MLB Player News

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay indicated recently that he would like to see Miller gradually move up the bullpen hierarchy rather than anointing him as closer right away, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like the plan is for Miller to be used in 2-to-3 inning stints initially this spring before scaling down his workload as Opening Day nears. While there's little doubting the 25-year-old has the best stuff in Oakland's bullpen, the A's want to be careful with him since he had a UCL sprain last year and will be making the transition from starter to reliever. Miller is still probably the first A's reliever that should be drafted in fantasy, but Dany Jimenez, Trevor Gott, Lucas Erceg and perhaps others could be in the mix for saves ahead of him initially.

Anderson (knee) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Anderson missed the final two weeks of the 2023 regular season due to left knee soreness, but he appears to have had a normal offseason and will toe the rubber for the Angels' fifth spring training game. After inking a three-year, $39 million deal with the Angels in November 2022, Anderson wasn't able to meet expectations in his first season in Anaheim, as he delivered a 5.43 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 119:64 K:BB in 141 innings. His contract should still give him plenty of security in the rotation in the early part of the upcoming season, but if Anderson continues to deliver middling results in his second year in Anaheim, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Angels shifted him to the bullpen and gave a younger pitcher a look in a starting role.

Verlander (shoulder) felt good during a bullpen session Tuesday but isn't yet ready to face hitters, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Verlander was already working with a tight window to be ready for Opening Day, and the fact that he's not yet able to face hitters increases the likelihood that he'll begin the season on the shelf. While he's still not ruling Verlander out for the season opener, Astros manager Joe Espada admitted Wednesday that "obviously we're kind of running out of days here." The veteran right-hander has been throwing without issue in camp after his shoulder didn't bounce back well during his offseason work, but he simply just needs more time to build up. The coming days should paint a clearer picture as to Verlander's availability for Opening Day.

Crawford allowed one run on three hits and struck out one over two innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Cardinals.

Crawford made his Grapefruit League debut ahead of what is expected to be a role in Boston's starting rotation. Tuesday's effort was a good first step toward becoming a rotation staple, but the right-hander needs to work on extending himself deeper into games. He averaged 77.4 pitches over his 23 starts in 2023, and manager Alex Cora told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that Crawford's stuff will play, but he has to maintain it for 100 pitches. The pitcher acknowledged the need to face opponents a third time and pitch into the sixth and seventh innings.

Phillips walked one and struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.

Phillips turned in a strong performance in his spring debut, following an equally impressive outing from starter Frankie Montas. Due to injuries in the Reds' rotation last season, the 22-year-old right-hander was forced to make his MLB debut earlier than expected. Cincinnati has a number of starter candidates in camp and may not be so reliant on its prospects in 2024. Phillips is expected to be part of the rotation at Triple-A Louisville.

Dunning allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two over two innings in Tuesday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.

Dunning allowed runs in each of his two innings and threw 40 pitches (28 in the second frame). "I got into trouble but worked out of certain situations, made some pitches when I needed to, but I just can't get myself into those positions to begin with," Dunning told Michael Reynolds of MLB.com. He also threw the new pitch he's been working on and induced a pop-out, after he spiked the same pitch during his Cactus League opener last Friday. He'd kept the pitch a mystery, but the Diamondbacks' Salt River Fields is equipped with Statcast, which indicated the pitch was a splitter. Unlike 2023, when the right-hander started in the Rangers' bullpen, Dunning is rotation bound in 2024.

Rodriguez allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over one-plus innings in Tuesday's spring start against Texas.

Rodriguez, who signed a four-year deal with Arizona during the offseason, had a rough debut in a Diamondbacks uniform. Just 20 of his 38 offerings landed in the zone, and the left-hander gave up two home runs. Despite the results and shaky command, Rodriguez focused on the positives. "My command was a little off, but overall I was feeling good," the pitcher told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "My velocity was right where we wanted it, like 90-92 mph up to 93 sometimes, so overall everything was good. Just location, a little bit, but that's what we've got spring training for." Rodriguez should get another four or five Cactus League starts to build up his pitch count and work on command.

Kirby didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's Cactus League tie with the Giants, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits over 1.1 innings.

The talented right-hander was spotted an early 2-0 lead courtesy of Mitch Garver's home run in the top of the first, but Kirby quickly squandered it by allowing an RBI single to LaMonte Wade and then loading the bases. Kirby was pulled for Jarod Bayless, who promptly surrendered a grand slam to Patrick Bailey, before coming back out for the second inning and tossing a scoreless frame. Per MLB.com, Kirby faced nine hitters and hit 95 mph on his fastball while also working in plenty of breaking pitches.

Stripling (finger) threw a side session Tuesday but remains without a firm timetable for his Cactus League debut, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was scratched from Monday's start against the Diamondbacks because of a cut on his right index finger, which was described as minor by manager Mark Kotsay. Stripling did feel well enough to throw Tuesday's side session, so his delayed spring debut should come at some point in the near future.

Rodon tossed 2.2 innings against Toronto on Sunday, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out five batters.

Rodon's first start of the spring was promising, as he got more than half of his outs via punchout and gave up just one run (on a homer by Alejandro Kirk). Rodon's first season in New York was a disaster, as he posted a 6.85 ERA and 1.45 WHIP while battling injuries and totaling just 64.1 innings, but he appears healthy entering Grapefruit League competition and could be poised for a bounce-back campaign. He's a high-risk, high-reward target in fantasy drafts, as he struck out 237 batters as recently as 2022 but has reached 150 innings just three times over nine major-league seasons.