MLB Player News

Javier is viewed as a potential candidate to take Justin Verlander's (forearm) spot in the rotation when a new fifth starter is first needed Wednesday against the Dodgers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Javier made the Astros' Opening Day roster as a member of the bullpen, but he had been stretched out as a starter during summer camp. Since he only covered one scoreless frame out of the bullpen in Saturday's win over the Mariners, he should be sufficiently rested and ready to handle the bulk of the innings Wednesday, if he's chosen to replace Verlander. McTaggart also notes that fellow long reliever Cy Sneed and top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley are other candidates to replace Verlander.

Dunn is scheduled to make his first start of the season Wednesday against the Angels, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

As anticipated, Dunn will begin the season as the Mariners' sixth starter after manager Scott Servais decided to expand the rotation due to the compressed schedule in the 60-game campaign. The 24-year-old will likely have his workload managed more carefully than the Mariners' other rotation members, but he should be a decent source of strikeouts on a per-inning basis after whiffing 28.6 percent of his opposing hitters he faced at the Double-A level in 2019.

Bielak was called up by the Astros on Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bielak will take the roster spot that had belonged to Justin Verlander, who hit the injured list with a forearm strain Sunday. Bielak had been in the rotation mix during camp but wound up losing out in that battle and opening the year off the active roster. It's not yet clear whether he'll be the one to take Verlander's spot in the rotation. The 24-year-old righty is yet to make his big-league debut and recorded a mediocre 4.41 ERA in 14 starts and one relief appearance for Triple-A Round Rock last season.

Teheran will throw approximately 55 pitches in three simulated innings at the Angels' secondary training site Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Teheran missed most of camp after testing positive for COVID-19, so he's understandably behind his teammates and remains on the injured list for now. Tuesday's session is expected to be his final one before joining the active roster, so he could make his Angels debut in about a week. He likely won't be able to handle a true starter's workload in his first few turns in the rotation, however.

Greinke allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 3.1 innings in Sunday's loss to the Mariners. He didn't factor into the decision.

Although Greinke struggled in his first start of 2020, he picked up a no-decision in Sunday's high-scoring contest. The 36-year-old will be leaned on as one of the most proven arms in the rotation in the coming weeks with Justin Verlander (forearm) set to miss time. Greinke posted a 2.93 ERA and 0.98 ERA over 208.2 innings in 33 starts with the Diamondbacks and Astros last season. He'll attempt to turn things around on the road Saturday against the Angels.

Kikuchi allowed five runs on five hits and four walks while striking out four over 3.2 innings in Sunday's win against the Astros. He didn't factor into the decision.

Kikuchi impressed in his final intrasquad start Monday, but he struggled to contain the Astros early in his first start of the regular season. However, he finished with a no-decision after the Mariners put together a late-game rally to secure the team's first win of the season. The southpaw will attempt to improve at home against the Athletics on Saturday.

Maeda (1-0) tossed five innings Sunday, earning the win while allowing two runs against the White Sox. He struck out six batters and walked one.

Maeda cruised through four scoreless innings before Luis Robert took him deep in the fifth to finally put the White Sox on the board. The 32-year-old righty will be relied on heavily as a middle-of-the-rotation arm this season with the Twins. Expect Maeda to take the mound at home next weekend against Cleveland.

Carrasco (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out 10 over six innings as he earned the win Sunday against the Royals.

Carrasco began his 2020 season on a high note with a quality start Sunday as he struck out the Royals with ease. He allowed runs in the fourth and fifth innings but got plenty of run support from Cleveland's offense, allowing him to pick up a comfortable win Sunday. The right-hander's next start should come on the road Friday against the Twins.

Suarez (undisclosed) reported to the Angels' alternate training site Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Suarez was sidelined for most of camp and placed on the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason, but he reported Sunday and is rehabbing at the team's alternate training site. It's unclear when the left-hander will be ready for game action, but he'll likely come out of the bullpen if he reaches the majors this year.

Verlander (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

The move isn't surprising after manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Verlander would be shut down for a couple weeks with a right forearm strain. The 36-year-old's availability for later in the season could become more clear once he's re-evaluated after his period of rest, but Verlander confirmed that there's a possibility for him to return at some point in 2020.