MLB Player News

White Sox manager Will Venable said Wednesday that Martin will open the season in the rotation, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Martin Perez and Jonathan Cannon will join Martin in the rotation, while the final two spots are still up for grabs. Martin made 10 starts and one relief appearance with the big club last season, posting a 4.32 ERA and 47:23 K:BB across 50 innings. He will be nearly two full years removed from Tommy John surgery on Opening Day and flashed more swing-and-miss ability in the minors prior to the operation, but Martin's team context limits his fantasy appeal to deep leagues.

Skubal has been named the Tigers' starting pitcher for their Opening Day game March 27 against the Dodgers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

As the reigning unanimous American League Cy Young Award winner, Skubal was as obvious of a choice as it gets to take the ball Opening Day. He'll face a tall task in going up against the World Series champions, but fantasy managers aren't going to be sitting Skubal in any matchups.

Warren struck out four in three perfect innings Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Warren threw 13 sweepers, 12 sinkers, seven four-seamers and three changeups, with his sweeper doing the heavy lifting on a dominant second start of the spring. With Clarke Schmidt (back) expected to progress to live batting practice this weekend, it's too soon to say if the Yankees will have to dip into their starting pitching depth right away this season. However, Warren has clearly established himself as a high-upside, ascending pitcher early this spring, and he's at worst seventh on the Yankees' starting pitching depth chart.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Buchanan (ankle) "should be on the mound next week," Shawn McDonald of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Buchanan has been shelved since spraining his left ankle during a fielding drill early on in camp. He could conceivably ramp up in time for Opening Day, but the 35-year-old is a long shot to make the Rangers' roster.

Scherzer topped out at 94.2 mph during his first Grapefruit League action Tuesday against the Cardinals, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The 40-year-old right-hander looked good overall during his two innings of work, giving up one run on one hit and striking out four without walking a batter. Scherzer's velocity was especially encouraging, as he saw his fastball average sink to 92.5 mph last season over just nine starts with Texas. If the future Hall of Famer can stay mostly healthy and regain a bit of zip -- he averaged 93.8 mph in 2023 over 152.2 innings split between the Rangers and Mets -- Scherzer could put together one more solid campaign in his first stint with the Blue Jays.

Schmidt (back) threw a "two-up" bullpen session Tuesday and expects to throw a live batting practice session by this weekend, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

As long as Schmidt gets through his live batting practice session without any problems, he should be cleared for game action in short order, perhaps as soon as next week. The right-hander is working his way back from a minor back issue, but at this point there is no real concern about his Opening Day availability.

Ynoa (shoulder/elbow) is listed as an available reliever for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After being non-tendered by Atlanta over the winter, Ynoa caught on with the Twins on a minor-league deal. Ynoa missed considerable time in 2024 while tending to elbow inflammation and a shoulder injury, but he finished the past season healthy, as he was able to make six rehab appearances at Triple-A Gwinnett in September, including two of at least two innings. Ynoa has worked as a starter for most of his professional career, but with injuries having limited his availability in recent years, the Twins may be preparing him for a multi-inning relief role at Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season.

Bello (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Bello has been slowed in camp by right shoulder soreness but has been throwing on flat ground without issue and will take the next step in his throwing progression Friday. The Red Sox remain optimistic that the right-hander has enough time to be ready for Opening Day, but Bello will have to continue showing progress without having any setbacks.

Giolito (elbow) threw a 15-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of Mass Live reports. "Being able to get through that step, for me, it feels like the end of the rehab arc," Giolito said.

Giolito missed the entirety of 2024 with an elbow issue that required an internal brace procedure. He's behind other starters at this point, but the right-hander feels he'll be ready by Opening Day. The next step is a two-inning live BP in about five days, but then it's Grapefruit League play. The 30-year-old Giolito is looking to re-establish himself after posting a 4.88 ERA and giving up a league-high 41 home runs over 33 starts for three teams in 2023. The version of the pitcher we saw from 2019 through 2021 that logged a 3.47 ERA and received Cy Young Award votes in all three seasons may be too much to expect, but he could fill out the back end of Boston's rotation.

Houck is taking measures to avoid the shoulder fatigue that led to a velocity dip in the second half of 2024, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Even with the second-half dip, Houck took a step forward overall in 2024. His 30 starts and 178 innings were career highs and a building block for 2025. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that the velocity dip led to a lack of separation on pitches, but the shoulder issue can be rectified by mechanical tweaks. The manager added that Houck is working with coaches on a few pitches, including a four-seamer that can create space for Houck's other offerings. The right-hander threw just one four-seamer in 2024.