MLB Player News

Kikuchi will throw 4-5 innings an intrasquad game Wednesday after his scheduled final Cactus League start was rained out Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw is slated to work up to between 75 and 85 pitches in his final tune-up prior to taking the hill for the Mariners' second game of the season in his native Japan. Kikuchi has gotten nine innings of work in across three starts thus far this spring, generating a 2-1 record and 4.00 ERA.

Morton was impressive during a simulated game at the Rays' spring complex in Port Charlotte on Tuesday, Ralph Long of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander worked up to 58 pitches during the outing, which was closely overseen by pitching coach Kyle Snyder. Morton is yet to be scored on this spring in game action, although he's only fired 3.2 innings across a pair of appearances. The expected No. 2 starter behind staff ace Blake Snell, Morton recently stated he expects the two-year, $30 million deal he signed with the Rays this offseason to be the last of his professional career, David Adler of MLB.com reports.

Rodon's scheduled start Tuesday was rained out, but he put in his work by throwing to hitters in the batting cages, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Rodon got up and down six times and threw nearly 85 pitches. The left-hander is on schedule to pitch Opening Day, March 28, against the Royals.

Verlander allowed four runs on six hits, including three home runs, while striking out six over five innings Tuesday.

Verlander reported being "out of sync," according to Alyson Footer of MLB.com. Part of that was attributed to the ineffectiveness of his slider. Much of his focus this spring has been on his changeup, which may have caused Verlander to divert attention from his slider. "Just wasn't there, really," the right-hander said. "It's something I need to focus on before the end of spring training, starting now." Houston's ace reached 73 pitches and, with two more spring starts, is on schedule to start Opening Day, March 28, against the Rays.

Whitley was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Whitley has allowed just two runs in eight innings of work this spring, recording an 11:2 K:BB, though he was never considered likely to break camp with the team. He has just 10 starts at the Double-A level under his belt, but his talent level is high enough that he's expected to debut at some point this season.

Keller will start for the Royals on Opening Day against the White Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

It's quite the rapid rise for Keller, who was a Rule 5 pick prior to last season. His status as the Royals' top starter shouldn't confuse fantasy owners into thinking he's an ace, though. His 3.08 ERA last season outpaced the ERA estimators by a considerable margin, and he struck out just 16.5 percent of opposing hitters.

Manager Alex Cora said that Sale would make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday versus the Braves, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The Red Sox have deliberately eased Sale into their pitching schedule this spring after the lefty battled shoulder soreness late last season that caused a notable dip in his velocity. Sale's first test of the spring came Monday in a minor-league game, with the lefty's velocity topping out at 93 miles per hour during the three-inning, 45-pitch appearance, according to Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe. That's well down from the 96-to-98 mph Sale's fastball averaged from May though August last season, though the southpaw noted that he purposely held himself back a bit during the throwing session, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Perhaps more importantly, Sale reported no physical issues Monday, leaving reason for optimism that he'll regain a few ticks on his four-seamer and return to ace-like form by Opening Day.

McKenzie will be shut down for six weeks with an upper back strain, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

McKenzie will miss the start of the minor-league season for the second straight year. In 2018, he didn't debut until June 7 due to forearm tightness. After his six-week shutdown, he'll still need a few more weeks to build his arm back up, so he's likely looking at a return to game action in mid-May at the earliest.

Dunn was reassigned to minor-league camp Monday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Dunn was invited to big-league camp, although he was never expected to make the Opening Day roster, considering he hasn't played above the Double-A level. He posted a 4.22 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 105 strikeouts over 89.2 frames last season with Double-A Arkansas. Dunn should spend most of 2019 at Triple-A, but could get a taste of the majors in the second half if he improves his command/control.

Valdez allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one over three innings Monday against the Mets.

The Mets teed off on Valdez in the second inning when they scored three times and had several hard-hit balls. The outing raised his spring ERA to 5.79, and the left-hander has fallen further behind right-hander Brad Peacock in the race for the final spot in the rotation. Peacock pitched three scoreless innings of relief and has not allowed a run in eight innings.