MLB Player News

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Gipson-Long (groin) will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The right-hander hasn't pitched in any spring games while recovering from the groin strain he suffered early in camp, so it's not a big surprise he won't be available to start the season. Gipson-Long made his big-league debut down the stretch last year and had a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB in four starts (20 innings), but he may be pitching for Triple-A Toledo once healthy with Casey Mize and Reese Olson winning the final two spots in Detroit's rotation. Gipson-Long recently progressed to throwing live batting practice, so he could soon move on to building up his workload.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Friday that Mize will be a member of the club's season-opening rotation, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2022 as he spent last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but he pitched well enough during spring training with a 2.35 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 15.1 innings, though he did walk nine batters. Mize lines up to make his first start of the season Apr. 1 or 2 against the Mets with Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty scheduled for the opening series versus the White Sox.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Friday that Olson will be a member of the club's season-opening rotation, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Olson posted a 4.12 ERA over 107 innings as a rookie last season and cemented his rotation spot during spring training with a 3.68 ERA and 14:4 K:BB in 14.2 frames. Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty are set to start in the three-game, season-opening series against the White Sox, lining up Olson to pitch April 1 or 2 versus the Mets.

The Tigers optioned Manning to Triple-A Toledo on Friday.

He was in a hard-fought battle for one of the final two spots in the Tigers' rotation, but the club has opted to go with Casey Mize and Reese Olson. Manning should still ultimately spend a good chunk of the season in Detroit's rotation, but for now he'll head to Toledo to start every fifth day.

Lorenzen said in an interview with Foul Territory on Friday that he will be part of the Rangers' rotation, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Lorenzen agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with Texas earlier this week, shortly after getting up to 70 pitches in a throwing session Monday. It's not clear when he might be ready to make his first start for the Rangers, but the intention it to put him in the rotation. That means Cody Bradford -- who had been named the fifth starter prior to the Lorenzen signing -- will either move to the bullpen or to the Triple-A Round Rock rotation.

Cortes tossed four innings against Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

With Gerrit Cole (elbow) set to miss extended time at the start of the campaign, Yankees manager Aaron Boone named Cortes the team's Opening Day starter last week. The left-handed hurler got the ball for what's expected to be his final spring outing Thursday, and he worked up to 75 pitches. Cortes gave up just one run through four frames, but Atlanta tagged him for three straight hits -- a homer, a triple and a single, in that order -- resulting in two runs before he was pulled without retiring a batter in the fifth. If this was in fact Cortes' final appearance before next Thursday's Opening Day outing, he'll finish spring play with an 8.10 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB over 10 innings.

Blackburn fired six no-hit innings against the Cubs in a Cactus League win Wednesday, allowing one walk and recording three strikeouts.

The right-hander was in prime form, with Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reporting Blackburn needed only 63 pitches to get through his six frames while facing the minimum number of hitters. Additionally, 15 of Blackburn's outs were recorded on four pitches or less, and he lowered his spring ERA to 2.84 with the nearly pristine outing.

Manoah (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It will be his first time facing hitters since he came down with right shoulder soreness at the beginning of the month. Manoah will begin the season on the injured list, but there won't be a timetable for his potential return until he's able to ramp things up without setbacks.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Thursday that Lyles will open the season in the bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lyles has been limited to just five innings this spring because of a back problem and has served up four home runs during that time. The right-hander will be an overpaid long reliever, but Quatraro is making a logical decision in picking Alec Marsh over Lyles, who posted a 6.28 ERA in 31 starts last year.

Gausman (shoulder) is expected to throw 60-to-65 pitches in Monday's Grapefruit League finale against the Pirates, which might be enough to convince the Blue Jays he doesn't need to begin the regular season on the injured list, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Since Gausman reported arm fatigue earlier in the spring, the assumption has been that he would miss the beginning of the season, but the veteran right-hander said his arm felt fine after throwing two innings in a simulated game Wednesday. If he works up to 60-plus pitches Monday, the team may decide to include him in the initial rotation, albeit on a restricted pitch count for his first couple trips to the mound. The other option would be a brief IL stint while he continues to build up in extended spring training. Gausman admitted Wednesday he'd prefer to toss at least 75 pitches in an outing before making his first regular-season start, and the Jays have every incentive to be cautious with their ace, so a slightly delayed start to his campaign is still more likely. If he misses only one turn, he could make his season debut March 3 in Houston, but a home start March 9 against the Mariners might be a more plausible timeline.