MLB Player News

Eovaldi was announced as the Red Sox' Opening Day starter for the April 7 game against the Yankees.

Chris Sale (ribs) is unavailable to begin the season, so it's no surprise Eovaldi will take the mound Opening Day for Boston. The right-hander had a 3.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 195:35 K:BB across 182.1 innings last season, which was only the second time in his MLB career he's topped 160 innings.

The Astros optioned Bielak to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In addition to Bielak, the Astros also optioned Seth Martinez to Triple-A, clearing the way for Ronel Blanco and Bryan Abreu to secure the final two spots in Houston's Opening Day bullpen, according to Rome. Bielak had been competing for a long-relief role with Houston, but he could stretch out for starting duty as he heads to Sugar Land.

Kelly allowed one run (none earned) on one hit and struck out five over four innings in Saturday's spring training start against the White Sox.

Kelly, the recipient of a contract extension earlier this week, fulfilled the organization's faith with a strong final Cactus League outing. He threw 62 pitches and was slated for a pitch count in the 70s, but the right-hander was removed because Arizona's offense had a long bottom of the fourth inning, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Atlanta optioned Muller to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Muller's demotion likely leaves Tucker Davidson as Atlanta's No. 6 starter, should the club elect to expand beyond the five-man rotation setup it ran out for most of 2021. As a rookie last season, Muller made nine appearances (eight starts) for Atlanta, posting a 4.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 37:20 K:BB in 36.2 innings.

Lynn was forced to exit Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks early with right knee discomfort.

Lynn left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, ending the outing having surrendered four earned runs (seven total) on seven hits while striking out four and walking one. With less than a week until Opening Day, Lynn's injury could prove to delay his debut for the 2022 campaign. More information on the injury will likely be provided Sunday.

Reds manager David Bell said that Castillo (shoulder) will be aiming to return by mid-to-late April, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bell further said that Castillo will probably be limited to 3-to-4 innings when he ultimately returns. The same holds true for teammate Mike Minor. That means that for our purposes, Castillo will be difficult to activate until May.

McKenzie's first outing of the regular appearance is expected to come in relief, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The Guardians kick off the season with a strange series against the Royals, in which they'll play four games spread over five days. McKenzie is expected to piggyback one of the four starters in that series, but he'll likely return to the rotation after that.

Alcantara will start the Marlins' Opening Day matchup against the Giants on Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Alcantara has developed into the Marlins' ace across the last three seasons and will unsurprisingly serve as the Opening Day starter for a third consecutive year. The right-hander made a career-high 33 starts in 2021 and posted a 3.19 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 201:50 K:BB in 205.2 innings.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday that Flaherty (shoulder) has begun plyometric drills to replicate his throwing motion, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty is nearing the end of his two-week shutdown from throwing, and it's encouraging that he's been able to resume some activity with just under a week remaining until Opening Day. The right-hander will need some time to build back up after he received a PRP injection March 18, but he'll begin a throwing program soon and will travel with the team once it returns to St. Louis. It seems likely that Flaherty will require a stint on the injured list to begin the regular season, but his progress late in spring training has provided a reason for encouragement.

Kirby will begin the 2022 campaign at Double-A Arkansas after Matt Brash was named the Mariners' fifth starter Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Kirby has performed well in the minors to begin his career, and he'll attempt to continue making his case for a big-league roster spot early in the 2022 campaign. He had a lackluster 7.04 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 7.2 innings across three appearances (one start) this spring, but he posted a strong 12:2 K:BB. He tossed just 67.2 innings in the minors last year, and while he was unable to crack the Mariners' rotation to begin the regular season, it seems likely that the 24-year-old will make his major-league debut at some point in 2022 once he gets some more experience in the minors.