MLB Player News

Verlander (elbow) will start Friday's Grapefruit League opener against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Verlander threw two simulated innings during live batting practice Sunday, and he'll continue his ramp-up process by drawing the start for the Astros during their first spring game Friday. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2020 and hasn't pitched in a game since July of that shortened season as a result. Assuming Verlander continues to progress smoothly during spring training, he'll now shift his focus toward building up his workload ahead of a potential Opening Day start April 7 versus the Angels.

The Red Sox placed Paxton (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-April of last season, Paxton isn't expected to be ready to begin a rehab assignment until around the middle of the summer, so the move to the 60-day IL won't affect his recovery timeline. The transaction is merely a procedural move to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for newly-signed reliever Jake Diekman.

Manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Eovaldi will draw the Opening Day start against the Yankees on April 7, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox announced Wednesday that Chris Sale (ribs) will miss the start of the regular season, so Eovaldi will be tabbed for the Opening Day start at Yankee Stadium. The right-hander made 32 starts for Boston last year and posted a 3.75 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 182.1 innings, and he's slated to make his first spring start of 2022 against the Rays on Friday.

Canning said Wednesday that he hit a snag in his recovery from a back injury a few weeks ago and won't be ready to pitch by Opening Day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

If healthy, Canning would have been in contention for the sixth and final spot in the Angels' rotation heading into Opening Day, but his injury leaves Reid Detmers and Jaime Barria as the primary candidates for the No. 6 role. Canning was shut down in mid-July of last season with a stress fracture in his lower back, so it's somewhat disconcerting that he's already incurred another setback leading up to the start of the 2022 campaign. Because he wasn't particularly effective in his 13 starts with the Angels last season and is now working his way back from injury, Canning seems likelier to report to Triple-A Salt Lake rather than the big club once he's back to full strength.

Hoglund was traded from the Blue Jays to the Athletics on Wednesday along with Kevin Smith, Zach Logue and Kirby Snead in exchange for Matt Chapman, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 22-year-old righty once had a chance to be the first overall pick in 2021, but he needed Tommy John surgery in May of 2021, so he fell to the Blue Jays at pick 19. Hoglund could return to game action sometime this summer and immediately slots in as one of Oakland's top pitching prospects.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Wednesday that Sale will be out for the start of the season after suffered a stress fracture on the right side of his ribcage, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

According to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald, Bloom said Sale picked up the injury while he was recently throwing a live batting practice session at his alma mater, Florida Gulf Coast. Though Sale has reportedly shown improvement since arriving at Red Sox camp once the lockout concluded, he won't have enough time to fully recover from the injury and stay on track in his buildup program before the season begins April 7. Nathan Eovaldi is thus positioned to get the Opening Day in place of Sale, whose target timeline for a return likely won't become clear until he resumes throwing again.

Sandoval said Tuesday that his back issue was fully healed by mid-December and that he had a normal offseason, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Sandoval was shut down in mid-August last season due to a left lumbar spine stress reaction, but that issue now appears to be a thing of the past. The southpaw mentioned "doing a lot of mobility and soft tissue" work in the offseason to increase mobility in his hips, suggesting that he identified the issue that led to the back injury. Sandoval figures to slot into the middle of the Angels' rotation in 2022 following a breakout 2021 campaign.

Manning looks to be the Tigers' No. 4 starter to begin the season, though the team is still looking to bolster its rotation before Opening Day, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

If the Tigers do add a starter before the season, it seems like Tyler Alexander would get bumped from the rotation before Manning. The latter isn't guaranteed to keep his spot all year, however, after struggling as a rookie in 2021. Manning recorded a 5.80 ERA and 1.51 WHIP across 18 starts to go with a 57:33 K:BB. A strong start to the 2022 campaign for the 24-year-old would certainly help his cause.

Eovaldi will start Friday's spring training game against the Rays, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Boston kicks off its Grapefruit League schedule Thursday, a traditional affair vs. the Twins, but manager Alex Cora might deploy exclusively minor leaguers for that game. Eovaldi geared up for the assignment by throwing live batting practice Tuesday. The right-hander, who went 11-9 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 32 starts, is expected to be the No. 2 starter behind Chris Sale. Eovaldi will be followed in the spring rotation by Nick Pivetta, who will start Saturday against the Twins.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Severino threw two innings of live batting practice Tuesday and is probably the "most ready" pitcher in big-league camp for the upcoming season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Boone's comments are certainly eyebrow-raising, given that Severino hasn't been completely healthy for a spring training since 2018 and has made just seven combined regular-season appearances at the big-league level across the past three year due to lat and shoulder injuries in addition to his February 2020 Tommy John surgery. While Severino looks like he'll be part of the Opening Day rotation, the Yankees could still look to monitor his workloads carefully to some degree in 2022, given his light innings counts in recent years. That being said, if Severino is anywhere close to the pitcher he was during his last healthy season in 2018, he and ace Gerrit Cole would form one of the best top-of-the-rotation duos in the American League. Expect Severino's average draft position to continue climbing if he remains healthy and continues to draw raves from the coaching staff and reporters during his throwing sessions and Grapefruit League outings.