MLB Player News

The Athletics announced Tuesday that Wood will start Opening Day against the Guardians on March 28, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The 33-year-old lefty worked as a swingman for the Giants last season and had a 4.33 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 74:42 K:BB over 97.2 innings, but being a veteran on a largely unproven staff makes him a logical candidate to pitch Opening Day. Wood doesn't have much fantasy upside with a 4.41 ERA across the past three seasons, especially since he hasn't topped 140 frames in any of those individual campaigns.

The Orioles optioned Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Zimmermann was among the candidates to fill in for Kyle Bradish (elbow) and John Means (elbow) in the rotation, but he quickly fell behind Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin in the pecking order and never made up ground. The left-hander will be part of Norfolk's rotation.

Swanson will be shut down from throwing for a day or two due to right forearm tightness, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

An MRI showed no structural damage or even inflammation, so the hope is that Swanson can ramp things back up after a day or two of rest. For now, consider the setup man day-to-day. The back-end of the Blue Jays' bullpen is suddenly in flux, as Jordan Romano (elbow) is also banged up.

Romano will be shut down from throwing for three days after being diagnosed with right elbow inflammation, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Romano will be given an anti-inflammatory injection prior to the brief shutdown period and then hopes to resume throwing later this week. An MRI on the closer's elbow showed no structural issues, so the hope seems to be that this is just a minor issue that will resolve soon. However, there is certainly always a level of concern when it's the pitching elbow. Erik Swanson would be next in line to close for the Blue Jays, although he will be shut down himself for a day or two with a forearm issue. Yimi Garcia and/or Chad Green could be next in the pecking order.

The Rays optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rodriguez was competing for a spot in the bullpen but will head to Durham for now. He should still wind up spending a good amount of time with the big club this season.

Murphy has been diagnosed with ligament damage in his left elbow, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican says it's a high-grade tear, although a decision on whether Murphy will undergo surgery will be made in the coming days. He had been competing for one of the left-handed spots in Boston's bullpen but now will be sidelined for a significant period of time, whether surgery is ultimately required or not.

Jansen has been scratched from a scheduled appearance again Tuesday due to ongoing back tightness, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

It's the second day in a row that Jansen wasn't able to pitch as scheduled because of a nagging lower-back issue. The hope is that he will be able to make an appearance Wednesday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday of Jansen's Opening Day availability that "we still have time, but we're running out of time." Chris Martin (groin) would be next in line to close if Jansen isn't ready, although he's banged up himself.

Pivetta allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over four-plus innings in Monday's spring start against Minnesota.

Pivetta, whose pitch count reached 79 in his penultimate spring outing, was removed in the fifth inning after the first batter reached on a single. For those calendar watchers, Pivetta's five-day schedule lines up perfectly with Opening Day, March 28, on the road in Seattle. The right-hander has a 5.25 spring ERA with 13 strikeouts and three walks over 12 innings.

Moll allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over one inning in Monday's spring game against the Giants.

Moll, who was delayed by left shoulder soreness, made his spring debut Monday. Despite the results, Moll is a lock for a bullpen spot provided he can build up over the next week.

Montas allowed one run on three hits while striking out five over four innings in Monday's spring start against San Francisco.

Montas elicited sighs of relief, delivering a strong outing after surrendering four runs in each of his previous two Cactus League starts. The lone run scored on a misplayed grounder up the middle. A wavering breaking ball was the main culprit in his previous outing, but Montas was able to locate the pitch better Monday, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Montas will have one more start before taking the ball Opening Day, March 28, at home against the Nationals.