MLB Player News

Cobb will not make his debut until April 14 against the Red Sox, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Cobb, who signed with the Orioles on March 20, continues to build up his arm strength as he readies for his season debut. He recently completed a three-inning simulated game, but Baltimore wants him to pitch five or six innings in a minor-league game before joining the big club, so his first start for his new team will now come a week later than initially anticipated.

Bundy is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Astros, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The Orioles will be conscious with Bundy's workload to open the season after the 25-year-old saw a 60-inning spike from 2016 to 2017. He tossed seven scoreless innings on Opening Day and only needed 88 pitches to do so, but the Orioles will give him an extra day of rest before his second start in an attempt to keep him fresh early on. With Bundy's start being pushed back by a day, he's no longer scheduled to make two starts next week.

Manager Mike Scioscia said Heaney (elbow) will throw 70-75 pitches in a minor-league game Sunday, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Heaney remains on schedule as he continues to work his way back from elbow inflammation that sidelined him towards the end of camp. If everything goes off without a hitch Sunday, Heaney could make one more rehab appearance before potentially rejoining the Angels on April 11, when the team first needs a sixth starter in its rotation.

McKenzie was placed on the minor-league disabled list with a forearm injury.

The Indians stated that McKenzie's placement on the shelf was a precautionary move but failed to describe the severity or timetable for his injury. Expect an update on the top prospect's status prior to the start of the minor-league season.

Rodriguez (knee) tossed five innings in a minor-league game Thursday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "After what he told me today, he feels right," manager Alex Cora said Friday. "Today he was fine with his knee. He made a few plays yesterday. He went longer than usual."

All signs point to Rodriguez being activated off the disabled list relatively soon. He might need just one start at a minor-league affiliate before returning to Boston.

Keuchel wasn't as sharp as usual with his two-seam fastball in Friday's loss to the Rangers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "I felt good initially out of the gate but felt like I was forcing my arm-side fastball too much. It was one of those days where my glove-side extension side has more movement. I gave up more hits to lefties than I would have liked. It should have been a lot better than it was," Keuchel said.

Keuchel, who's normally death on left-handed batters, walked one and gave up three hits to lefties, including Nomar Mazara's solo home run. The bearded left-hander worked with men on base in five of six innings, but other than the homer, he curtailed the damage. He'll work on the precision of the two-seamer for his next start scheduled April 4 at home against Baltimore. He won his lone start against the Orioles in 2017.

Snell tossed 5.2 scoreless innings Friday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three but coming away with a no-decision in a 1-0 loss to the Red Sox.

The young lefty matched David Price goose egg for goose egg, but after throwing 84 pitches, Snell got lifted for Chaz Roe -- who promptly gave up the game's only run. After an impressive spring that saw him post a 27:5 K:BB in 17.1 innings, Snell wound up on plenty of sleeper lists heading into 2018, and at least through one start he's done nothing to dampen that enthusiasm. He'll get a rematch with Price and the Red Sox in Boston on Thursday.

Keuchel (0-1) picked up the loss Friday, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings and striking out four in Houston's 5-1 loss to the Rangers.

Keuchel logged a quality start despite the defeat and showcased the traits that have made him one of the most consistent starters in baseball the last few years aside from his outlier 2016 season. Keuchel was limited to 145.2 innings due to injury last year but he was stellar when he did pitch, logging a 2.90 ERA and 1.12 WHIP to go along with a 14-5 record. Assuming he stays healthy, the 29-year-old has the ability to anchor a fantasy staff and figures to be a mainstay along with Justin Verlander atop Houston's rotation in 2018.

Nicasio earned his first hold with a scoreless eighth inning in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Indians. He also recorded a strikeout.

Nicasio progressively ramped up his velocity this spring and was in fine form for the opener, disposing of the dangerous trio of Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez in order. The veteran right-hander is blessed with a mid-90s fastball that should make him a late-inning fixture as a setup option to closer Edwin Diaz.

Hamels, who stressed fastball command over his final two spring starts, struggled to locate that pitch during Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Astros, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. The left-hander walked four batters and gave up two home runs in the loss.

The trouble for Hamels started immediately when he fell behind leadoff batter George Springer, 2-0. His next pitch, a fastball, caught too much of the plate and Springer hammered it into the right-field stands. Falling behind became the rule, not the exception, for Hamels, who threw first-pitch balls to nine of the first 13 hitters and fell behind, 2-0, to six of them. "When you get behind in counts, you have to throw some pitches that they are able to hit, and that's what they were able to do," Hamels said. "I have to make the adjustment a lot quicker. It's something I've been searching for all spring, so that was the tough part today. When you have repeatable mechanics, things happen for you." The good news is that Hamels survived with curveballs and cutters, limiting the damage over 5.2 innings.