MLB Player News

Whitlock (hip) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on March 31, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

It will be Worcester's Opening Day and could be the only rehab outing Whitlock requires before joining the Red Sox' rotation. The right-hander is healthy but has been brought along slowly in camp following offseason hip surgery.

Rodon (forearm) will be about a month away from joining the Yankees' rotation once he throws a live batting practice session, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Rodon threw a bullpen session Thursday and will toss 2-3 more before progressing to live batting practice. That would seem to leave him at least a week away from live BP, making a return before the end of April unlikely. It's a rough timetable for the time being, but Rodon does seem to be recovering well from his minor forearm strain.

Lorenzen (groin) will progress his throwing and begin a running progression over the weekend, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Lorenzen was scratched from his scheduled start Monday against Toronto due to a mild left groin strain. No official update has come out regarding his Opening Day status, but considering the slow rate at which he is progressing, it's beginning to seem more and more unlikely that he'll be able to make his first start on time. Joey Wentz appears to be the next man up for Detroit in the rotation.

Cueto (arm) threw 61 pitches over 4.2 innings in a minor-league game Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Cueto had to be scratched from an appearance earlier this week due to some arm soreness, but he has thrown a bullpen session and now made a minor-league appearance since without issue. He's back on track to open the season in the Marlins' rotation.

Gonsolin (ankle) threw a bullpen session Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

It's the first time he's been on the bump since suffering a sprained left ankle back on March 6. Gonsolin could miss most, if not all, of April as the Dodgers take things slowly with his recovery, but he seems to be progressing well.

Overton will begin the season as the Reds' fourth starter, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Overton started well for the Reds last season before a back injury shut him down for multiple months, but his 2.73 ERA in 33 innings was fueled by a .204 BABIP and supported by a mere 11.3 percent strikeout rate. Regression and opposing hitters could both hit him very hard in 2023.

Anderson was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Reds on Friday.

Anderson was promoted to major-league camp earlier this month and was theoretically in the running for a rotation spot, but the likelihood of him nabbing one was never high. He'll represent rotation depth at Triple-A Louisville.

Williamson was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Reds on Friday.

Williamson pitched well early on this spring as he gunned for a spot in the Reds' rotation, but he struggled in recent outings to punch his ticket to Triple-A Louisville. The left-hander still figures to make a decent number of starts with the big club this season.

Bieber will start Opening Day against the Mariners on Thursday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Bieber will officially be making his fourth straight Opening Day start for the Guardians. The right-hander has elevated himself to the upper echelon of starting pitchers in the league over the past few seasons, most recently producing a 2.88 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 198 strikeouts over 200 innings in 31 starts with Cleveland last year.

Castillo has been named the Mariners' Opening Day starter, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Robbie Ray was another good candidate, but Castillo gets the nod. The right-hander will take the ball March 30 at home against the Guardians and Shane Bieber.