MLB Player News

Manoah was assigned to minor-league camp Thursday.

Manoah likely never had a chance to break camp on the big-league roster, as he's made just six professional starts since being selected 11th overall in the 2019 draft. He couldn't have made a much better case for himself than he did in five scoreless innings this spring, striking out 11 while walking none and giving up one hit. Manoah could make his major-league debut this year if he carries that strong performance into the minor-league season, though his inexperience as a professional may mean he has to wait until 2022.

Dunning allowed one hit and struck out three over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against Arizona.

Dunning entered in relief of starter Kyle Gibson, but he's expected to be a back-end starter for the Rangers. However, manager Chris Woodward plans to use a tandem of starters to fill the fourth and fifth rotation slots. That means a right-hander like Dunning would be coupled with a left-hander like Taylor Hearn or Wes Benjamin. It's unclear which one would open a game or the how the innings count would be broken down between the two.

Gibson hit a batter and struck out six over four scoreless innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.

After Gibson hit Tim Locastro with a pitch to start the game, he didn't allow another baserunner other than an error by third baseman Rougned Odor. Gibson was pleased with his cutter, which he added to his arsenal during the offseason, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It helped produce seven groundouts (zero flyouts). "I'm not throwing cutters just to throw them anymore," he said. "I'm using them when it makes sense to against a hitter." The Rangers' new-minted Opening Day starter looked in fine form Wednesday, but his long track record of regular-season mediocrity means fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach.

Luzardo allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits, a walk and a wild pitch across 2.1 innings in a Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. He struck out three.

The left-hander was taken deep by Ketel Marte in the second inning as part of a forgettable outing overall, one that was in sharp contrast to the four scoreless frames he managed in his spring debut Thursday. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Luzardo primarily blamed pitch selection and location for his troubles Tuesday, which also included a trio of doubles in addition to the aforementioned solo homer. "I threw a couple of changeups to Cabrera and Escobar and it looked like they were expecting it," Luzardo said. "I just have to make better pitches. I have to throw more offspeed pitches for strikes."

Montgomery threw five scoreless and hitless innings against Toronto in a Grapefruit League game Wednesday, allowing one walk while striking out four.

Montgomery dominated the Blue Jays in the exhibition contest, hurling five hitless innings and allowing only a walk and a hit-by-pitch. The southpaw has looked great this spring, yielding only one run and four hits across 10 innings while registering a 7:3 K:BB. He is locked into a spot near the back end of the Yankees' 2021 rotation.

Rodriguez allowed one run on two hits and struck out six over five innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Twins.

Rodriguez, who was named Boston's Opening Day starter earlier in the day, dominated Minnesota, needing just 51 pitches to get 15 outs. In three Grapefruit League starts, the left-handed Rodriguez has a 2.31 ERA with 14 strikeouts and no walks over 11.2 innings.

Teheran pitched four scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and struck out seven.

Teheran's velocity has reportedly been up this spring and it showed on Wednesday with the seven strikeouts. The righty now has a 2.00 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 12 Grapefruit League innings, making a very compelling case for a rotation spot.

Whitley underwent Tommy John elbow surgery Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Whitley felt discomfort in the elbow while throwing live batting practice earlier this month and could not avoid surgery. He faces a 12-to-14 month recovery period and could possibly pitch during the second half of 2022.

Giolito allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over 3.2 innings in Wednesday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Giolito elevated his pitch count to 65 and had to work through a couple of high-volume innings to get there. The right-hander took an optimistic view, telling Scott Merkin of MLB.com that a pitcher needs to grind through situations that he might face during the regular season. "It's good to get reps in pitching with runners in scoring position, getting the pitch count above 20 in an inning," said Giolito. "I felt like I made good pitches when I needed to. I think the plan originally was to go four innings, but the pitch count got a little too high there." Giolito will have two more spring starts before pitching Opening Day against the Angels.

Skubal pitched three scoreless innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and three walks while striking out six.

The three walks were the only blemish for the lefty, as he was otherwise completely locked in across his 70 pitches. Skubal has now tossed eight scoreless innings this spring with 12 strikeouts, and if there was any doubt about him securing a rotation spot to start the season, he's probably put that to rest. The 24-year-old posted a 5.63 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 32 innings in his MLB debut last season, and he could be poised for a step forward in 2021.