MLB Player News

Rodon was named Chicago's Opening Day starter Monday.

Rodon earns the honor despite a mediocre 4.18 ERA last season, a number which hid a poor 4.95 FIP and an even worse 5.40 xFIP. Optimism for the 26-year-old lefty rests in part on a nine-start stretch last summer in which recorded a 1.84 ERA, though he benefited from an unsustainable .175 BABIP over that run. Even if he doesn't reach another level this season, he still could be the best starter on a team which lacks anything close to a true frontline arm.

Paxton limited the Phillies to one run on two walks and no hits while striking out four over 4.1 innings during his start in Sunday's 7-3 Grapefruit League win.

Per George A. King III and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, manager Aaron Boone came away pleased with Paxton's outing, praising the southpaw for his command. Paxton lowered his spring ERA to 1.54 with the scoreless showing and looks in line to make his regular-season Yankees debut at some point during the club's first series March 28-31 versus the Orioles.

Springs allowed four hits and one walk while striking out three over 2.2 scoreless innings Sunday against Arizona.

Springs was summoned into action when starter Yohander Mendez left with an elbow injury. Springs is no stranger to extended outings. The former starter went four outs or longer in 13 of his 18 appearances last season for Texas, including a couple of games as an opener. The Rangers are not planning on deploying openers in 2019, so Springs will have a more traditional role as a multi-out reliever that could step in for an injured starter.

Valdez allowed two hits and struck out four over four scoreless innings Sunday against the Braves.

Valdez lowered his spring ERA to 4.05 with the outing, which was his last chance to impress manager AJ Hinch, who will decide the identity of his fifth starter early this week. Valdez and Brad Peacock have been competing, and it is presumed Peacock will get the nod.

Verlander tossed 6.2 innings against Astros minor leaguers Sunday, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out 10.

That's about what you'd expect out of Verlander at this stage of camp, particularly against less experienced hitters. "It's hard to get a little bit of the adrenaline going, but it's also a good opportunity to work on things I've been working on," Verlander said. "Today was a productive day for me." Houston's ace is expected to scale back his pitch count for his final spring start, which is standard practice for veteran pitchers. He's set to make his 11th Opening Day start March 28, on the road against the Rays.

Rodon allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings Sunday against Arizona.

Rodon was tagged for a pair of solo home runs and didn't have his best stuff, but he extended to 90 pitches, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The left-hander threw more in the bullpen following his departure to get his pitch count up to 100. He'll make one more start before the start of the regular season. Manager Rick Renteria plans to announce his Opening Day starter Monday, and Rodon is the leading candidate.

Chirinos, who's slated for a "bulk" pitching role this season, worked four innings in the batting cage Saturday after his scheduled Grapefruit League outing against the Twins was rained out, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Chirinos has actually had a bit of a rocky spring, generating a 7.71 ERA across seven frames over four appearances. However, the right-hander built up plenty of trust during his 2018 rookie campaign, posting a solid 3.51 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while appearing in 18 games, seven of them as a "bullpen day" arm. Chirinos' ability to work multiple innings has him pegged as one of the primary candidates for bulk-reliever duty on bullpen days this coming season, a role wherein he'd often be asked to work 3-to-4 innings after the designated opener has exited the game.

Heaney (elbow) will open the season on the injured list, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Heaney was shut down from throwing last week due to irritation in his left elbow, and while he's scheduled to resume throwing Sunday, there simply isn't enough time for the southpaw to get back up to speed before the start of the season. With Heaney slated to open the year on the shelf, Jaime Barria and Felix Pena will both likely break camp in the Angels' rotation.

Manager Alex Cora confirmed Sale will start against the Mariners on Opening Day, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Sale will make his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Red Sox. Since joining Boston, the southpaw has compiled a 2.56 ERA and 545 strikeouts across 59 starts (372.1 innngs). It's worth noting that the Red Sox apparently want to keep Sale under 100 pitches in his initial starts, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Lynn is expected to start the third game of the season March 31 against the Cubs, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The rotation was expected to begin with Mike Minor, then Lynn; however, manager Chris Woodward is moving Edinson Volquez up between Minor and Lynn. The manager wants to avoid using three consecutive starters coming off Tommy John elbow surgery, which could put undue stress on the bullpen.