MLB Player News

Montas left his Cactus League start against the Mariners on Thursday due to a ripped cuticle on his right middle finger, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Montas was seen wiping his finger on his pants as he left the field with a trainer in the second inning. It's not yet clear whether Montas will be forced to miss time to begin the regular season with Opening Day just a week away.

Montas was removed after two innings in his Cactus League start Thursday versus the Mariners due to an apparent finger injury on his pitching hand, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Montas was briefly visited on the mound by a trainer before he headed to the dugout. He had endured a rocky outing prior to departing, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks. The Athletics will likely provide an update on Montas' condition Thursday or Friday after getting a chance to evaluate him, but the timing of the injury is less than ideal with Opening Day just a week away.

The Twins reassigned Farrell to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Farrell was one of seven players sent back to the Twins' alternate site as Minnesota trimmed down its group at big-league camp to 36 men. The 29-year-old made four relief appearances for Texas in 2020, giving up five earned runs over 5.1 innings.

The Twins reassigned Albers to their minor-league camp Thursday.

Albers, who last appeared in the majors in 2017, was attempting to win a spot in the Twins' Opening Day bullpen after agreeing to a minor-league contract in February following a three-year stint overseas. He'll likely report to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the 2021 campaign.

Bassitt was named the Athletics' Opening Day starter Thursday, so he'll get the nod against the Astros on April 1, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bassitt's 2.29 ERA last season may not have been remotely supported by his 3.59 FIP or 4.49 xFIP, but he'll get the honor nonetheless. He beat out Frankie Montas, who struggled to a 5.60 ERA last season, as well as the talented but inexperienced Jesus Luzardo. Bassitt will be the team's fourth Opening Day starter in the last four years and the 15th in the last 17 seasons.

Garcia allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against Washington.

Garcia gave the Astros length on a day when starter Jake Odorizzi lasted just three outs. The highlight of his outing was an immaculate fifth inning, when he struck out the side on nine pitches. Garcia, a potential starter for Houston in 2020, had been slowed during spring training while spending time in COVID-19 quarantine. With Odorizzi unlikely to be part of the rotation early in the season and Cristian Javier not yet stretched out, Garcia could be a rotation presence the first few weeks of April.

Odorizzi allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one over one inning in Wednesday's spring game against Washington.

Odorizzi made his spring debut, and it was ugly. He ceded four home runs and got just two outs in the first inning before being pulled. He went back out to start the second but retired one batter and gave up back-to-back homers. Odorizzi had been scheduled to throw three innings, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. The right-hander shook off the outing and will prepare for his next appearance. "Overall, (I'm) healthy, checked the box, got the pitch count up, and we'll move on to the next one," Odorizzi said. He was signed as a free agent to replace Framber Valdez (finger) in the rotation, but Odorizzi is not expected to be ready early in the season.

Lynn allowed three runs on five hits while striking out four over five innings in Wednesday's spring game against Oakland.

Lynn threw 74 pitches (52 strikes) in his fifth Cactus League start, the first outing he's gotten up and down five times. He's scheduled to throw six innings March 29, but the White Sox don't have a game scheduled, so there will be some type of controlled environment, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. At that time, Lynn said he'll throw 85-90 pitches, so Chicago's projected No. 3 starter will be in shape for his first turn of the regular season.

Flexen fired five scoreless innings in a Cactus League win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, allowing three hits and a walk while recording four strikeouts.

Coming off an outing in which he'd allowed six earned runs across just three innings, Tuesday's effort was equivalent to a sigh of relief for Flexen, who's being counted on as the No. 5 starter. The right-hander worked up to 69 pitches, throwing 47 for strikes in a crisp start that was his first of four this spring where he didn't surrender multiple earned runs.

Detmers was reassigned to minor-league camp Wednesday.

The 2020 first-round pick was in consideration for a spot in the bullpen for Opening Day, but it's not much of a surprise to see him sent down considering he's yet to make a professional appearance at any level. Detmers could very well make his major-league debut this season, but he'll have to start the campaign in the minors.