MLB Player News

Brown (back) was scratched from his Grapefruit League start Wednesday against the Mets as a precaution, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown experienced some lower-back tightness while doing agility drills Tuesday in Astros camp and the team didn't want to risk an aggravation. The talented 24-year-old right-hander could perhaps fit in one final exhibition outing as he prepares to open the 2023 season as the No. 5 starter in Houston. There doesn't seem to be any current worry about an IL stint.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Wednesday that Sale will start the second game of the regular season April 1 in Boston versus the Orioles, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, Corey Kluber will get the Opening Day nod March 30, with Sale following the two-time Cy Young Award winner in the rotation. The 33-year-old left-hander has logged only 11 total major-league starts since the end of the 2019 campaign, but he's looked sharp this spring with nine strikeouts and only one walk through 10 innings of Grapefruit League action. Most importantly, Sale finally carries a clean bill of health.

Crawford will get the start for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.

Crawford will get the start, and Josh Winckowski will be the first arm out of the bullpen for the spring contest. Both hurlers are competing for the final spot the Red Sox rotation, and Crawford has made a strong case by generating a 2.03 ERA, 14:3 K:BB and 0.97 WHIP over 13 innings in Grapefruit League play. Whoever performs better during Thursday's game could ultimately be declared the winner of the job battle.

Berrios recorded five strikeouts while allowing one run over five-plus innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Orioles.

The only run Berrios allowed came on a solo homer by Terrin Vavra in the sixth. The right-hander scattered six hits and issued one free pass in the solid outing. Berrios disappointed in 2022 with a 5.23 ERA in his 172 innings over 32 starts, but the 28-year-old's previous success gives him a realistic chance for a bounce-back campaign in 2023.

Montgomery hurled five scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Marlins.

Montgomery allowed six hits in the outing, and he finished with just one strikeout while not issuing a walk. The left-hander came into the outing with a 7.71 ERA over his first two outings in Florida, so this would easily qualify as his best Grapefruit League effort. Montgomery pitched well in 2022 with a 3.48 ERA and 158:36 K:BB over 178.1 innings with the Cardinals and Yankees, and he is expected to slot into the middle of the St. Louis rotation to begin the 2023 campaign.

Corbin gave up one run on five hits over six innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The veteran lefty was facing a lineup that included the likes of Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor, as well as top prospects Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos, and after giving up a run in the first inning, Corbin shut down New York the rest of the way. His control has been nearly impeccable this spring, and Corbin has a 13:1 K:BB through 14 Grapefruit League innings over four starts; however, the 33-year-old hasn't posted an ERA below 4.66 or a WHIP below 1.47 since 2019 and remains a very risky fantasy option in 2023.

Blackburn (finger) said that he will throw a flat-ground session Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Blackburn said that the fingernail avulsion on his pitching hand is healing well, but the Athletics have already ruled him out from being part of the Opening Day rotation. The team hasn't provided a concrete timetable for when Blackburn will be ready to return, but it's a positive sign he's resumed throwing.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Wednesday that Rucinski is a question mark for Opening Day due to left hamstring tightness, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not clear when Rucinski suffered the injury, but he'll miss his next Cactus League start, and his status for the beginning of the regular season is up in the air. Paul Blackburn (finger) has already been ruled out for Opening Day, so the Athletics' rotation depth could be tested early on. It's been a rough spring for Rucinski, as he posted a 6.97 ERA in three Cactus League outings before picking up the hamstring injury.

Flaherty allowed two runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game versus the Nationals.

Flaherty put a bit too much traffic on the bases, which shortened his outing. He threw 57 of 90 pitches for strikes, which suggests that he's entering 2023 fully healthy and ready for a starter's workload after an injury-plagued 2022. The right-hander should get one more spring start before lining up to pitch in the opening series versus the Blue Jays.

Wesneski is listed as the probable starter for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Wesneski has pitched well over the spring with a 3.00 ERA and 17 strikeouts over his 12 innings of work. The right-hander is battling for one of the final spots in the Chicago rotation to open the year, and Javier Assad is also scheduled to pitch on Thursday. The results for Wesneski -- as well as Assad -- will go a long way in determining who will win the fifth starter job for the Cubs.