MLB Player News

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that DeGrom won't pitch Thursday as initially planned while the right-hander recovers from a stomach virus, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom had been penciled in to start Thursday's Cactus League game against the Giants or in a minor-league contest on the back fields of camp, but he won't be available in any capacity after he apparently fell ill overnight. Assuming he's able to quickly bounce back from the ailment over the next couple of days, deGrom should still be on track to open the season in the Texas rotation, but he can't afford to miss many more throwing sessions at this stage of camp. The Rangers had already been easing deGrom in during spring training, and he built up to 31 pitches in his first Cactus League start Saturday. DeGrom will likely need to push his pitch count into the 60-to-70 range by the end of the spring to head into his first start of the regular season without any major workload restrictions.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Giolito (hamstring) will open the season on the 15-day injured list, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Giolito suffered a low-grade left hamstring strain during Tuesday's Grapefruit League start versus the Phillies. He is able to continue throwing and doesn't appear headed for a long-term absence, but with Opening Day two weeks away and just one spring inning under his belt, Giolito won't have time to be ready. The Red Sox will also be without Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Kutter Crawford (knee) to start the season, so their rotation depth will be tested. Quinn Priester and Richard Fitts both appear likely to open the season in Boston's rotation.

Scherzer resumed playing catch Thursday after an MRI on his right thumb didn't show anything alarming, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Scherzer developed right thumb soreness following his last Grapefruit League outing and was scratched from a scheduled start Thursday. However, he'll throw a bullpen session Friday or Saturday and should be able to make another spring start not long after that. Scherzer has been superb in nine frames this spring, yielding just two runs with a 14:0 K:BB.

The Astros reassigned Walter to minor-league camp Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Walter previously saw big-league action out of the Boston bullpen in 2023, but he was released this past August after a left shoulder strain kept him from pitching throughout the 2024 season. He joined Houston on a minor-league deal shortly after his release from Boston and was cleared for spring training, but he fell short in his bid for a long-relief role with the big club after giving up four earned runs on nine hits and three walks over seven innings across his four Grapefruit League outings. Walter will likely open the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, and he could be a candidate to work out of the rotation.

Giolito was diagnosed Tuesday with a low-grade left hamstring strain, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Giolito suffered the injury on the first pitch he threw in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday and was removed after completing one inning. He will be able to continue throwing, but it's uncertain if he'll be ready to make his next scheduled spring start. It's also too soon to know whether Giolito's Opening Day availability is in question, but he doesn't have much time.

Houck allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League start against Minnesota.

This was just Houck's second Grapefruit League outing and first in 11 days. He threw 62 pitches but just 30 for strikes. From a pitch-count standpoint, he's on scheduled to be ready for the first turn of the rotation in the regular season.

Bido gave up two runs over five innings with four strikeouts and no walks in Wednesday's spring loss to Arizona. Despite a 9.24 ERA this spring, he still looks set to win the A's fourth starter job, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Bido made a strong impression with a 3.41 ERA and 24.3 percent strikeout rate last season, and A's management entered spring training pretty convinced he'd be part of the rotation. His improvement in Wednesday's start should help alleviate any concerns following the early spring struggles.

Lynch has put himself in contention for the fifth starter role with a strong spring, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. He has a 1.80 ERA with nine strikeouts and no walks in 10 Cactus League innings.

Kris Bubic was seen as the leading candidate for the fifth starter role but has struggled a bit this spring with a 5.59 ERA, although that comes with an 8:2 K:BB across 9.2 innings. It's more likely Lynch begins the season in the bullpen, but he could join the rotation if there's an opening -- and Alec Marsh is currently dealing with a shoulder injury.

Matthews (hip) threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk in Wednesday's spring loss to Boston. It was his first outing since he suffered a strained hip during a Mar. 6 outing. "He probably had the sharpest outing that we've seen all spring," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Matthews exited his spring start last week due to what appeared to be an ankle injury but turned out to be a hip strain, but it sounds as though he'll be ready for the start of the regular season. He's battling for the fifth starter job but is likely to begin the season at Triple-A St. Paul as Simeon Woods Richardson and Chris Paddack (head) still appear on track to win the No. 4 and No. 5 starter roles.

Means (elbow) extended his throwing distance to 75-to-90 feet Wednesday.

Means is still in the early stages of what will be a lengthy throwing program after undergoing his second career Tommy John surgery in June. He likely won't be close to pitching in games until the final month of the season, though there's a possibility the team holds off on deploying him until 2026.