MLB Player News

The Blue Jays placed Manoah (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

Manoah is opening the season on the IL while he recovers from right shoulder inflammation, which kept him from pitching in the Grapefruit League after he made his spring debut Feb. 27. He was able to throw a two-inning, 34-pitch simulated game Wednesday, so his next step could be heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Manoah will likely require multiple starts in the minors to get fully stretched out before the Blue Jays consider activating him from the IL and including him in the rotation.

Steele exited Thursday's game against the Rangers with an apparent injury to his left hamstring, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Steele moved quickly off the mound to field a bunt and suffered the injury in the process. He pitched very well prior to his exit, allowing only three hits and one earned run to go along with a walk and six strikeouts across 4.2 innings. The extent of the issue isn't currently clear.

The Pirates optioned Priester to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Priester missed out on a spot in the Pirates' season-opening rotation, with Pittsburgh settling on veterans Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales and Bailey Falter and rookie Jared Jones to fill out its starting ranks behind Opening Day starter Mitch Keller. The 23-year-old right-hander finished the spring with a 5.87 ERA and 13:3 K:BB over 15.1 innings.

Skubal (1-0) tossed six scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the White Sox. He allowed three hits, struck out six and didn't walk a batter.

Skubal left after tossing 83 pitches, and if it wasn't his first start of the season, he may have been allowed to go longer as he was dominant while in the contest. The southpaw compiled a 2.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP across 15 outings last year, which got off to a delayed start due to left flexor tendon surgery in August of 2022. If Skubal can stay healthy and log a full workload in 2024, he could be in line for a true breakout campaign as Detroit's ace.

Cortes didn't factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in a 5-4 win over Houston. He struck out five.

The Astros got to Cortes early Thursday, scoring three runs in the opening inning before Jake Meyers led off the second with a solo homer. While it looked like the game could get out of hand, Cortes recovered to set down 12 of the final 13 batters he faced, ultimately winding up with a no-decision, as the Yankees scored five unanswered runs in a comeback win. New York is perhaps counting on a bounce-back campaign from Cortes after he made just 12 starts last year, going 5-2 with a 4.97 ERA. The left-hander is tentatively lined up for a road matchup with the Diamondbacks in his next outing.

Valdez allowed three runs on five hits and six walks over 4.2 innings in a no-decision Thursday against the Yankees. He struck out five.

Valdez managed to skirt danger through the first four innings, holding the Yankees off the board thanks to three double-play balls. However, the left-hander's shaky command finally caught up with him in the fifth, when he was tagged for three runs. While his final line ultimately could have looked a lot worse, it's a discouraging outing from Valdez, who's expected to anchor the Astros' rotation while Justin Verlander (shoulder) is sidelined. Valdez went 12-11 last season with a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 200:57 K:BB across 31 starts.

Mikolas (0-1) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.

The Dodgers jumped out to a quick lead on Mikolas, scoring twice in the first inning before the 35-year-old right-hander allowed three more runs on a pair of homers in the third. It's certainly not the start to the season Mikolas wanted after he struggled to a 9-13 record with a 4.78 ERA across 35 starts last year. He'll look to get on track in his next outing, tentatively lined up for early next week in San Diego.

Glasnow (1-0) earned the win Thursday against St. Louis. He allowed one run on two hits and a walk over six innings while striking out five.

Paul Goldschmidt's solo home run in the fourth inning was the lone blemish on Glasnow's line Thursday and was one of just two hits allowed by the right-hander. Glasnow needed just 81 pitches to make it through six innings as he picked up his first win with the Dodgers after taking a no-decision in LA's opener in South Korea. The 30-year-old has allowed just two runs through 11 innings this season after going 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 21 starts with Tampa Bay last year.

Manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday that Rodriguez (shoulder) could throw off a mound within the next week, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Rodriguez is still expected to miss several weeks due to his strained left shoulder, but Lovullo said the left-hander's progress has been "very encouraging" so far. A quick return to mound work would make it easier for the Diamondbacks to build him back up quickly, although Rodriguez will likely need to throw a few bullpen sessions before the team starts thinking about a return date.

The Giants placed Cobb (hip) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.

After undergoing left hip surgery Oct. 31, Cobb wasn't able to heal swiftly enough to earn a spot on the Giants' Opening Day roster, but he's still coming along far quicker than his initial six-month recovery timeline. Cobb threw 40 pitches in a minor-league spring training game last Friday and looks like he should be ready to make a rehab start with one of the Giants' affiliates in the near future or continue building up his pitch count at extended spring training in Arizona. He'll need at least a few outings before he's ready to handle a typical starter's workload with the Giants, but he looks like he could be a candidate to make his season debut in late April or early May.