MLB Player News

Walker threw 60 pitches over 3.1 innings in Sunday's intrasquad game, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The right-hander had to work around some trouble in two of his innings, but he finished the outing allowing only three hits and three walks but no runs. Walker encouragingly also recorded three strikeouts and commented after the game that he felt strong and "definitely" would be ready for this first start of the season Saturday against the Astros.

Kikuchi, who'll start the Mariners' third game of the regular season against the Astros on Sunday, was impressive over four innings in Monday's intrasquad game, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi cruised early, firing three scoreless innings before the opposing squad of teammates got to him for two singles and a walk in the fourth. The southpaw ultimately allowed two of those runners to score with a throwing error, but manager Scott Servais was pleased to see Kikuchi's fastball reaching 96 mph and his offspeed pitches also showing improvement during the 55-pitch outing. "I thought he threw the ball pretty well. His stuff was really good and the velocity was up there," Servais said. "Hopefully he can build on that. All the guys so far -- Marco [Gonzales], Taijuan [Walker] and Yusei should be good to go. If things go well, I hope to get them through five innings their first time out."

Skubal (undisclosed) was cleared to join the Tigers' 60-player pool and was assigned to the alternate training site.

The 23-year-old has been absent from summer training for undisclosed reasons and was on the injured list, but he's now set to begin working out at the alternate site. Skubal figures to require some time before reaching game readiness, but he was never likely to see the majors early in the season since he's never seen action at the Triple-A level. The left-hander started 2019 at High-A Lakeland but earned a promotion to Double-A Erie, where he posted a 2.13 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 82:18 K:BB over 42.1 innings.

Manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday that Sandoval (illness) could be ready for Friday's season opener at Oakland, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Maddon said last week it would be "hard to imagine" the 23-year-old being ready for Opening Day, but he's apparently been progressing well in his buildup. Sandoval missed the start of summer training after testing positive for COVID-19, so he's been behind the other pitchers as he competes for a spot in the six-man rotation. The left-hander's status should receive another update later in the week.

Montgomery was optioned to the team's alternate training site Tuesday.

The 27-year-old was expected to begin the season as the Yankees' No. 5 starter, but instead he won't be included on the 30-man roster to open the season. Montgomery delivered five scoreless frames during Sunday's exhibition contest with the Mets, so he finished summer training with a strong performance. New York has the benefit of an off day Friday after the season opener Thursday, so it appears manager Aaron Boone will take advantage with an extra reliever out of the gate. Montgomery could still join the rotation early in the season, but until he's recalled or the team provides more information, his immediate outlook remains uncertain.

Schmidt was sent to the Yankees' alternate training site Tuesday, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Schmidt received glowing reviews from the pitching staff during his camp, but he won't begin the season on the major-league roster. Manager Aaron Boone said, "He has delivered in every way," when describing Schmidt's performance during camp. Given the team's belief in his potential, the 24-year-old could make his major-league debut at some point during the abbreviated 2020 season.

Means' arm fatigue will prevent him from starting in Friday's season opener versus the Red Sox, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Means was named the team's Opening Day starter earlier in the month, but he was scratched from his exhibition start this past weekend due to arm fatigue and is evidently still dealing with the issue. It's not clear exactly when he's expected to return. Tommy Milone will now start Friday in Boston in Means' absence.

Milone will be the Orioles' Opening Day starter Friday against the Red Sox, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Milone wouldn't be the Opening Day starter for many teams in the league, as his unimpressive 4.76 ERA in 111.2 innings for the Mariners last season was his best mark since 2015. He wouldn't earn the honor for the Orioles, normally, but he's been called upon with John Means unavailable due to arm fatigue.

Greinke threw 80 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Getting to 80 pitches in his final tuneup outing suggests that Greinke should be able to come close to 100 pitches in his first outing of the regular season. While he's seemingly the Astros' second-best starter, he lines up to start the third game of the year Sunday against the Mariners, with Lance McCullers, who made his final preseason appearance Monday, in line to start Saturday.

Keller (not injury related) will begin the season on the injured list, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

A positive COVID-19 test prevented Keller from arriving at camp until Friday, and he's not expected to be quite in game shape for the start of the year. It's uncertain when the Royals expect him to make his debut. They'll need a fifth starter on July 28 against the Tigers, but it sounds like Keller may not be ready to take the mound by that point.