MLB Player News

Glasnow is in the process of returning to the Tampa area from his Arizona home ahead of the Rays' upcoming summer camp, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Glasnow has been working out on his own in Arizona and apparently doing a very good job of it, considering pitching coach Kyle Snyder described the towering southpaw as "ready right now" for the regular season weeks ago. While there might have been at least a slight degree of embellishment in Snyder's comments given the restricted conditions players have been subjected to, Glasnow should have plenty of time to further condition himself for a late-July start to the 2020 campaign.

Snell was slated to be back in his St. Petersburg home Thursday after spending the last several weeks in the Seattle area, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The numerous Rays players that were scattered about the globe are naturally beginning to formulate their plans to return to the Tampa area following the finalization of the details of a truncated 2020 regular season. Snell has been busy working a throwing program in his Seattle home in recent weeks, and it appears he'll now have several days to immerse himself back into the team environment ahead of the ramp-up to the campaign. It remains to be seen how manager Kevin Cash will handle his starters' workloads the first couple turns through the rotation, with that expected to be sorted out during the team's upcoming summer camp.

Allard and Joe Palumbo will serve as a depth starters for the Rangers, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Allard had been assigned to Triple-A Nashville during spring training but was always expected to be on the short list of callups if an injury felled one of the Rangers' starters. Without a minor-league season in place, Allard is expected to be on the expanded roster or the taxi squad.

Kopech (elbow) is expected to be with the White Sox when the MLB season resumes, but his role is not yet defined, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

In a normal 162-game season, Kopech would have thrown innings in the minors and joined the White Sox by now. He was impressive during a one-inning stint in spring training, when six of his pitches hit 100 MPH. The White Sox already have five starters lined up for the rotation, but they will want to give Kopech the necessary work to continue his trajectory toward becoming an ace. That means the right-hander could be used as an opener or paired with other starters that are not ready to pitch deep into games.

Rodon (elbow) should be ready to pitch at some point near the start of the regular season or shortly thereafter, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox have five set starters ready to throw when MLB's season resumes around July 23 or 24, but they will get an added boost with both Rodon and Michael Kopech coming off Tommy John elbow surgery. Rodon had talked about being ready to pitch by June, so it's likely he'll be contributing at some point. With starters not expected to pitch deep into games initially, both Rodon and Kopech could be used as openers or in piggy-back situations.

Verlander (groin/lat) told manager Dusty Baker that he's healthy and pain free, though Baker noted "we don't know yet" about his endurance, Brandon Scott of 610 Sports Radio reports.

It's not confirmation that Verlander will be ready to go when Opening Day comes around a month from now, but it appears things are trending in that direction. The veteran right-hander underwent right groin surgery in mid-March and also dealt with a lat strain, but he may not end up missing any games due to the shortened season. Verlander has been throwing since April and has been working off a mound since at least mid-June, though the specifics of his workouts remain unclear. More information should be available once players officially report to team facilities next week.

Boyd said he's thrown one simulated game per week during the layoff to stay ready for game action, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Boyd added that he recently got up to five innings of work. The lefty can now set his sights toward Opening Day, which is slated for about a month from now following a second spring training in early July. Detroit and other MLB teams are likely to be cautious with their starters to begin the abbreviated season, so Boyd may not go past five innings on the mound anytime soon.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday that he's "very" hopeful that Canning (elbow) will be ready for Opening Day, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

There was no chance Canning would have been a go for the original Opening Day, but he may have had enough extra recovery time to secure a spot on the season-opening 30-man roster. As of last month, Canning had built up to 55 pitches in live BP sessions. His MRI in late February showed "chronic changes" to the UCL in Canning's pitching arm, so the concerns about his elbow will not be going away anytime soon even if Canning does gain clearance for the start of the 2020 campaign.

Mariners CEO John Stanton said Wednesday on 710 ESPN Seattle that Kirby will likely be on the 30-man taxi squad this year, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Mega prospects Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez are expected to join Kirby on the taxi squad, and we will likely see many of the game's top prospects on their respective taxi squads given that those players are not expected to accumulate major-league service time. A first-round pick last year, Kirby shined with short-season Everett, posting a perfect 25:0 K:BB in 23 innings. As a member of the taxi squad, he will be able to work out with the team and can be added to the big-league roster as needed.

Mariners CEO John Stanton said Wednesday on 710 ESPN Seattle that he expects Gilbert to be on the 30-man taxi squad this year, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Members of the taxi squad are not expected to accumulate major-league service time, so we will likely see Gilbert along with fellow Mariners top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez on the squad. This will be a way to make sure those players are staying fresh and not stagnating while also providing depth to the major-league team. Taxi squad members can work out with the team and will be eligible to be added to the major-league roster as needed. Gilbert reached Double-A last year at the age of 22 and thrived with a 2.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB in 50 innings at that level.