MLB Player News

Dunning earned a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old apparently showed enough in camp with two runs allowed and a 5:3 K:BB over 8.1 innings to nab a place on the Opening Day roster. Dunning's exact role remains unclear, but he could be utilized as a tandem starter to begin the season, especially with Taylor Hearn and Wes Benjamin also making the roster.

Allard was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Rangers last season and posted a 7.75 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 32:20 K:BB over 33.2 innings and won't open 2021 on the big-league roster. Allard was mentioned this spring as a candidate to be part of a piggyback tandem rather than serve as a traditional starter, though he figures to be part of the rotation at Triple-A.

Kluber's velocity has been down this spring, but the right-hander isn't worried about the decline, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

Kluber's velocity has reportedly been in the 90-92 mph range in spring training, per Rivera. That's down from the 93-94 mph mark he displayed during his peak but not much off from the 92.0 mph average velocity he posted during his last healthy season. Kluber has never been among the league's fastest throwers, so a drop in velocity may not impact him as much as it would other hurlers. So far this spring, the 34-year-old has registered a strong 1.86 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB across 9.2 innings.

Urena allowed one run across 4.2 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He gave up five hits and a walk with no strikeouts.

Urena has made three appearances this spring and has allowed just two earned runs across 9.1 innings. The righty only has two strikeouts, but that's never been a particular strong suit, so he's unlikely to help fantasy managers in that category. However, Urena should at least be locked into a rotation spot with the Tigers and make plenty of starts.

McCullers and the Astros agreed to terms Wednesday on a five-year contract extension, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports. The contract is worth $85 million and keeps McCullers on the books through 2026, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

McCullers will be rewarded for staging a successful comeback in 2020 after Tommy John surgery sidelined him for all of 2019. Over his 11 starts with Houston last season, he re-established himself as a capable No. 2 or 3 option in the rotation by submitting a 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB in 55 innings. He'll give the Astros some longer-term stability near the top of the rotation with Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander (elbow) both headed for free agency next winter.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch informed Skubal on Wednesday that he will be included on the Opening Day roster, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Though Hinch hasn't explicitly said that Skubal will open the season in a starting role, the 24-year-old lefty likely would have been optioned to the minors if Detroit didn't have a spot in the rotation open for him. With Spencer Turnbull set to begin the season on the COVID-19 injured list and Michael Fulmer having been shifted to a bullpen role in his last spring appearance, Skubal is expected to be part of a five-man rotation that includes Matthew Boyd, Jose Urena, Casey Mize and Julio Teheran. Skubal posted a 5.63 ERA and gave up nine home runs in just 32 innings in 2020, but his 19.4 K-BB% was an excellent mark for a rookie pitcher.

Turnbull won't be available for the start of the regular season after the Tigers announced Wednesday that he will be placed on the COVID-19 injured list, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Turnbull has been away from the Tigers since the weekend due to COVID-19 protocols and doesn't appear on track to rejoin the club before the end of camp, so Detroit won't be counting on him to fill a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Provided Turnbull isn't dealing with severe symptoms of the virus -- if he's even tested positive -- he likely won't miss extended time, though he still may need a week or two to get his arm reconditioned for starting duty once he clears all protocols. His absence to begin the season will open up a spot in the rotation for non-roster invitee Julio Teheran (back), who was informed Wednesday that he had made the team.

The Tigers selected Teheran's (back) contract Wednesday and added him to the 40-man and active rosters.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch informed Teheran on Wednesday that he secured a spot in the Opening Day rotation after the non-roster invitee following four impressive appearances in Grapefruit League play. Over 11 innings, Teheran posted a 2.45 ERA and 0.64 WHIP while racking up 15 strikeouts. Detroit opened up a spot for Teheran on the roster and in the rotation by placing Spencer Turnbull on the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move. Turnbull isn't expected to be in store for a lengthy absence, so Teheran may need to pitch well in his first start or two with Detroit to strengthen his case for holding down a rotation spot when the Tigers' pitching staff is back to full strength.

Lyles secured a spot as a tandem starter after allowing one run on three hits over four innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Angels, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The Rangers have three traditional starters and will use a pair of multi-inning pitchers apiece to fill out the final two rotation slots. The tandems will likely be made up of a right-hander and left-hander, so Lyles is expected to be paired with a lefty such as Wes Benjamin, Taylor Hearn or Kolby Allard. "You just see by his body language, tempo and everything that [Lyles] feels really good about his stuff right now," manager Chris Woodward said. "He's got four-plus pitches right now that he feels really confident with." It's unclear how Woodward plans to order each pitcher in the tandem or how many innings each hurler will be scheduled to throw on a given day. This could impact a starter's ability to throw enough innings (five) to qualify for a win.

The Astros and McCullers are engaged in talks to extend the pitcher beyond the 2021 season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations described the team's offer as "strong" and characterized the talks as "deep." McCullers is slated to make $6.5 million in 2021, the final year under his current contract with Houston. The Astros face looming uncertainty in their rotation. Both Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander (elbow) can walk after the 2021 campaign, so locking in McCullers would provide a veteran leader for what could be a young starting staff in 2022.