s with his fastball. The 24-year-old pitched well following the trade, recording a 2.80 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 35.1 innings with Double-A Erie, and he figures to make the jump to Triple-A this year. Owens is also already on the 40-man roster, so if he continues to pitch well in the minors, his MLB debut might not be too far off as a member of Detroit's bullpen.

Stripling agreed to a minor-league contract with the Royals on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Stripling has been a successful swingman at times throughout his career but had to settle for a minor-league deal after posting a 6.01 ERA across 85.1 innings with the Athletics last season. While the veteran right-hander will compete for a place on the Opening Day roster, he should be considered more likely to begin the campaign at Triple-A Omaha.

Wicks (oblique) threw a live batting practice session Wednesday.

Wicks finished last season on the injured list after straining his right oblique for the second time in just over three months back in September, but he looks to be back to full health in the early stages of spring training. The 25-year-old southpaw started in 10 of his 11 appearances with the Cubs in 2024, but after struggling to stay healthy and performing poorly when available (5.48 ERA, 1.63 WHIP in 46 innings), he'll have to compete for a spot in the Opening Day rotation this spring. If healthy, Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd should all be locked in as starters, leaving Wicks to battle Javier Assad (oblique), Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Cody Poteet for the final rotation spot.