MLB Player News

Rodriguez (lat) threw off a mound Wednesday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

This marks the first time Rodriguez has thrown since straining the muscle. The left-hander, who was slated to fill a significant bullpen role, will miss the start of the regular season.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels confirmed Martin (illness) will be added to the 10-day injured list, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Martin has missed all of summer camp while in the COVID-19 protocol. He continues to recover from the virus, but when he's cleared to return, there will not be enough time to get ready for the start of the season. The Rangers have been hit hard in their setup crew. Along with Martin, Joely Rodriguez (lat) and Rafael Montero (personal) are unavailable. The absences likely open a spot for Cody Allen, who is not currently on the 40-man roster, while relievers like Jesse Chavez, Luke Farrell and Nick Goody could take on high-leverage innings.

Adams (knee) was identified by manager Scott Servais as a candidate for some closing opportunities with Yoshihisa Hirano (undisclosed) now on the injured list, although the Mariners skipper noted Wednesday he plans to utilize more than one pitcher in the ninth-inning role, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Adams has seemingly corroborated he's over last season's ACL injury, as he's been facing hitters in summer camp. The right-hander has some closing experience from his time in the minors, and his mid-90s fastball is certainly a tool that could serve him well in high-leverage situations.

Misiewicz was identified by manager Scott Servais as a candidate for some closing opportunities with Yoshihisa Hirano (undisclosed) now on the injured list, although the Mariners skipper noted Wednesday he plans to utilize more than one pitcher in the ninth-inning role, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The rookie had his share of struggles at Triple-A Tacoma last season, posting a 5.36 ERA over 19 appearances (17 starts). Misiewicz appears to have adequate swing-and-miss stuff, but he's the only one of a foursome that also includes Matt Magill, Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla mentioned by Servais as ninth-inning candidates that doesn't have any major-league experience. With the Mariners skipper also stating he'll partly base his ninth-inning assignments on matchup, the left-handed Misiewicz could see some chances if multiple same-handed hitters are due up in the ninth of a game the Mariners hold a lead in, for example.

Lange was added to the Tigers' 60-man player pool Wednesday, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers still had a few open spots on their summer camp roster, so they added Lange, who came to the organization last year as part of the Nicholas Castellanos trade. The 24-year-old worked at Double-A Erie after the trade, posting a 3.45 ERA and 15 strikeouts across 15.2 innings. He should serve as organizational depth and likely won't appear in the majors this season.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Merryweather (oblique) should be able to play catch by the end of the week, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

This is encouraging news for Merryweather, who suffered an oblique strain earlier in the week. The 28-year-old still isn't expected to be ready for the start of the season. When he is healthy, the righty should serve as an emergency depth option.

Montero (personal) will not be ready for the start of the season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Montero missed the start of camp while tending to a family matter in the Dominican Republic and will reportedly need additional time to ramp up before being ready for game action. It's unclear how many games the right-hander will miss at this point. With the Rangers down a couple of relievers to start the season, Jesse Chavez and Nick Goody are candidates to serve as setup men early on.

Pruitt's elbow is feeling better, but he expects to miss at least a week at the start of the season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pruitt has been dealing with elbow inflammation, an issue that also plagued him back in spring training. He was considered to be in contention for a spot in the back of the Astros' rotation, which may have an extra slot available due to the absence of Jose Urquidy (undisclosed), but his inability to build up to a starter's workload may rule him out of that conversation. Framber Valdez appears to be in line to win the job.

Paredes could make the Opening Day roster, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

If Paredes, who is on the 40-man roster, makes the club, it will be as a reliever. The 5-foot-11 righty has a mid-to-upper-90s fastball and a power slider that could profile very nicely long term in a setup role. He is still technically being developed as a starter, but he doesn't have a typical frame for a rotation piece and his shaky command should eventually force him to the bullpen.

Abreu is considered a lock to make the Astros' Opening Day roster, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

As Kaplan notes, Abreu will likely make the team as a multi-inning reliever. He could also serve as rotation depth, but he had a 14.2 percent walk rate in 76.2 innings at Triple-A last year, so he probably lacks the command and control to be efficient in that role. As a reliever, however, Abreu can be borderline unhittable thanks to a 70-grade breaking ball -- some evaluators think he has two distinct mid-80s breaking balls. He struggles to command his low-to-mid-90s fastball, but few young pitchers are as adept at spinning a breaking ball as Abreu, which gives him a realistic floor as a high-leverage weapon.