MLB Player News

Manager Dusty Baker confirmed Odorizzi will start the Astros' second game of the season April 8 against the Angels in Anaheim, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Odorizzi won out over Cristian Javier for the fifth and final spot in the rotation, a role that opened up when it became apparent earlier this spring that Lance McCullers (forearm) wouldn't be ready to go for Opening Day. Though he was moved to the bullpen during the playoffs last fall when the Astros shortened their rotation, Odorizzi's larger body of MLB starting experience and solid first half in 2021 before forearm issues torpedoed his season were enough to give him the edge on Javier for the rotation spot heading into 2022. Odorizzi helped his cause by proving his health in his lone Grapefruit League appearance March 22, when he tossed two scoreless innings against the Mets. He's since continued to build up his pitch count in simulated games.

Verlander is scheduled to make his first start of the season April 9 against the Angels in Anaheim, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Verlander's status as a two-time Cy Young Award winner and future Hall of Famer would have made him a natural choice for the Opening Day nod, but the MLB lockout combined with his rehab from Tommy John surgery put him off schedule a bit. Though Framber Valdez will get the ball for the April 7 opener, Verlander will still be part of the team's rotation to begin the season, and he's not expected to face any major workload restrictions since he'll be just over 18 months removed from his Sept. 30, 2020 elbow procedure. While the usual caveats for spring training numbers apply, Verlander has looked as good as ever during his first three Grapefruit League outings, striking out 11 and holding hitters to a .167 average over 8.2 scoreless innings.

Atlanta announced Wednesday that Fried will start its April 7 season opener versus the Reds.

The decision for the Opening Day nod came down to Fried and Charlie Morton, with manager Brian Snitker ultimately favoring the former while the latter gears up for a return from the fractured leg he suffered in the World Series. After ranking among MLB's ERA leaders with a 2.25 mark during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Fried took only a marginal step back in 2021 (3.04) over a much larger sample of 165.2 innings. The lefty also delivered a 1.09 WHIP for the second year in a row, struck out nearly a batter per inning (8.6 K/9) and rolled to 14 wins. With an excellent offense backing him as he heads into his age-28 season, Fried should remain a strong four-category contributor in 2022. He looks like a solid No. 2 or 3 starter for the majority of fantasy squads.

Valdez will start the Astros' Opening Day matchup against the Angels on April 7, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Although Justin Verlander is healthy after re-signing with the Astros during the offseason, Valdez will take the mound during the first game of the season, followed by Jake Odorizzi and Verlander. In his first spring start, Valdez struck out three in three scoreless innings. The southpaw made 22 starts for Houston last year and recorded a 3.14 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 134.2 innings.

Junk was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Junk made two appearances (one start) in Cactus League action this spring and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings. He made four starts for the major-league club last year but will begin the 2022 campaign in the minors.

Wheeler (shoulder) will start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Wheeler threw 42 pitches in a bullpen session last week and will make his appearance in a spring game Saturday. While the right-hander was slightly delayed early in spring training due to shoulder soreness, he'll have a chance to avoid a stint on the injured list to begin the regular season as long as Saturday's Grapefruit League appearance goes well.

Lodolo appears to be the leading candidate to start the Reds' sixth game of the season April 13 against the Guardians in Cincinnati, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

While addressing the media Wednesday, manager David Bell laid out his pitching plans for the start of the season. With both Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) opening the year on the injured list, the skipper said that Tyler Mahle will get the Opening Day nod April 7 in Atlanta, while Reiver Sanmartin, Vladimir Gutierrez and Hunter Greene will follow Mahle in succession for the remaining three games of the series. After an off day April 11, Mahle will start the Reds' home opener a day later against Cleveland, but Bell is leaving the door open for a fifth starter to enter the mix April 13. Since neither Castillo nor Minor will be available by then, Lodolo looks like the most logical choice for the fifth and final spot in the rotation, assuming the Reds elect not to play service-time games with him. How long he sticks in Cincinnati's rotation will likely be dictated by how he performs in his initial big-league action, but Lodolo's dominance in the upper levels of the minors in 2021 provides reason to be optimistic that he'll find success. Over 13 starts between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville, the 6-foot-6 lefty turned in a 2.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 78:11 K:BB across 50.2 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .207 average.

Manager David Bell said Wednesday that Greene will start the Reds' fourth game of the season April 10 in Atlanta, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Though Greene and fellow young pitchers Nick Lodolo, Reiver Sanmartin and Vladimir Gutierrez were expected to battle for two available rotation spots entering spring training, the Reds will likely have room for all four since Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) are set to begin the season on the injured list. Because the Reds have an off day April 11, there was some risk of Greene heading to the minors until a fifth starter was first needed in the second week of the season, but Lodolo looks to be the pitcher that will temporarily find himself as the odd man out. The 22-year-old Greene didn't seem to be hampered by losing two consecutive seasons of development time to Tommy John surgery and the COVID-19 pandemic, as he turned in a 3.30 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 139:39 K:BB across 106.1 innings between Triple-A Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga in 2021. Greene's workload will likely be monitored carefully throughout his rookie season, but his triple-digit fastball and hard slider should allow him to deliver strong strikeout totals on a per-inning basis as he makes the jump to the majors.

Manager David Bell said Wednesday that Gutierrez will start the Reds' third game of the season April 9 in Atlanta, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Coming into the spring, Gutierrez was expected to battle prospects Reiver Sanmartin, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo in the Opening Day rotation, but the Reds will have room for all four pitchers with Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) both set to begin the season on the injured list. Though he wasn't a heralded prospect entering the 2021 campaign, Gutierrez fared well following an early-season call-up from Triple-A Louisville and ended up sticking in the rotation for much of the year. Gutierrez wasn't especially interesting from a fantasy standpoint, however, as he finished with a 4.74 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.5 K-BB% in 114 innings with the Reds. His low strikeout rate (17.7 percent) makes him a lower-upside fantasy target than all of Sanmartin, Greene and Lodolo, even though he may have greater job security than all of the prospects.

Kopech (not injury related) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut Friday against the Reds, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The White Sox plan to have Kopech work two innings before giving way to Vince Velasquez, who is expected to cover two frames of his own. Kopech, Velasquez and Reynaldo Lopez are among the candidates for the No. 5 spot in the White Sox rotation, but Kopech is the presumptive frontrunner for the job if he's able to get fully stretched out for starting duty before camp closes. Kopech's spring debut was delayed after he battled an illness over the winter, which affected his preparation before he reported to camp. The right-hander has seemingly steered clear of any setbacks since then, but even if he dazzles in Friday's outing and another potential exhibition appearance next week, he could face a workload restriction to begin the regular season. Additionally, the White Sox won't require a fifth starter until April 16 against the Rays, so it's possible that Kopech gets stretched out in the bullpen during the first week of the season before slotting into the rotation.