MLB Player News

Chirinos either wasn't participating or wasn't present at Tampa Bay's workouts Friday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The team didn't provide any specifics, but Chirinos wasn't working out with his teammates at Tropicana Field on Friday. It's unclear when the right-hander is expected to join the team.

Cole expects to be able to throw at least five innings at the start of the regular season after throwing 40-45 pitches Thursday, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Pitchers will likely be coming into the season at varying levels of readiness, depending on how well they were able to stay sharp at home over the last few months. It's a positive for Cole that he expects to be able to pitch long enough to earn a win even in his first start of the year, though it does sound like he'll be at least somewhat limited. In other positive Cole-related news, James Wagner of The New York Times reports that Cole's wife, Amy, gave birth to the couple's first child Tuesday, which means he won't need to be away from the team for paternity leave during the season.

Rodriguez has yet to report to camp as he's currently awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Rodriguez had been in contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus and is isolating until he knows whether or not he's been infected. The Red Sox should know shortly whether or not he'll be able to join the team soon.

Bieber said Friday he'll be Cleveland's Opening Day starter on July 24, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The 25-year-old was named the team's Opening Day starter in early March, and he'll retain the honor despite the nearly four-month delay, though the opponent is yet to be announced. Bieber is coming off a strong sophomore campaign in 2019 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 259:40 K:BB across 214.1 innings.

Carrasco has already built up to a six-inning workload, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Pitchers' expected workloads will be something to monitor over the course of the month, as having a pitch count in even just the first two starts of the season could represent a full sixth of a given pitcher's starts this year. It sounds as though Carrasco was lucky enough to be able to build up on his own before joining his teammates for their first workouts together since March, so he'll likely be unrestricted to start the season.

GM Rick Hahn said Kopech (elbow) is healthy but is away from the team to address a personal matter, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery in September 2018, but it appears he's now fully healthy. It's unclear when Kopech is expected to join his teammates at summer training or what role he'll have during the shortened season.

Morton expects to be able to throw four innings once regular-season play begins, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Just how long starting pitchers are able to go in their first few starts this season will have a significant impact on their respective fantasy values, as a limited pitch count in just two or three starts would represent a significant portion of the their total number of starts given the 60-game schedule. Individual pitchers' readiness may vary widely based on their particular circumstances during the past few months. Morton's own assessment indicates that he's unlikely to be eligible for a win in his first start of the year, but he'll likely be ready to clear the five-inning threshold in his second start.

Luzardo, who was likely to have his workload closely monitored during a full 2020 season, should be free of any restrictions during the upcoming truncated campaign, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The left-handed phenom is set to enter his first full major-league season, and as such, he would have almost certainly been restricted in some form with respect to his cumulative workload over a 162-game season. With the campaign now slated to be just over a third of its normal length, Luzardo and his fantasy managers are likely able to breathe easy with respect to a workload cap, with the potential exception of the 22-year-old's first turn or two. The Athletics' coaching staff will have a better grasp on the current conditioning of Luzardo's arm when the team begins its summer camp Saturday.

Glasnow shouldn't be limited in terms of his workload during the truncated 2020 season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Glasnow has reportedly been one of the Rays' most diligent players during the shutdown of spring training, throwing regularly in the Arizona area. The big righty had declared himself "ready right now" for the regular season back in early June, and he reiterated last week that he could "pitch five or six innings right now." While there certainly seems to be a bit of embellishment at play in that proclamation, Glasnow could well be one of the better-conditioned pitchers that's evaluated first-hand by the Rays' coaching staff when summer camp opens Friday. If so, perhaps Glasnow will be unleashed right away once the regular season begins.

Snell is considered a 'full-go" for the Rays' summer camp at Tropicana Field that begins Friday, and he shouldn't have any workload restrictions during the regular season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The left-hander was due to be monitored carefully this coming season because of last summer's elbow problems. However, the 60-game season will yield a much lighter workload than originally expected, meaning Snell should essentially be deployed without restrictions with respect to the cumulative amount of innings he logs. Snell has been working out on his own in his Seattle-area home during the shutdown of spring training, and his current conditioning will be evaluated by pitching coach Kyle Snyder on Friday.