MLB Player News

Glasnow allowed an earned run on a hit and a walk over 2.1 innings in an 11-2 Grapefruit League loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday. He struck out two.

Manager Kevin Cash termed Glasnow's performance the "highlight" of an otherwise ugly day for the Rays, and it represented a nice bounce-back for the towering right-hander after he managed to get just 18 of his 40 pitches into the strike zone versus the Phillies last Saturday. Glasnow continues to work on a new delivery this spring and is looking to iron out all the kinks prior to Opening Day in anticipation of serving as the Rays' No. 3 starter.

Heaney (elbow) is starting Friday's spring game against the White Sox, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Heaney's successful bullpen session earlier this week cleared his return to game action from left elbow inflammation. The elbow issue pushed back the 27-year-old's pitching schedule a few days, but barring any setbacks shouldn't impact his availability for Opening Day.

Verlander allowed five hits and two walks while striking out five over 3.1 innings Thursday against the Marlins.

This was by far the hardest Verlander has worked during his three spring appearances. There was traffic on the bases each inning, including his final inning when he left with the bases juiced. Clean or uneventful appearances are nice, but it's also important for pitchers face adversity. "Overall, it was a good day, I'm glad I went out for that last inning," Verlander told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "(Velocity) is where I would like to see it, got into a little bit of a jam so we got some adrenaline going so I was able to amp it up a little bit."

Rodon allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three over four scoreless innings Thursday against the Brewers.

Rodon survived the first inning, in which he allowed a walk, a double and a hard-hit fly out, then retired the final 10 batters he faced. The left-hander has battled health issues each of the last two seasons, but he enters 2019 in good shape and looks to deliver on the promise that made him the third-overall pick in 2014. He's the leading candidate to start Opening Day on March 28 against Kansas City.

Paxton allowed no runs on three hits and struck out five across 3.1 innings Thursday against Philadelphia. He picked up his second win of spring training.

Paxton continues to impress in the early going, as he now owns a 1.23 ERA with 10 punchouts over 7.1 innings (three starts). The Kentucky product appeared to have better command of his pitches in his last two starts after struggling with his curveball during his first start as a Yankee.

Oaks underwent hip surgery Thursday and hopes to resume baseball activities in four months, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The procedure ended up being more extensive than originally expected, and while that timeline would allow him to return during the season, hip injuries are often pretty tough to bounce back from quickly. Oaks was likely ticketed for the Triple-A rotation, and will head there once he completes a rehab assignment later this summer.

Clevinger struck out three over three scoreless frames Wednesday in the Indians' 6-1 victory over the Dodgers in his Cactus League debut. He gave up one hit (a double) and issued a walk in the outing.

Facing off against a Dodgers lineup that included a good amount of projected regulars, Clevinger aced his first test of the spring. The right-hander suffered a scare in the second inning when Cody Bellinger sent a liner back to the mound, but Clevinger was able to knock the ball down with his glove hand and was cleared to continue after being evaluated by trainers. Per Mandy Bell of MLB.com, Clevinger said that he expects to remain on a normal schedule after receiving some extra treatment ahead of his next start, when he'll likely increase his pitch count.

Farrell underwent surgery on his fractured jaw and is slated to open the season on the Rangers' injured list, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Farrell suffered the injury last weekend after being struck in the face by a line drive. He had been angling for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen after supplying a 5.17 ERA and 39:16 K:BB across 31.1 innings with the Cubs in 2018. The Rangers haven't issued a firm timeline for Farrell's return to action, but Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News suggests the southpaw will be headed to the 60-day IL, which would make him unavailable until late May. At the very least, Farrell will be withheld from baseball activities for the next 2-to-3 weeks while his jaw remains wired shut.

Morton fired 2.1 scoreless innings in the Rays' 9-6 Grapefruit League loss to the Orioles on Wednesday, recording two strikeouts while also hitting two batters.

The good news was that Morton kept his spring scoreless streak alive, and that he was able to work up to 39 pitches. However, he also had some hiccups with his control, plunking back-to-back batters in the first inning. Morton is coming off career bests in wins (13), ERA (3.13) and WHIP (1.16) with the Astros in 2018, and he lines up as the Rays' No. 2 starter behind Blake Snell for the coming season. According to Juan Toribio of MLB.com, Morton's next spring start will likely come against the Phillies on Monday.

German is expected to open the season in the Yankees' rotation with Luis Severino (shoulder) and CC Sabathia (knee) both likely to open the year on the injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

German and Jonathan Loaisiga were expected to compete for the final spot following Severino's injury, but with Sabathia set to miss time as well there's now room for both players. Their stays may end up being brief if Severino and Sabathia's recoveries go as hoped, but German could be called on several times throughout the year whenever rotation reinforcements are needed.