MLB Player News

Brown (back) will throw a bullpen prior to Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brown is recovering from lower-back tightness, but he has been able to play catch on flat ground and now will get a chance to throw off the mound Sunday. The right-hander could open the season on the injured list, but there's some positive momentum that suggests he can begin the year as a member of the Houston rotation.

Odorizzi's arm injury could keep him out long enough to require a trip to the 60-day injured list, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Odorizzi has been dealing with arm fatigue this spring, and it seems as though the issue may be more serious than that. His timeline isn't entirely clear, but the fact that a trip to the 60-day injured list is in play suggests that he's set to miss substantial time.

Paxton (hamstring) will pitch two innings in a backfield game Wednesday, Chad Jennings of The Athletic reports.

The 34-year-old lefty made five starts in 2020, one in 2021 and none in 2022, with arm troubles (including Tommy John surgery) the primary culprit. He looked healthy at the start of camp but promptly strained his hamstring in his first spring start. He's working his way back again but won't be available for a few more weeks. Paxton's expected to ramp up one inning at a time, so he still likely has four or five outings to go before the Red Sox activate him. If that pattern holds, he won't be make his season debut until the second half of April at the earliest.

Gausman isn't dealing with an injury and will pitch in a minor-league game Sunday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Gausman was originally scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Tigers, but it looks like the Blue Jays simply altered their plans. He could have pitched in a Grapefruit League game against the Yankees on Sunday, but he'll face minor-leaguers instead to give the Yankees' big-league bats fewer reps against him.

Manoah allowed one run on three hits and two walks over six-plus innings while striking out six in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.

Facing a Philly lineup lacking its biggest names, Manoah tossed 80 pitches (53 strikes) and cruised through six scoreless frames before watching a runner he left behind cross the plate in the seventh. The right-hander will look to build on a 2022 campaign that saw him post an outstanding 2.24 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 196.2 innings. He's set for an Opening Day assignment against the Cardinals.

Boyd will not start Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays as scheduled, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers have yet to announce a reason for the move, but it's certainly possible it's injury-related. Boyd hasn't pitched like he's hurt this spring, posting an excellent 21:3 K:BB in 13 innings, but he missed most of last season due to elbow issues.

Keller allowed five hits and walked one while striking out nine over five scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League win over the Giants.

Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Keller will pitch during the Royals' first regular-season series against the Twins, so Friday was likely his last spring appearance. Keller posted a 4.95 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 20 innings across six starts in Cactus League play. He's posted an ERA north of 5.00 over the last two seasons, but he'll get a chance in the rotation again after finishing out 2022 in the bullpen.

Gausman was scratched from his scheduled spring start Saturday against the Tigers for undisclosed reasons, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Sem Robberse will start the game in Gausman's place. It's possible this was nothing more than a change of plans from the Blue Jays, as there have yet to be reports that Gausman is dealing with any sort of injury, but it's at minimum something to monitor.

Schmidt is lined up to start the second game of the regular season, as Luis Severino is expected to hit the injured list with a low-grade lat strain, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Schmidt may be the Yankees' sixth or seventh starter when everyone is healthy, but injuries to Frankie Montas (shoulder), Carlos Rodon (forearm) and now Severino mean he'll open the year firmly entrenched in the rotation.

Cortes tossed four scoreless innings against St. Louis in a Grapefruit League game Thursday, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out seven batters.

This was a far better outing for Cortes than his spring debut March 18, when he allowed five runs in 3.2 frames. The left-handed hurler worked his way up to 66 pitches (47 of which were strikes) in the outing Thursday after throwing 52 his previous time out. Cortes didn't participate in early Grapefruit League action due to a hamstring injury, but he appears to be back to full health and set to be in the rotation to begin the campaign. Though Cortes is by hierarchy the Yankees' No .3 starter, he'll likely start New York's fifth game of the season in order to have a few extra days to ramp up.