MLB Player News

Kikuchi will make a normal start Saturday against the Angels, but will have his first "short" start in one of the two starts after that, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners announced before the start of the year that they were going to limit Kikuchi to one inning pitched in several starts this year to help ease the transition to the more rigorous MLB schedule. The first one of those starts should occur sometime in the next two weeks, either against the Rangers on April 26 or against the Cubs on May 1.

Snell (toe) played catch from 90 feet Wednesday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Snell landed on the injured list earlier in the week with a fractured right toe. The southpaw is only expected to miss one start, a notion supported by the fact that he's already resumed throwing. Snell is eligible to return April 24.

Bergman agreed to a minor-league contract Wednesday with the Mariners and will report to Triple-A Tacoma, Tacoma radio broadcaster Mike Curto reports.

Bergman failed to win an Opening Day roster spot with the Cubs coming out of spring training and was granted his release in March. After taking some time to assess his options, Bergman will return to the organization where he spent the past two seasons. The right-hander logged three appearances with the big club in 2018 but saw the overwhelming share of his action at Tacoma, where he compiled a 5.08 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 141.2 innings.

Giolito was removed from Wednesday's game against the Royals due to left hamstring tightness.

Giolito suffered the injury during the third inning Wednesday and was ultimately removed after talking with a trainer and firing a few test pitches. The right-hander will likely be further evaluated in the coming days, but the fact that the White Sox are listing him as day-to-day suggests he may not be forced to miss his next turn through the rotation. Giolito was locked in prior to exiting, racking up five strikeouts through 2.2 hitless innings.

Severino's Grade 2 lat strain isn't a setback but has been around since the day he strained his shoulder, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Severino says that both injuries occurred at the same time, but only the shoulder issue was picked up in his first MRI. The lack of a setback is at least mildly encouraging but doesn't change his overall timeline. He's still at least five weeks from taking part in baseball activities and will then have to build his arm strength back up before returning to game action.

Giolito exited Wednesday's game against the Royals with an undisclosed injury, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Giolito appeared to tweak his foot during the third inning of Wednesday's game, and he subsequently exited with the team's trainer after throwing a few test pitches and not feeling quite right. Specifics regarding the issue are not yet known. Prior to exiting, Giolito hadn't allowed a hit through 2.2 innings while striking out five. Ryan Burr took over for Giolito.

Bieber (2-0) allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks across six-plus innings in a victory against the Mariners on Tuesday.

The Mariners reached base in every inning against Bieber except the first. In two of the frames, Seattle had baserunners because of errors, but Bieber worked around nearly all the traffic, allowing just one run, and the Indians' bullpen stranded the runner he left aboard in the seventh. He has been stellar this season, as Bieber has yet to allow more than two runs in any of his four appearances. He is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 21 innings. His next scheduled start is at home against the Marlins on Tuesday.

Heaney (elbow) advanced to playing catch from 110 feet Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Heaney received a cortisone injection at the start of April and resumed throwing a week ago, so he's still building up his arm strength a bit. The 27-year-old is expected to begin working off a mound within 10-to-12 days, which would be a significant step towards his return from left elbow inflammation.

Ramirez (elbow) is scheduled to face live hitters in early May, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ramirez has been ramping up his throwing program throughout the spring as he continues his recovery from last April's Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old will stretch out by throwing at least 60 pitches so that the Angels can decide whether to utilize him as a starter or reliever when he's ready to return.

Glasnow (4-0) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up two runs on seven hits over seven innings while striking out three in a 4-2 victory over the Orioles.

The 25-year-old was sharp if not dominant, throwing 61 of 87 pitches for strikes en route to his third straight quality start. Glasnow will take a 1.13 ERA and 24:3 K:BB through 24 innings into his next outing Sunday, at home against the Red Sox.