MLB Player News

Skubal said he is working to add a splitter to his pitch arsenal in spring training, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Skubal said he's modeling his new pitch after fellow young pitcher Casey Mize. "If I could take Casey's splitter -- that's a pitch that I'm learning -- so if I could take Casey's splitter and just add it right to my arsenal, I would really like that," Skubal said. The 24-year-old lefty threw a fastball 58.9 percent of the time last season and mixed in a changeup, but the splitter could become his new out pitch if it develops. Skubal is vying for a rotation spot out of spring training and is one of several promising pitching prospects within the Detroit organization.

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

Taillon's ability to face hitters this early in spring training would seem to suggest that the Yankees are confident that he's made a full recovery from the May 2019 Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2020 campaign, his final season in Pittsburgh. After surrendering a quartet of prospects to acquire him in January, the Yankees are counting on a healthy Taillon to re-emerge as a reliable No. 2 or 3 starter behind his former Pirates rotation mate, staff ace Gerrit Cole. Expect the Yankees to use Taillon judiciously in games during the Grapefruit League slate, but he should be ready to handle a 75-to-100-pitch workload in starts by the beginning of the regular season in April.

Whitley cleared COVID-19 intake testing and joined the Astros for workouts Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Whitley missed just under a week of camp, so he shouldn't be too far behind the rest of the Houston pitching staff in the ramp-up process for the start of the season. The 23-year-old is still waiting for his first big-league call-up, as he missed out on a potential promotion last summer while battling an arm injury. He's back to full health for the start of spring training, but Whitley will likely have to impress at Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season before Houston gives him a trial in the big-league rotation.

Whitley's arrival to camp is delayed due to COVID-19 intake procedures, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Players underwent a PCR and antibody test upon reporting for spring training and is now required to observe a five-day quarantine period. It was previously unclear what had caused Whitley's delayed arrival, and given this news, it's now expected the 23-year-old will be available within a matter of days.

Luzardo made a strong impression during his first time facing live hitters Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The young left-hander has been looking forward to demonstrating some offseason improvements he made to his breaking ball, but Luzardo went to his tried-and-true heater on his first pitch to a hitter this spring and clocked 98 mph on the radar gun. Gallegos reports Luzardo went on to generate several swings and misses during what was a 30-pitch outing, prompting manager Bob Melvin to marvel at how good the 23-year-old looked right from the jump.

Rodriguez threw to live hitters Tuesday, Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports.

Rodriguez went through a scary time in 2020, when the heart problems he developed as a result of his battle with COVID-19 prevented him from exercising in any capacity. He's going through a normal progression to start camp, however, so he appears to be at minimal risk of opening the season on the injured list. Whether or not he's back to his normal self after not pitching for a year is another question entirely.

Stripling (personal) will arrive at camp Wednesday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Stripling has been away from the team due to the birth of his child. A Wednesday arrival means he'll still have more than a month to get ready for Opening Day, so the delay shouldn't significantly impact his push for a rotation spot.

Albers has yet to report to camp due to visa issues, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The Canadian lefty is part of a large group of players around the league who have been held up temporarily as they return to the U.S. for camp. Assuming the delay gets sorted out within the next few days, he'll still have time to get up to speed by Opening Day, though he's only in camp as a non-roster invitee, so any lost time will hurt his chances of making his case for a roster spot.

Blackburn was designated for assignment by Oakland on Tuesday.

Blackburn made just a single start last season, allowing seven of the 14 batters he faced to score while recording just seven outs. With a career 5.69 ERA and a very low 11.9 percent strikeout rate, he's unlikely to generate much interest on the waiver wire. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Oakland to add Mitch Moreland.

Severino (elbow) landed on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.

The move prevents Severino from returning in the first two months of the season, though he was never expected back that soon after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February of last year. General manager Brian Cashman previously gave him the somewhat vague timetable of "late summer," while Severino himself has said he expects to return in June or July. The move clears a spot on the Yankees' 40-man roster for the team to add Brett Gardner, who re-signed in a corresponding move.