MLB Player News

Darvish will start for the Padres on Thursday versus the Giants in the team's domestic opener, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Darvish drew the start in the first game of the team's series in South Korea versus the Dodgers back on March 20, and the Padres have elected to give him the ball again for their home opener. He'll be followed by Joe Musgrove, Dylan Cease, Michael King and Matt Waldron.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Monday that Wacha will not miss time due to a bruised right middle finger, Jackson Stone of MLB.com reports.

Wacha sustained the injury Sunday during an intrasquad game. Quatraro added that Wacha woke up Monday morning and "forgot about" the injury, so the right-hander should be ready for his first regular season start against the Orioles on April 1.

Verlander (shoulder) will throw a two-inning, 30-to-35 pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reports.

If Verlander gets through the live BP without any issues, he will likely then be cleared to begin a rehab assignment. The 41-year-old will require multiple rehab starts in order to get his stamina built up, so a return to the Astros' rotation is still multiple weeks away.

Astros manager Joe Espada said that Whitley (finger) threw a live batting practice session at minor-league camp Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Before he was optioned to the minors March 10, Whitley hadn't made any Grapefruit League appearances for the Astros while he contended with right middle finger inflammation. Whitley's ability to face hitters suggests the injury is mostly behind him at this point, though it's unclear if he'll be ready to go when Triple-A Sugar Land begins its season Friday. Once viewed as one of the top pitching prospects not only in Houston's organization but in all of the minors, Whitley is slated to work in a relief role at Sugar Land after numerous setbacks on the health front in recent years derailed his development as a starter.

Manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Falter will be included in the Pirates' Opening Day rotation, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Earlier Monday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com confirmed that Falter had made the roster, but it wasn't immediately clear whether the southpaw would begin the season in the rotation or work in long relief. Shelton brought clarity on that front when he spoke to the media, with Falter's inclusion in the rotation seemingly indicating that Luis Ortiz has missed out on the No. 5 starter's role and will be ticketed for the bullpen or for Triple-A Indianapolis. Additionally, Shelton mapped out the rotation through the Pirates' first five games, noting that Falter is set to make his first turn in Sunday's series finale in Miami. Over 18 appearances (14 starts) between the Phillies and Pirates in 2023, Falter went 2-9 with a 5.36 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 60:20 K:BB over 80.2 innings.

Odorizzi won't be included on the Rays' Opening Day roster with Tampa Bay expected to begin the season with Tyler Alexander as the No. 5 option in its rotation, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports.

Odorizzi is fully healthy again after missing the entire 2023 season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, but after he had been a free agent all offseason until signing a minor-league deal with the Rays on March 15, he didn't have sufficient time to make a case for the final spot in the big-league rotation. The right-hander's next steps remain unclear, but he could elect to continue ramping up at the Rays' extended spring training facility over the next few weeks with the hope of eventually gaining consideration for the big-league roster. If Alexander falters in his role as a No. 5 starter/bulk reliever, long reliever Jacob Waguespack would likely be next in line before Odorizzi to fill the void, at least until either of Shane Baz (elbow) or Taj Bradley (pectoral) is cleared to return from the injured list.

Steele (knee) declared himself ready to start Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers in Arlington after he threw a bullpen session Monday without incident, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Even though he left early in his final Cactus League start Friday against the Giants due to a left knee contusion, Steele never appeared to be in legitimate danger of missing out on the Opening Day assignment. Before hurting his knee Friday, Steele had built up to 64 pitches and four innings in his prior Cactus League start March 12, so he should be capable of giving the Cubs at least 75 pitches and five innings in Thursday's opener. The 28-year-old lefty is coming off a breakout 2023 campaign in which he went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 176:36 K:BB over 173.1 innings en route to a fifth-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award balloting.

Gausman (shoulder) struck out seven and allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks over three-plus innings Monday in his Grapefruit League start against the Pirates.

After he experienced shoulder fatigue earlier this month and had his throwing progression slowed as a result, Gausman was finally cleared to make his spring debut in the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League finale. The right-hander seemed to quell any concerns about his readiness for the start of the regular season, as he built up to 52 pitches and induced eight swinging strikes while sporting a fastball that sat at around 95 miles per hour, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Unless Gausman reports renewed discomfort in his shoulder coming out of Monday's start, he should avoid a stint on the injured list and will likely take the bump for Toronto when a fifth starter is first needed April 1 in Houston. Gausman is likely to be limited to around 65-to-70 pitches in that outing, but he may still be worth including in fantasy lineups since he would tentatively line up for a two-start week, with the second turn coming April 7 on the road versus the Yankees.

Miley (shoulder, groin) will throw a three-inning simulated game Wednesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

If the sim game goes off without a hitch, Miley will then report to Triple-A Nashville, where he'll make a couple rehab starts. The veteran left-hander missed most of spring training with a shoulder injury and, more recently, a groin issue. He will begin the season on the 15-day injured list but would seem to have a shot to be activated when first eligible April 9.

Taillon (back) will throw one inning of live batting practice Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He'll then face hitters again Friday and, if that goes well, will make an appearance in a minor-league game after that. Taillon is expected to be sidelined until at least mid-April with his back injury, and a clearer timetable for his return won't be available until he makes some rehab appearances.