MLB Player News

Cease (hamstring) made a mechanical adjustment during the offseason designed to make his fastball more effective, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Cease, who finished with a 5.79 ERA in 14 starts in the majors, said he was getting too rotational on his front side, which in his opinion led to cutting issues with his fastball. Opponents teed off on the right-hander's heater, slugging .611 against it in 2019, per BrooksBaseball. Cease averaged a little more than five innings and 97 pitches per start, with innings one (9.00 ERA) and two (9.64) particularly troublesome. He's hoping the adjustment leads to fewer pitches per inning and deeper outings.

Clevinger underwent surgery Friday to repair a partial tear in his left meniscus and will be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

With Opening Day a little less than six weeks away, Clevinger's status for the start of the season is in doubt. Whether he's forced to miss any time will depend on how his recovery goes; if the right-hander is out the full eight weeks, he wouldn't make his season debut until the second weekend of April. The 29-year-old Clevinger is coming off a 2019 campaign during which he posted a 2.71 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 169:37 K:BB across 21 starts (126 innings).

McGuire signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on Friday that includes an invite to big-league camp, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

McGuire spent the 2019 season in the Korean Baseball Organization with the Samsung Lions, but he struggled in 21 starts with a 5.05 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 100:66 K:BB over 112.1 innings. The 30-year-old is a longshot to make Tampa Bay's Opening Day roster, but he could still provide organizational depth as a starter or long reliever.

Greinke is healthy but won't report to camp until Feb. 22, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Greinke's new manager Dusty Baker's reason for the late report date was simply, "Because he's Zack Greinke." The rest of the Astros' pitching staff has been in camp for a few days, but the veteran knows what it takes for him to get ready at this point in his career. There's no indication that his availability or Opening Day is at all at risk.

Clevinger will undergo surgery Friday to address a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old apparently sustained the injury while training this week, putting his availability for Opening Day into question. Clevinger should receive an official recovery timeline once the surgery is completed, but any multi-week absence will significantly impact his preparation for the regular season with Opening Day less than six weeks away.

Rodriguez will make $8.3 million in 2020 after losing his arbitration case, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Rodriguez reportedly asked for $8.975 million. The 26-year-old southpaw is coming off one of his best seasons to date, as he made 34 starts and finished with a 3.81 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 213:75 K:BB in 203.1 innings.

Milone signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports. The deal includes an invitation to spring training.

Milone spent the 2019 season with Seattle, making 21 appearances for the big club -- most in bulk relief behind an opener -- and posting a 4.76 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 92:23 K:BB in 111.2 frames. The veteran southpaw should compete for a spot in the back of Baltimore's rotation this spring.

Manager Ron Gardenhire said Chiang is dealing with pain in his side or back and has not been throwing as a result, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The severity of the issue is not yet known, leaving the right-hander without a timeline to resume throwing. Chiang signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers in December after posting a 5.15 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 128:57 K:BB across 131 innings with Triple-A Columbus in 2019.

Paxton (back) said Thursday that he expects to resume throwing in 3-to-5 weeks and is hopeful to return from the injured list by May, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

While detailing the procedure he required last week to remove a peridiscal cyst from his back, Paxton revealed that he first experienced pain in his left leg in November before receiving an injection to relieve the discomfort, per James Wagner of The New York Times. After the injection failed to completely eradicate his pain, Paxton underwent more specialized testing in January, when it was determined that he had a cyst that would need to be removed. Following Paxton's surgery last week, doctors told him that he should be ready to resume throwing by the end of spring training, though he'll almost certainly open the season on the IL since he won't have sufficient time to build up to a starter's workload. In a best-case scenario, Paxton would only miss a handful of starts before slotting back into the New York rotation at some point in the second half of April, though fantasy managers should probably plan on his absence extending into May, if not June.

Kopech (elbow) threw a side session Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Kopech is returning from Tommy John surgery and, as such, the White Sox will closely monitor his innings in 2020. The right-hander is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Charlotte.