MLB Player News

Musgrove is likely to begin 2016 in the rotation at Triple-A Fresno, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2015, Musgrove went a combined 12-1 with a 1.88 ERA between Low-A Quad Cities, High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. The 23-year-old right-hander simply dominated his competition with a 99:8 K:BB ratio over 100.2 innings last season. If his success carries over at Triple-A this season, he could be a mid-to-late season call up for the Astros.

Aiken (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Aiken underwent the knife last March prior to getting drafted by the Indians in June and appears to be on track in his recovery and rehab in the early days of spring.

Mariners manager Soctt Servais admitted that it will be hard to count on Paxton for 30 starts, The News Tribune reports.

Paxton has shown flashes of his potential when healthy, but injuries limited him to 13 starts apiece in 2014 and 2015. He enters spring training at full health and should have the upper hand on Nate Karns in a competition for the final rotation spot. If Paxton loses the battle, he'll likely still have a spot in the bullpen on the Opening Day roster.

Bundy (shoulder) is now throwing off a regular mound in spring training, MASN Sports reports.

Bundy started on flat ground in January, worked his way to a half-mound and is now on a full mound. He says he is throwing without any restrictions. The Orioles will deploy Bundy in the bullpen this season as long as he can stay healthy.

Darvish (elbow) graduated to throwing off a half-mound Monday, and said he felt fine afterwards.

There's no indication that Darvish's timetable has changed due to his progression, but he's certainly providing some encouragement. The Rangers' ace is currently scheduled to return around mid-May, and while fantasy owners won't get a full return on him in 2016, it still may be worth a look if he can post numbers remotely similar to 2014, when he struck out 182 batters over just 144.1 innings.

Heaney is believed to be the Angels' No. 4 starter to begin the season, the Orange County Register reports.

The Angels have good starting pitching depth, leaving Hector Santiago, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, and Nick Tropeano to battle for the final spot. Injuries could open up additional spots, but Heaney has seemingly pitched well enough to secure his place behind Garrett Richards, Jered Weaver, and C.J. Wilson as the arms inked into starting slots in April. In 135 career big league innings, Heaney has posted a modest 6.5 K/9, but he's shown control in line with his minor league numbers (2.3 BB/9). He handles left-handed hitters with relative ease, but Heaney needs to find a way to generate more whiffs against right-handers going forward (15.4% K% in 2015).

Cobb (elbow) was able to play catch from 120 feet Sunday, Steve Carney of 620 AM WDAE reports.

Cobb, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery last May, said he plans to extend his catch distance to 135 feet before taking a two-week break in his rehab process. It's not expected that he'll be on the mound at all during spring training, and may not be able to make his season debut until closer to the All-Star break.

Roth signed a minor league deal with the Rangers, though it doesn't contain an invitation to major league camp, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Roth will look to earn his keep with the Rangers, but will do so on a low-risk, team-friendly deal. He tossed a total of 124.1 innings with Cleveland's Triple-A squad in 2015, but a 5.15 FIP left much to be desired.

Alvarez (shoulder) threw at a distance of 135 feet Friday and expects to resume mound work in March, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "If you watch him play catch, it looks like there's nothing wrong with him," manager Bob Melvin said. "That was a great pickup, he's a guy who's pitched one or two on staffs before. We want to make sure he's healthy but we're really excited about having him."

The team is said to be tentatively looking to June for Alvarez's return, but the right-hander believes he could start pitching in minor league games in April, meaning a May return to the majors is not out of the question. After a 2015 season lost almost entirely to a shoulder injury, and following surgery on the shoulder in late July, the Marlins declined to tender Alvarez a contract for the 2016 season.

Keuchel will be the Astros' Opening Day starter, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

This comes as absolutely no surprise, but at least confirms what was prevailing wisdom. Keuchel won the AL Cy Young last year, leading the league in wins, innings pitched, ERA+, and WHIP.