MLB Player News

Schmidt will be shut down for a few weeks after suffering an extensor strain in his elbow, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

The good news for Schmidt and the Yankees is that his UCL, which was repaired by Tommy John surgery back in 2017, appears to be fine. While that procedure seemingly won't be required here, it's still never good news to see a pitcher dealing with elbow troubles. Even in the best case scenario, Schmidt won't be able to start a proper spring buildup until mid-March, meaning he'll be unavailable for the first few weeks of the regular season. He was thought to have an outside shot at the Yankees' fifth starter job this spring, but the injury takes him out of the running for that role, at least to start the year.

Cole was named the Yankees' Opening Day starter as expected Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Cole would be the Opening Day starter for pretty much any team in the league, with the possible exception of the Yankees' local rivals. The righty should be in a close battle with Mets ace Jacob deGrom to be the first pitcher off the board in most fantasy drafts this year following three straight dominant seasons. He owns a 2.71 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 36.6 percent strikeout rate over that stretch.

Cole tossed a 26-pitch live batting-practice session Monday, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

With the Yankees' position players reporting to camp this week, Cole got the chance to face hitters for the first time this spring. The Yankees may limit Cole's use in the Grapefruit League slate to preserve his bullets for the regular season, but the right-hander should be ready to handle a normal workload by the time Opening Day rolls around. After a stellar debut season in pinstripes in 2020 (7-3 record, 2.84 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 94 strikeouts in 73 innings), Cole will likely be either the first or second pitcher off the board in most fantasy drafts this spring.

Chirinos (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The move was an expected one, as Chirinos is set to miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in August. He'll free up a spot on the 40-man roster as the Rays add new signings Collin McHugh and Chaz Roe.

Severino (elbow) expects to pitch off a mound soon and anticipates a return to major-league action in June or July, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Yankees previously mentioned late summer as their target for Severino's return from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent back in February of 2020. Severino sounds slightly more optimistic about his timeline, though that's hardly uncommon for players to have a more positive outlook about their return dates than teams. Which timeline winds up being correct will have a large impact on his fantasy value, as a June return could see Severino make nearly 20 starts, while a late summer return could see him make less than 10. At this stage, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News notes that Severino is throwing from 90 feet and will increase his distance to 120 feet Tuesday, potentially setting him up for a return to mound work by the end of spring training.

Urquidy said he dropped 15 pounds over the offseason, Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Coming off a surprising 2019, Urquidy's star was on the rise entering 2020. The right-hander was expected to be a significant piece of the rotation, but a bout with COVID-19 during the summer delayed his season debut until September. Urquidy said his goal of pitching 200-plus innings was the motivation behind the weight loss. "I'm very focused to throw more than 200 innings. I think I can do that," he said. "I feel strong (enough) to do that." He's expected to be part of a rotation that needs to replace the innings that Justin Verlander (elbow) would have given the team.

White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz is working with Rodon to overhaul the pitcher's lower half, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times reports.

Katz believes Rodon's quad-oriented delivery led to the left-hander throwing across his body, which the coach believes does not promote good arm health. "He's starting to understand how his lower half is supposed to move more efficiently. And it's just going to take time. When you've done something for a long time, it's hard to get out of that, but over time, we hope we can tap into things that he hasn't been able to do," said Katz. Rodon battled shoulder issues last season, making two starts and two relief appearances. His command was not consistent, and he allowed seven earned runs in 7.2 innings. Still, the White Sox were pleased to see that his four-seamer averaged mid-90s (touched 98 MPH), and he still possesses a nasty slider. If he adjusts to the new mechanics, Rodon could emerge as the team's fifth starter in 2021.

Detmers has a chance to get a a big-league call-up in 2021, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Manager Joe Maddon singled out Detmers and fellow prospect Chris Rodriguez as pitchers he's excited to see during spring training and indicated that both could make an impact at some point in the coming campaign. Detmers was the Angels' first-round pick in the 2020 first-year player draft and spent the season at the team's alternate training camp, but his arsenal is already polished enough for him to possibly be big-league ready as soon as this season if a need arises.

Luzardo worked on improving multiple aspects of his game during the offseason, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Despite putting together a rookie season that included a No. 2 ranking among first-year pitchers in strikeouts (59 over 59 innings) and a 3-2 record, the relentless Luzardo was far from satisfied, especially after also allowing seven earned runs across 7.2 innings in the postseason. The 23-year-old southpaw spent most of the offseason working on an aggressive strength and conditioning program with a focus on durability at a facility in Jupiter, Florida. Luzardo also worked tirelessly on repeating his mechanics and honed in heavily on refining his breaking ball after he neglected it somewhat last season, noting "now it's back to where it was" as spring training begins. Expectations naturally remain extremely elevated for Luzardo, who's in contention for an Opening Day start and who manager Bob Melvin already labels as a "top-of-the-rotation starter."

Kikuchi reported to spring camp having dropped 10 pounds over the offseason, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The 29-year-old southpaw is undoubtedly looking for any edge after generating ERAs over 5.00 in his first two seasons stateside following a successful career in Japan. Kikuchi did have a better season in 2020 than his 5.17 ERA indicates, as he allowed just 41 hits over 47 innings and surrendered just three home runs while averaging a strikeout per frame. He also pitched six full innings in three of his last four trips to the mound, with two of those quality starts. The double-digit weight loss may further help his overall mechanics, although both player and team will undoubtedly monitor matters carefully to ensure it doesn't also lead to a drop in stamina.