MLB Player News

Manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Verlander won't pitch in the Astros' remaining four Grapefruit League games nor the team's two exhibitions leading up to Opening Day, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Verlander seems to be making progress in his recovery from the right shoulder injury that has kept him from pitching in a game at any point this spring, as Espada noted that the nine-time All-Star responded well after throwing 20 pitches in a live batting practice session Wednesday. He'll most likely throw another live BP or two before the spring comes to a close before he heads out on a minor-league rehab assignment to build up his innings. Verlander will open the season on the Astros' 15-day injured list, but assuming he experiences no snags during his rehab assignment, he could be ready to slot into the Houston rotation before the end of April.

Weaver (neck) struck out two over 3.1 scoreless innings Wednesday in the Yankees' 12-0 win over the Pirates in Grapefruit League play. He scattered two hits and one walk.

Weaver was making his first spring appearance since March 7, after a stiff neck had kept him from pitching for nearly two weeks. He took on his biggest workload of the spring in terms of innings (3.1) and pitches (50) in his return and turned in excellent numbers to bolster his case for winning a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day rotation. Weaver appeared poised for a long-relief role heading into spring training, but a rotation spot opened up when Gerrit Cole (elbow) succumbed to an injury that could entail a multi-month recovery.

Dunning allowed one unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight over five innings in Wednesday's spring start against Cincinnati.

Dunning appears locked in for the regular season, telling Stefan Stevenson of SI.com that his delivery was in line after flying open in his previous spring start. The right-hander was also pleased with his forkball, a new pitch, which he estimated throwing about 20 times among his 90 pitches. Stevenson also confirmed with manager Bruce Bochy that Dunning and Jon Gray will split the final spring start next Tuesday against the Red Sox. That suggests his regular-season debut could be Sunday, March 31, against the Cubs or Monday, April 1, against the Rays.

Lowder allowed five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three over 1.1 innings in Wednesday's spring start against Texas.

Lowder, the seventh-overall pick in the 2023 Draft, worked around a pair of first-inning walks, before Marcus Semien took him deep for a grand slam in the second. The pitcher also hit a batter with the bases jammed preceding the home run. The 22-year-old right-hander could open the season as high as Double-A Chattanooga.

Lorenzen signed a one-year $4.5 million contract with the Rangers on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

After throwing multiple auditions in front of MLB scouts during the offseason, Lorenzen will finally land with the Rangers just eight days before Opening Day. The 32-year-old right-hander turned in a 4.18 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 153 frames between Detroit and Philadelphia last season, and he'll provide depth to a Rangers rotation that will be without Max Scherzer (back), Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Tyler Mahle (elbow) for the first several months of the year. It's unclear whether or not Lorenzen will be ready for the beginning of the season, but his offseason throwing sessions may have prepared him enough to start right away for Texas.

The Royals optioned Lynch to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Lynch had been making a strong case to open the season in Kansas City's rotation by posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 13 innings of spring ball. However, the 27-year-old left-hander will return to Omaha to begin the new campaign. Lynch allowed seven earned runs over 20 innings in Triple-A last season, and he could find himself back in Kansas City if he performs similarly in the minors.

The Guardians' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate placed Campbell (elbow) on its full-season injured list.

Since being selected by the Guardians with the 37th overall pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, Campbell has yet to make his professional debut. He looks like he'll have to wait until at least the 2025 season to do so, as the Guardians are already discounting the possibility of the right-hander toeing the rubber in 2024. Campbell underwent ulnar nerve decompression surgery on his right elbow on May 23, 2023 and had been expected to pitch in 2024, but he may have suffered a setback at some point over the last few months.

Soroka will start the White Sox's second game of the season against the Tigers, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Entering spring training, it was unclear if Soroka would win a rotation spot. However, with Dylan Cease traded away and Brad Keller set to start the year in the minors, Soroka will pitch toward the top of the rotation to begin the regular season. He's battled a number of significant injuries across the last several years, though he did manage to log 32.1 innings in the majors in 2023. Still only 26, Soroka has also had an impressive spring, allowing only two earned runs across 13 innings while maintaining a 17:5 K:BB.

Baz (elbow/oblique) threw 25 pitches off a mound Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Baz is closing in on a return from Tommy John surgery, but an oblique injury more recently slowed him. It appears that he's nearing a full recovery from the latter issue, which should allow him to attack the final stage of his rehab from the elbow injury. The Rays are expected to be cautious with Baz, and he's projected to return in late spring or early summer.

Springs (elbow) has thrown off a mound twice in the last week, Marc Topkin of Tampa Bay Times reports.

Springs underwent Tommy John surgery in April, and his recent throwing sessions mark his first off a mound while recovering. It's a positive step, but he's still not expected to return until sometime in July.