MLB Player News

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that Odorizzi has been reassigned to Triple-A Durham to begin the season, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Odorizzi signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on March 15 and didn't have sufficient time to make a case for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but the organization isn't closing the door on him filling a starting role with the big club once he's fully stretched out. According to Cash, Odorizzi will make his first start with Durham on Tuesday, and the Rays will go "start-to-start" with him in the minors before deciding if or when he'll be called up. The 34-year-old Odorizzi owns a lifetime 3.99 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 1,253.1 innings in the majors, but his outlook is murky after he missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder.

Canning started five games this spring, posting a 3.78 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB over 16.2 innings.

Canning tossed 91 pitches Sunday against the Dodgers in his final outing of the spring, so he appears ready for nearly a full workload as the regular season approaches. The right-hander gave up four runs over 4.2 frames in that start but also struck out eight batters, and he is coming off a 2023 campaign during which he registered a career-best 9.9 K/9. Canning's fantasy outlook is helped by the fact that the Angels will use a five-man rotation this season following the departure of Shohei Ohtani, and there's some strikeout upside in his arsenal, though he gave up plenty of hard contact last season and has been vulnerable to the long ball throughout his big-league career.

Stroman finished the Grapefruit League slate with a 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB over 20.2 innings across five starts.

Stroman signed a two-year deal with the Yankees in January, and his role with the club took on added importance when Gerrit Cole was diagnosed with an elbow injury that will likely cost him at least the first two months of the season. Though Stroman drew some criticism for turning down an opportunity to take Cole's place as the team's Opening Day starter, his reason for doing so was tied to sticking to his pitching schedule, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, and the right-handed hurler remains a critical component of New York's chance at success this season. Stroman certainly appears ready for the beginning of the campaign after finishing spring play with six shutout innings against Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Wentz will make the Tigers' Opening Day roster in a bullpen role, Julie Kreuz of MLB.com reports.

Wentz struggled mightily as a starter last season, but he will stick around in Detroit as a reliever. The lefty was effective in spring training, posting a 2.93 ERA and striking out 15 batters over 15.1 innings. Wentz may not see high-leverage work right out of the gate, though as a southpaw, he has a chance to earn trust quickly if he can retire left-handed hitters on a regular basis.

Faedo will make the Tigers' Opening Day roster in a bullpen role, Julie Kreuz of MLB.com reports.

Faedo pitched well this spring, compiling a 1.35 ERA across 13.1 innings, and it was enough to secure his first Opening Day roster spot in the majors. The one-time first-round pick hasn't found his footing as an MLB starter yet, though he could emerge as an effective reliever if his stuff plays up. However, Faedo likely won't see enough high-leverage work initially to warrant fantasy attention.

Manager Mark Kotsay named Boyle the Athletics' fifth starter Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Boyle was impressive in three big-league starts toward the end of last season, logging a 1.69 ERA and 0.81 WHIP across 16 innings. However, he's been known to walk batters at an alarmingly high rate, and those troubles seemed to haunt him yet again this spring as he allowed 15 free passes over 18.1 frames. If the 24-year-old righty is able to bring down his walk rate, he appears to have the stuff to develop into a solid major-league starter.

Means (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk soon, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Means is set to make several rehab starts with Triple-A Norfolk before he's considered for activation. The left-hander experienced a setback with his surgically repaired left elbow last October, and Orioles general manager Mike Elias said he expects Means to be ready for his season debut at some point in the first half of the season. For his part, Means has expressed a desire to be ready to pitch in major-league games before the end of April, but how his minor-league starts go will ultimately determine whether that timeline is realistic.

Gray didn't pitch as scheduled Tuesday due to a stiff neck, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gray will throw a bullpen session Wednesday instead, and his neck shouldn't cause his regular-season debut to be delayed. The 32-year-old righty had a great spring, throwing eight scoreless innings over two starts while striking out seven batters and walking two.

Verlander (shoulder) threw 32 pitches during live batting practice Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The veteran right-hander apparently looked good, as his fastball sat in the low-to-mid 90s and touched 95 mph. Manager Joe Espada indicated Monday that if all went well during live BP, Verlander should next begin a minor-league rehab assignment that would likely consist of multiple starts. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Verlander said he felt good during Tuesday's session and would like to build his pitch count to about 85 before joining Houston's rotation.

The Rays placed Bradley (pectoral) on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to March 25, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The right-hander was shut down from throwing for two weeks after being diagnosed with a pectoral strain March 13, so the move to the injured list was expected. It's unclear where Bradley currently stands in his recovery, but he's likely to be re-evaluated soon. Even if the 23-year-old is cleared to resume throwing in the near future, he's likely to be sidelined for at least the first month of the season as he builds his arm strength back up.