MLB Player News

Suarez (undisclosed) is not part of the Angels' Opening Day roster.

Suarez did not participate in summer camp due to an undisclosed issue, so his absence from the 30-man roster was inevitable. The Angels do not have a pressing need for a starter, so it's likely that Suarez will end up in the bullpen -- or at the team's alternate training site -- when he is ready to return.

Javier earned a spot on Houston's 30-man roster, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

With Framber Valdez working as Houston's fifth starter, Javier will assume a spot in the team's Opening Day bullpen. The talented young right-hander has appeared in just two games above Double-A, so he figures to start out in a lower-leverage role.

Whitley did not make the Opening Day roster.

General manager James Click said that Whitley is "maintaining a lot of the improvements I've seen from him," according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. There are undoubtedly some service-time considerations at play, but the Astros are also going to be careful not to throw their top prospect into the fire until they believe he is ready to have success. He should get fully stretched out at the alternate training site but is not a lock to debut in 2020.

General manager James Click said Thursday there is no update on Urquidy's status, other than that the team is doing everything it can to get him back on the field as soon as possible, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Urquidy has been absent from camp for an undisclosed reason and should be considered out indefinitely. In addition to an unclear timetable for his return to the team, it is unclear how quickly the young righty will be able to build up to the point that he could handle a starter's workload. Framber Valdez is expected to work as the team's fifth starter in the short term.

Rodon (elbow) is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Indians, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Rodon, who underwent Tommy John surgery 14 months ago, will be ready to take his first turn through the rotation. His presence in the rotation will push Gio Gonzalez to the bullpen. Across seven starts before getting injured last season, Rodon posted a 5.19 ERA and 46:17 K:BB in 34.2 innings.

The Angels list Sandoval as their sixth starter on the season-opening 30-man roster.

Meanwhile, Sandoval's top competition for the final rotation spot, Felix Pena, is listed as a member of the bullpen, effectively confirming that the former will break camp with a starting role. Sandoval's positive COVID-19 test result in late June delayed his arrival at summer camp, but the lefty was able to make up enough ground in the job battle and wrapped up the Angels' exhibition slate by working three innings (51 pitches) and giving up five runs in a loss to the Padres. Look for Sandoval to be limited to around 75 pitches in his first turn of the regular season, which is expected to come July 29 at home versus the Mariners.

Rodriguez (COVID-19) has been shut down from all baseball activities, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Manager Ron Roenicke said Boston's medical staff discovered some minor complications related to Rodriguez's recovery from the coronavirus. The southpaw is apparently testing negative for the virus, but his body has not physically recovered. He threw a bullpen session Saturday and Roenicke is confident that Rodriguez will be able to pitch at some point in 2020. Boston will have to mix and match this season for the final two spots in the rotation, as they lack healthy, quality starting options in those spots.

According to manager Bob Melvin, Luzardo will "for sure" be ready to come out of the bullpen as early as the second game of the regular season Saturday and could be utilized in high-leverage situations, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander continues to play catch-up after a delayed arrival to summer camp, and he was slated for another bullpen session Thursday. However, Melvin's comments confirm fans and fantasy managers won't have to wait long to see Luzardo in action once the regular season begins. Meanwhile, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports Melvin didn't even officially rule out using Luzardo in Friday's Opening Night game, and that he ideally would like to have the southpaw open an inning his first time out as opposed to having him inherit a high-leverage situation midway through a frame.

Chirinos is slated to throw live batting practice Thursday for the first time since arriving in summer camp, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash went on record earlier in the week regarding Chirinos' expected readiness for the start of the season despite the pitcher's delayed arrival in summer camp. Thursday will be another step toward validating Cash's statement, as it will give the Rays skipper a more concrete idea of what type of workload the right-hander may be capable of tolerating in his first couple of appearances, be those conventional starts or "piggyback" assignments in tandem with Trevor Richards.

The Blue Jays placed Anderson (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Thursday, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Anthony Kay earned a spot on the Blue Jays' 30-man Opening Day rotation and is expected to step into the rotation as a replacement for Anderson, who has since resumed throwing off a mound after straining his right oblique just under two weeks ago. Anderson will probably need more than a week to ramp up to a starter's workload, so the Blue Jays will likely need to fill his turn in the rotation at least two times.