MLB Player News

Manager Bruce Bochy announced Tuesday that Eovaldi will start the Rangers' March 28 season opener versus the Cubs in Arlington.

Eovaldi will be opposed by left-hander Justin Steele. Even before Bochy confirmed Eovaldi as the Opening Day starter, the 33-year-old right-hander looked like the clear choice for the defending World Series champs after going 5-0 in six postseason outings, collecting a 2.95 ERA and 41:10 K:BB over 36.2 innings along the way.

Freeland will start on Opening Day for the Rockies.

He'll take the ball March 28 on the road against the Diamondbacks. Freeland has had a strong showing this spring, displaying increased velocity and posting a 3.21 ERA and 14:1 K:BB over 14 innings. He's not an advisable fantasy start at home but could be considered as a streaming option on the road.

Manager John Schneider announced Tuesday that Berrios will start the Blue Jays' season opener March 28 versus the Rays in Tampa Bay, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

The assignment likely would have fallen to Kevin Gausman (shoulder), but he's still getting ramped back up and won't be ready for Opening Day. Berrios made 32 starts for Toronto last season, finishing with a 3.65 ERA and 184:52 K:BB over 189.2 innings.

Manoah (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

It will be his first time throwing off a mound since he developed soreness in his right shoulder at the beginning of the month. Manoah is set for a stint on the injured list at the beginning of the season and a timetable should become clearer as he ramps up.

Gausman (shoulder) will throw a two-inning simulated game Wednesday, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Gausman is continuing his ramp-up progression as he works his way back from right shoulder fatigue. The veteran hurler will not be ready for Opening Day, an assignment that will now fall to Jose Berrios. Gausman could be ready for his season debut around mid-April.

Bello has been named the Red Sox' Opening Day starter.

He was the pick over Nick Pivetta, who will start the second game of the season. It's been an eventful month for Bello, who agreed to a six-year, $55 million contract extension earlier this month and who now garners the first Opening Day start of his career. The 24-year-old will take on the Mariners in Seattle on March 28.

Eflin will start for the Rays on Opening Day, March 28 at home against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This had been widely assumed after Eflin turned in a career year in 2023, leading the team in innings pitched, wins and strikeouts. We now have confirmation that Eflin will start Opening Day, which lines him up for two starts on the season-opening homestand. The results this spring don't look good, but the right-hander has already built up to four innings and should be able to stretch out a bit more before he takes the hill in a game that counts.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that Cecconi will pitch "bulk innings" in the minors but stopped short of saying he would be a starter, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks plan to have Cecconi, who was optioned to minor-league camp Monday, be as versatile as possible at Triple-A Reno. Whether that be as a piggyback starter or straight multi-inning reliever, the organization views him as someone that can help the parent club if needed. There were concerns last season about Cecconi going through an order a third time, which suggests his best fit going forward will be in a bulk-inning role.

The Diamondbacks on Monday named Gallen the starter for Opening Day, Damon Allred of Arizona Sports reports.

Gallen was widely speculated to take the ball for Opening Day on March 28 at home against the Rockies, and now it's official. It will be the second straight Opening Day nod for the right-hander, who's coming off an All-Star season in 2023, when he posted a 3.47 ERA over 34 starts. Gallen, who logged 4.1 scoreless innings and 58 pitches in his previous outing Sunday, will make one more spring start before the regular season.

Kelly allowed four hits and one walk while striking out seven over 3.1 innings in Monday's spring start against Oakland.

Kelly, on track to pitch the second game of the regular season, was pleased with the shape of his pitches in talking to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "Everything was sharp, fastball is coming out of the hand well, really liking the progress of the slider, I saw some really good swings and misses and some good location on it today," Kelly said. A byproduct of his seven punchouts, however, was an elevated pitch count; Kelly needed 65 pitches to secure those 10 outs. The right-hander will have one more Cactus League start to get the pitches up to the point where he can throw five or six innings in his first start of the regular season.