MLB Player News

Houck is not guaranteed a starting role to begin the 2021 season, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Houck was excellent to close the 2020 season in his big-league debut, as he allowed only one earned run across 17 innings in three starts. Despite that, he won't be guaranteed a spot in the rotation immediately for the 2021 campaign and instead will compete for the role with Martin Perez, Nick Pivetta, Matt Andriese and Garrett Whitlock.

Giolito had his first bullpen session of spring training Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

New manager Tony La Russa got a look at Giolito and came away impressed. "The sharpness, because he has worked really hard to get here," La Russa said of what stood out. "And you can see the connection he has with [pitching coach] Ethan [Katz]." The right-hander will fit somewhere in the top three of what should be one of the better trios in MLB. Giolito, Dallas Keuchel and Lance Lynn sit atop a deep rotation.

Garcia is one of several options to close out games for the Tigers to begin the season, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Garcia pitched well across 21.2 innings in 2020, recording a 1.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, and he finished the year as Detroit's closer, registering four saves in six chances. Gregory Soto might have the best pure stuff in the team's bullpen, but it's unclear how exactly new manager A.J. Hinch will approach end-game decisions.

Stripling has yet to arrive at camp while awaiting the birth of his child, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Stripling is expected to compete for a back-end rotation spot to begin the regular season, but he'll be unavailable for the start of spring training. The right-hander served as a swingman during his first year with the Blue Jays in 2020, posting a 5.84 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 49.1 innings across 12 appearances (nine starts). It's not yet clear when Stripling will arrive at camp, but his wife is expecting a baby "very soon."

Sale (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Sale was expected to miss the first several months of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, so his placement on the injured list is simply procedural and will clear up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander John Schreiber, who was claimed off waivers in a corresponding move. Sale experienced some neck stiffness in early February but remains on track in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Urena (forearm) arrived at camp Thursday but still has to going through intake protocols before joining his teammates, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Urena was briefly delayed by travel issues but should still have time to build up for the start of the regular season. He's likely to be a member of the Tigers' rotation to open the year, though he'll have to prove his health in camp, as he fractured his forearm in late September.

Bieber has tested positive for COVID-19, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Bieber reportedly experienced mild symptoms following his positive test and is a late arrival to camp as a result. However, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was hopeful that the right-hander will be able to join the team at spring training in the coming days.

Glasnow has been working on a new pitch which he described as a slider or cutter, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Glasnow has almost exclusively used a fastball and a curveball over the last two seasons, throwing the two pitches over 95 percent of the time in both years while turning to his changeup very infrequently. He's turned into a very strong pitcher using mainly just those two offerings, but another option to keep hitters guessing could elevate him to a new level. Of course, the mere fact that Glasnow is working on the pitch doesn't imply that it will turn into a high-quality weapon.

Severino (elbow) has played catch from 120 feet and should advance to mound work within the next few weeks, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Severino continues to make progress as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in February of 2020. He appears to be still on track to return sometime late this summer, though the Yankees have yet to offer a more precise timeline.

Hill's one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Rays was made official Wednesday after the two sides agreed to terms Friday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Deemed an "A-plus competitor" by Rays general manager Erik Neander, Hill is believed to be an integral part of the team's back-end rotation plans this season after Tampa dealt Blake Snell to the Padres and saw Charlie Morton sign with the Braves. Despite his extensive injury history, Hill demonstrated he had plenty left in the tank last season with the Twins, posting a 2-2 record, 3.03 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across eight starts after going a combined 39-19 with a 3.00 ERA and 517 strikeouts over 437.1 innings in the previous four seasons (83 starts).