MLB Player News

Greinke allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out one over 4.1 innings in Sunday's spring game against the Marlins.

Greinke, Houston's recently anointed Opening Day starter, ran his pitch count to 69 with one more start before the regular season. The right-hander lamented the behavior of his slider, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. Greinke hopes to get that pitch in shape and elevate his pitch count to 80 or 85 in time for Opening Day.

Rodon allowed one hit and struck out five over four scoreless innings in Sunday's spring game against Arizona.

Rodon continued his bid for a spot in the rotation and has thrown nine scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and zero walks. The left-hander threw 49 pitches Sunday, more than half of which were is four-seam fastball along with his slider and changeup. He told Scott Merkin of MLB.com that commanding his fastball makes his entire arsenal better. The White Sox kick off the season with eight straight games, so they will need a fifth starter immediately. Rodon has two more spring starts to push his pitch count and be ready for the first turn of the rotation in the regular season.

Suarez was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday.

Suarez was being stretched out as a starter this spring while also serving as a bullpen option, but he'll begin the regular season in the minors. The southpaw made three relief appearances during Cactus League play and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out eight over 4.2 innings. Although Suarez hasn't had much success in the majors early in his career, he could serve as a versatile option for the Angels if the team's pitching staff deals with injuries this season.

Bassitt fired 3.2 scoreless innings in a Cactus League win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing a hit and two walks while recording five strikeouts.

Bassitt picked up his second win of spring with another stellar outing, his second consecutive with five strikeouts across a 3.2-inning workload. The right-hander now has a 1.74 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and .179 BAA across three Cactus League starts, ramping up in fine fashion for his projected No. 3 starter role in the coming season.

Wacha fired four scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Twins on Saturday, allowing just one hit and no walks while recording three strikeouts.

Wacha worked up to 53 pitches, with Adam Berry of MLB.com reporting the veteran right-hander's fastball got as high as 94.9 mph according to Statcast. Wacha featured a four-pitch mix overall that also included an effective cutter and a changeup that he got four swings and misses on, three of those third strikes.

The Yankees are planning on Cole throwing 200 innings this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Last year's shortened season is bound to affect pitchers' workloads this year, though it sounds as though the Yankees don't plan on doing things differently. Cole threw 73.0 innings last season during the regular season and 18.1 more in the playoffs, so jumping to 200 frames this year would be quite the leap. It's possible Cole won't be able to meet that goal, though there's no particular reason why he would be any less likely to do so than any other starter.

Matz threw 74 pitches (53 strikes) over five innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The southpaw continued a very impressive spring that has seen him post a 0.90 ERA and 12:0 K:BB over 10 innings. Command, rather than control, has been Matz's downfall in the past -- he surrendered 14 homers over 30.2 innings in 2020 despite a 36:10 K:BB -- but so far he's been locating the ball well within the zone and hasn't given up a long ball yet this spring. Matz will begin the year in the Jays' rotation, and his ability to avoid loud contact will determine if he keeps the job.

Turnbull remains away from the rest of his teammates due to COVID-19 protocols and may miss most of the rest of camp, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch expressed pessimism Sunday that Turnbull would be able to do much before the end of camp. He built up to four innings in his most recent spring appearance, but the delay may still cause him to miss a turn or two in the rotation to start the year.

Perez allowed five runs on six hits and five walks while striking out three over five innings in Saturday's spring start against Atlanta.

Perez had a couple of quality Grapefruit League starts before experiencing adversity in his third outing Saturday. He told Ian Browne of MLB.com that he was rushing his mechanics, but that he felt strong. Perez will get two more spring starts to correct Saturday's issues.

Bielak allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings in Saturday's spring game against the Cardinals.

Since he allowed four runs in the first inning of his first Grapefruit League outing, Bielak has made an impressive bid for a roster spot. In 11 subsequent innings, Bielak has allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 11. The right-hander upped his pitch count to 70 (44 strikes) while St. Louis batters flailed away at this slider (nine swing-and-misses), a pitch he spent considerable work on during the offseason, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. If he breaks camp with the club, Bielak could be a traditional starter until Jake Odorizzi is ready, or he can work in a multi-inning relief role behind Cristian Javier and/or Luis Garcia, a pair of starters who are not stretched out due to quarantine periods for health and safety protocols.