MLB Player News

Manager Charlie Montoyo said Sunday that Anderson is considered day-to-day with an oblique strain, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Montoyo revealed Sunday that Anderson has been dealing with the injury for several days and that the team is taking it day-by-day. Whether the issue impacts the right-hander's availability for Opening Day remains to be seen, but he could require several weeks to build up strength before he's ready for live games. Montoyo declined to name a specific replacement for Anderson in the rotation if he's not ready by the start of the regular season.

Chiang could fill the Tigers' fifth rotation spot with Daniel Norris on the COVID-19 injured list and likely to miss the start of the season, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Detroit currently has Matthew Boyd, Spencer Turnbull, Jordan Zimmermann and Ivan Nova locked into rotation spots. Norris was likely to grab the fifth spot, but he'll now need to submit two negative test results before he's allowed to rejoin the team, so he could miss the start of the season. Michael Fulmer (elbow) is an option for the rotation, though the Tigers could put him in long relief initially after he missed all of last year following Tommy John surgery. Chiang is a starter by trade and made 26 starts for Triple-A Columbus in 2019, so he figures to be in the mix for a start or two, though either Norris or Fulmer could bump him to the bullpen at some point.

Teheran (undisclosed) has not yet reported to camp, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Teheran said Wednesday that he was hoping to get to Anaheim this weekend, pending the results of a COVID-19 test, but it is unclear when that will actually happen at this point. If he is not ready for the start of the season, Matt Andriese, Felix Pena (knee) and Jaime Barria would be candidates to step into the Angels' six-man rotation.

Sandoval threw a bullpen session Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Sandoval is a little behind the rest of his teammates as he was late reporting to camp for undisclosed reasons, but it's good to know he is at least throwing and ramping up. Sandoval seems likely to open the year in a six-man rotation, although he may not be stretched out enough to have an unrestricted workload in his first start of the season.

Cole gave up zero runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine in 5.2 innings in Sunday's intrasquad game, James Smyth of YES Network reports.

He built up to 84 pitches and looked quite good while facing what amounted to the junior varsity Yankees lineup -- Mike Tauchman, Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier were the three best hitters in the opposing order. Cole is on track to have zero workload restrictions Opening Day.

Dunning is throwing without any restrictions and could make his MLB debut this season, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

It sounds like he is fully recovered from March 2019 Tommy John surgery, and with Michael Kopech opting out of the season, Dunning could be called upon as rotation depth. The 25-year-old righty has spent the last few months throwing bullpen sessions and has reportedly improved his changeup with some help from Yasmani Grandal. "I feel like my stuff is playing well, back to what it was (pre surgery). Maybe even better," Dunning said. He logged a 2.76 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 62 innings at Double-A in 2018 and has never pitched at Triple-A. However, as a member of the 40-man roster, Dunning could debut if injuries strike the big-league rotation.

Allard allowed an unearned run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Saturday's intrasquad game, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Allard showed vast improvement relative to his first outing, when he walked five and fanned two. With news that the Rangers may skip No. 5 starter Jordan Lyles the first time through the rotation, Allard stands as a potential replacement. He and Joe Palumbo are the first options when the Rangers need a depth starter.

Lyles is behind other starters and may have his first turn through the rotation skipped, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Lyles threw 80 pitches across five innings Saturday, so he's on par with other starters in terms of length, but he allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out one. He was roughed up in his previous outing as well, so the right-hander needs to hone his command. "We have a bunch of different options we're looking at," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "I'm sure he's dealing with some soreness and some things that he's got to push through, whereas some of our other guys have already done that." If Lyles' first start is skipped, the Rangers would likely turn to Joe Palumbo or Kolby Allard (or a combination of both) as a replacement.

Rodon (elbow) started Saturday's intrasquad game and threw 45 pitches, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald reports.

The action marked the first time Rodon has thrown off the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field since May 2019. "As far as stuff, the ball feels like it was coming out good," Rodon told Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "Today, it [velocity] was a little down, and the last BP it was coming out really well. Hopefully, this next go around next five days I get that recovery I need, and I step on the mound and it's back." Rodon mentioned a need to get up and down a few more times and try to hit the 90-pitch mark before the start of the season. The left-hander may not be part of the rotation to start the season, but he could pitch multiple innings as a reliever (or opener).

Gilbert started Saturday's intrasquad game and impressed with his pitch arsenal, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Johns reports Gilbert not only flashed his mid-90s fastball during the outing, but his effective array of offspeed pitches as well. The 2018 first-round pick gave up one run over his two innings, getting tagged for an RBI double by 2019 Double-A Arkansas teammate Donovan Walton. However, he did retire the likes of veterans Dee Gordon and Daniel Vogelbach -- the latter on a strikeout -- and enjoyed his first experience pitching at T-Mobile Park, irrespective of the empty stands. "It was kind of a weird situation, but just getting in innings here at T-Mobile at the Major League stadium before you debut, you can't put a price on that. It's really valuable," Gilbert said. "It's not packed with fans, but when I got on the mound, it felt like any other game."