MLB Player News

Brown (back) was scratched from his Grapefruit League start Wednesday against the Mets as a precaution, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown experienced some lower-back tightness while doing agility drills Tuesday in Astros camp and the team didn't want to risk an aggravation. The talented 24-year-old right-hander could perhaps fit in one final exhibition outing as he prepares to open the 2023 season as the No. 5 starter in Houston. There doesn't seem to be any current worry about an IL stint.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Wednesday that Sale will start the second game of the regular season April 1 in Boston versus the Orioles, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, Corey Kluber will get the Opening Day nod March 30, with Sale following the two-time Cy Young Award winner in the rotation. The 33-year-old left-hander has logged only 11 total major-league starts since the end of the 2019 campaign, but he's looked sharp this spring with nine strikeouts and only one walk through 10 innings of Grapefruit League action. Most importantly, Sale finally carries a clean bill of health.

Crawford will get the start for Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Mac Cerullo of The North Andover Eagle-Tribune reports.

Crawford will get the start, and Josh Winckowski will be the first arm out of the bullpen for the spring contest. Both hurlers are competing for the final spot the Red Sox rotation, and Crawford has made a strong case by generating a 2.03 ERA, 14:3 K:BB and 0.97 WHIP over 13 innings in Grapefruit League play. Whoever performs better during Thursday's game could ultimately be declared the winner of the job battle.

Berrios recorded five strikeouts while allowing one run over five-plus innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against the Orioles.

The only run Berrios allowed came on a solo homer by Terrin Vavra in the sixth. The right-hander scattered six hits and issued one free pass in the solid outing. Berrios disappointed in 2022 with a 5.23 ERA in his 172 innings over 32 starts, but the 28-year-old's previous success gives him a realistic chance for a bounce-back campaign in 2023.

Blackburn (finger) said that he will throw a flat-ground session Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Blackburn said that the fingernail avulsion on his pitching hand is healing well, but the Athletics have already ruled him out from being part of the Opening Day rotation. The team hasn't provided a concrete timetable for when Blackburn will be ready to return, but it's a positive sign he's resumed throwing.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Wednesday that Rucinski is a question mark for Opening Day due to left hamstring tightness, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's not clear when Rucinski suffered the injury, but he'll miss his next Cactus League start, and his status for the beginning of the regular season is up in the air. Paul Blackburn (finger) has already been ruled out for Opening Day, so the Athletics' rotation depth could be tested early on. It's been a rough spring for Rucinski, as he posted a 6.97 ERA in three Cactus League outings before picking up the hamstring injury.

Espino (shoulder) could be ready for game action as early as May, according to Guardians Prospective.

The flame-throwing righty has been throwing weighted plyo balls in Arizona. There was a report Feb. 20 that Espino wouldn't throw for eight weeks, but that may have been in reference to him getting back on a mound, which he has yet to do. Regardless, it's encouraging that this may not be a second lost season in a row for the talented 22-year-old.

Brown was scratched from his Grapefruit League start against the Mets on Wednesday due to lower-back tightness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 24-year-old is penciled in as Houston's No. 5 starter to begin the season, but he won't make what was supposed to be his final start of spring training Wednesday due to the back issue. Brown's availability for the Opening Day rotation is now in question, which is another potential blow to a Houston rotation that is already starting the campaign without Lance McCullers (forearm).

Gonzales hasn't started an official Cactus League game since March 3 but threw four innings in a "B" game against the Padres on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Gonzales was supposed to log a start Wednesday until rain washed out that opportunity, but he was able to get his work in with the four frames on the Padres' side of the Peoria training complex the following morning. Gonzales' most recent time on the mound in official Cactus League action went well, as he fired 3.2 scoreless innings against Diamondbacks on March 3. However, the veteran left-hander does have some formidable competition for the No. 5 starter job in Chris Flexen, who's posted a 2-0 record, 2.08 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 13 innings this spring.

With Michael Lorenzen (groin) uncertain to make his final Grapefruit League start, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Wentz could be an option to fill the fifth rotation spot to begin the regular season.

Lorenzen is projected to be the team's regular No. 5 starter, but his groin strain has his status up in the air heading into the regular season. Detroit is lined up to use its fifth starter April 4 against Houston, so Wentz or Beau Brieske may be needed if Lorenzen can't go. It seemed like Wentz was possibly ticketed for the minors out of camp, so any stay with the Tigers may be brief, though he did compile a solid 3.03 ERA across seven starts for the club last year.