MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Schmidt has an "excellent shot" to make the Opening Day roster, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Schmidt has enjoyed a strong spring, posting a 3.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB across 9.1 innings. The right-hander made only two appearances for the big club in 2021 after dealing with an elbow injury for most of the campaign. Schmidt would likely open the season in the bullpen if he indeed breaks camp with the club, but he'd be among the prime candidates for a starting role if a spot in the rotation were to open up.

Cortes is likely to start the season at the back end of the Yankees' rotation, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

Cortes enjoyed a breakout campaign for New York in 2021, posting a 2.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 103:25 K:BB across 93 innings. That performance was strong enough to earn him a starting role to kick off the coming campaign despite having struggled in his previous opportunities in the majors. The southpaw doesn't have dominant stuff, but he proved last year that he's capable of getting big-league hitters out through deception and savviness. Cortes is the type of pitcher who could just as easily be a bust as a steal in fantasy drafts.

Cueto signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. His deal is worth $4.2 million at the MLB level and contains an opt-out date of May 15 if he's not in the majors, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Cueto was previously in talks with Minnesota about a potential contract, but he'll head to Chicago following Monday's signing. Since he signed this late in the spring, he'll need to start the 2022 campaign at Triple-A Charlotte to ramp up his throwing program before a potential promotion to the big leagues. Cueto proved he has plenty left in the tank last season with the Giants, posting a 4.08 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 98:30 K:BB across 114.2 frames.

Skubal tossed five scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays. He allowed five hits and struck out eight.

Skubal wrapped up his spring work with a tidy 1.32 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 13.2 innings. The lefty will likely make his regular season debut either this weekend against the White Sox or early next week against Boston. Skubal posted a 4.34 ERA and 164 strikeouts across 149.1 innings last year, and based on his Grapefruit League results, a breakout performance could be on tap in 2022.

Senzatela (lower leg) will pitch in a minor-league game Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Senzatela was scratched from a scheduled Cactus League start Sunday, but the Rockies downplayed the issue. Given that he'll pitch again just two days later, it looks as though his injury isn't anything to get too worried about.

The Red Sox transferred Bello from Triple-A Worcester to Double-A Portland on Monday.

Boston initially optioned Bello to Worcester when he was cut from big-league camp March 25, but he'll instead open the campaign in Portland. The 22-year-old righty spent the majority of the 2021 campaign at Portland, producing a 4.66 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 63.2 innings in 15 starts with the affiliate.

The Red Sox transferred Groome from Triple-A Worcester to Double-A Portland on Monday.

Boston initially optioned Groome to Worcester when he was cut from big-league camp March 23, but he'll instead open the campaign in Portland. The 23-year-old lefty finished the 2021 campaign at Portland, producing a 2.30 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 15.2 innings over three starts with the affiliate.

Sale (ribs) was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Sale had yet to resume throwing after an MRI revealed a stress fracture in his right rib cage and didn't have a clear return timeline. This transaction gives at least some clarity in that area, as he'll now be unable to return before early June. Whether or not he's expected to be ready to go as soon as possible is unclear. The move means that Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill all have safe rotation spots for the early part of the year.

Kopech is scheduled to start the White Sox's third game of the season Sunday in Detroit, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

An illness suffered during the offseason set Kopech back in his buildup program and initially looked like something that could derail his bid for the Opening Day rotation, but the right-hander has since erased any concerns about his availability by tossing two innings in his Cactus League debut Thursday. Before taking the hill for his regular-season debut this weekend, Kopech will make one final spring tuneup outing Tuesday against the Padres. He's scheduled to cover three frames in that start, so expect Kopech to be limited to around four or five innings Sunday. The White Sox could consider deploying Kopech as part of a tandem this weekend with either Vince Velasquez or Reynaldo Lopez.

Cease is scheduled to start the White Sox's second game of the season Saturday in Detroit, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Cease wasn't a lock to get a start during the White Sox's season-opening series, but Lance Lynn's imminent knee surgery erased any doubt that the 26-year-old would make his 2022 debut in Detroit. The right-hander enjoyed something of a breakthrough campaign in 2021, going 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 165.2 innings while ranking fifth among all qualified pitchers with a 31.9 percent strikeout rate. Cease's mediocre 33.3 percent groundball rate and 9.6 percent walk rate were less than desirable, however, and until he makes improvements in those areas, he probably can't be counted on to take a major step forward in the ERA and WHIP categories.