MLB Player News

Verlander will face a pitch count of 100 for Tuesday's Opening Day start against the Marlins, Katie Strang of ESPN.com reports.

It doesn't appear to be an incredibly strict limit though, but manager Brad Ausmus added it will be "probably about time" once he reaches 100. Verlander was limited to just 133.1 innings last season -- his lowest single-season total -- so the Tigers will likely want to make sure not to overwork him in the early goings of the year.

Gausman (shoulder) will pitch Saturday with Double-A Bowie, Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reports.

Gausman threw a side session Tuesday, and apparently it went off without a hitch as he'll now advance to live game action. The club will likely want him to make another rehab start in addition to Saturday's, but he remains on track to rejoin the big league team in mid-April.

Gray (illness) is scheduled to make his season debut Wednesday against the White Sox, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

The A's ace was scratched Monday due to a food poisoning that was severe enough to require a trip to the hospital to receive three bags of IV fluids. Gray was able to join the team at the stadium later on in the day Monday after being released from the hospital and managed to play some catch, which led the team to give him the nod for Wednesday's contest. Provided that Gray doesn't have a recurrence of food poisoning, he should be ready to take the mound Wednesday.

Rodriguez (knee) is set to throw a simulated game Sunday at the Boston's spring training facility, Scott Lauber of ESPN.com reports.

Despite starting the season on the disabled list due to a patella injury, Rodriguez is making progress in his recovery and has ramped up his activity considerably over the last few days. He threw a live batting practice session Monday and the Red Sox plan to have him back on the mound for a sim game Sunday. The next logical step will be for Rodriguez to begin a rehab assignment, but he may need another simulated game or two before he starts playing in games.

Hill (0-1) allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk over 2.2 innings in a fill-in Opening Day start for Sonny Gray (food poisoning) Monday against the White Sox. He struck out three in the loss.

Hill was fine until the third inning, but with one out a walk and a throwing error opened the door for the White Sox, who pounced with the help of an additional error by first baseman Mark Canha. Hill had his swing-and-miss stuff working, as he induced six on just 66 pitches. But he wasn't sharp, as he managed just six first pitch strikes to 14 hitters -- perhaps to be expected from a fill-in start from a swingman on Opening Day.

Bassitt will get the start Tuesday against the White Sox, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reports.

When Sonny Gray got scratched Monday due to food poisoning, there was some speculation that he would go Tuesday. Instead, the A's will stick with Bassitt.

Sale (1-0) earned the win Monday against the Athletics, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out eight.

Sale was vicious as usual, as he induced 18 swinging strikes in 104 pitches. Two of his eight strikeouts came with runners in scoring position, so he was able to find whiffs when he needed them. Despite Sale fanning more than a batter per inning, his eight strikeouts were under his 2015 average of 8.83 strikeouts per start. Expect Sale to continue to rack up the strikeouts, as he's never finished a season under 9.0 K/9.

Smyly (0-1) gave up five runs on six hits -- three of them homers -- and a walk over 6.2 innings against the Jays on Monday. He struck out five.

After getting off to a strong start, Smyly allowed homers in three consecutive innings. Fortunately, he won't have to face the Blue Jays every time out, but this certainly won't be the last time he sees them, and the rest of the AL East isn't short on offensive talent either. That said, Smyly's demonstrated excellent strikeout upside and should have better starts ahead. His next one will come against the Orioles on Saturday.

The A's trainer said there is an "outside chance" Gray (food poisoning) will start Tuesday's game, but the team will err on the side of caution, the Chicago Sun-Times' Daryl Van Schouwen reports.

Gray was apparently in the emergency room Monday morning for IV fluids, and was then obviously scratched from Monday's start. Rich Hill got the start Monday, and Chris Bassitt would get the start Tuesday if Gray needs to be pushed back again to Wednesday. Owners in daily leagues will need to make sure to follow the situation closely so as not to miss out on his first start of the year.

Hamels was masterful Monday afternoon, giving up two runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts to earn the win against Seattle. He allowed four hits and three walks.

The two runs that crossed against Hamels came via solo home runs by Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager. Arlington is a homer-friendly park, so Hamels will have to do a bit of a better job limiting baserunners than he did last year, but either way, the 32-year-old is set for another strong season.