MLB Player News

German tossed a 20-pitch batting-practice session Thursday, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

This was German's first time on the mound with the Yankees since his September 2019 suspension, and manager Aaron Boone said the right-hander looked "sharp" against the five batters he faced. German is expected to compete for the team's final rotation spot during spring training, though Deivi Garcia may be the favorite to land the fifth-starter role.

Rodon has a clearer path to the No. 5 starter job than expected, after the White Sox announced Friday that Michael Kopech would open the year in the bullpen, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Kopech was the obvious choice for the role on talent alone, but he's missed two full seasons due to Tommy John surgery and an opt out. The White Sox will manage his innings to start the year, opening up a rotation spot for someone else. Rodon hasn't been officially named the winner of the job, but he's the obvious candidate when the alternatives are players like Reynaldo Lopez and Jonathan Stiever. Rodon recorded a 4.01 ERA over his first four big-league seasons but has to prove he's healthy and effective this spring after struggling to a 5.74 ERA in 42.1 innings over the last two campaigns while missing most of both years due to Tommy John surgery.

Kopech will begin the year in the bullpen, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Kopech's profile is the sort that always carried with it a bit of relief risk, as he has big stuff but shaky command and a history of injuries. That doesn't appear to be what's happening here though, as the move can be explained as an effort to manage the young righty's innings. He hasn't pitched in a game in over two years, as he missed 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery before opting out of the 2020 season. Kopech was never going to be able to last the full year in the rotation, so the White Sox will simply start him in the 'pen rather than moving him there over the summer. He could still provide a bit of fantasy value as a reliever, but his value will ultimately be determined in large part by when he gets the chance to start again, and the White Sox have yet to make clear when that will happen. Carlos Rodon looks like the favorite to win the No. 5 starter job to open the season with Kopech out of the picture.

Eovaldi will start the Red Sox's spring opener against the Twins on Sunday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Eovaldi is slightly ahead of other starters in terms of progression. While Eovaldi will kick off the spring season, Eduardo Rodriguez is expected to be Boston's Opening Day starter.

Bielak will start the Astros' first Grapefruit League contest Sunday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Bielak contributed significantly to the Astros in 2020, throwing 32 innings both as a starter and reliever. However, he didn't have consistent success, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.75 WHIP with a 26:17 K:BB. Houston made a number of additions to its bullpen this offseason -- the most significant of which were Pedro Baez and Steve Cishek -- which means Bielak is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Sugar Land.

Milone signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday that includes an invite to spring training.

Milone made nine starts with Baltimore and Atlanta last season but struggled with a 6.69 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 39 innings. He missed the final several weeks of the regular season due to left elbow inflammation and was let go by Atlanta at the end of September. Assuming he's fully healthy this spring, Milone should compete for a major-league roster spot with his new club.

Cortes (elbow) tossed a live batting practice session Thursday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Cortes' ability to face hitters this early in camp suggests the left elbow impingement that sidelined him for the final month and a half of the 2020 season is no longer a concern. A non-roster invitee, Cortes will be fighting for a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day bullpen.

Montas was cleared to join his teammates Thursday following a brief stay on the COVID-19 injured list, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Montas tested positive for the virus prior to camp and missed the first few workouts. With Opening Day still over a month away, he should still have enough time to get up to full speed by the start of the season.

Glasnow was impressive during his first time facing hitters this spring Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Glasnow threw 29 pitches overall to Ji-Man Choi, Joey Wendle, Yandy Diaz, Austin Meadows, Manuel Margot and Willy Adames, taking a simulated inning break after the first three batters. Glasnow came away particularly pleased with his comfort level and grip when deploying the new cutter/slider he's been working on, and he's looking forward to continuing to tweak it as spring training progresses. Meanwhile, manager Kevin Cash also noted how good the big right-hander's tempo and velocity were during the session, emphasizing Glasnow looked as good as he had during the postseason.

Medina has a chance to be called up at some point during the coming campaign, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

Medina is only 21 years old and has yet to pitch beyond the High-A level, but the organization is clearly optimistic about his outlook as a big-leaguer. "He's somebody we're very excited about...you never know what can happen. He's somebody that we feel has a bright future and a major-league future," manager Aaron Boone stated Tuesday. Though the young right-hander's upside and strikeout potential are certainly enticing, Medina will need to show vast improvement with his command and control before he's likely to find success in the majors.