MLB Player News

Thorpe (elbow) will make an appearance in a minor-league game Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said Monday that Thorpe is "responding well" as the team continues the pitcher's slow ramp-up following surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow last September. He will begin the season on the injured list, and it's not yet clear how long he might be sidelined.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay informed Murdock on Monday that he's made the Opening Day roster, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

A Rule 5 selection from the Royals over the winter, Murdock earned a spot on the 26-man roster by allowing just three runs with a 7:5 K:BB over 7.2 Cactus League innings. The tall right-hander should operate in low-leverage relief situations for the Athletics initially.

Strider (elbow) struck out six batters over 2.2 perfect innings during his Grapefruit League debut Monday versus the Red Sox.

Cleared to pitch for the first time since April 5, 2024 after completing his recovery from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow, Strider looked as dominant as ever Monday. He found the strike zone on 23 of his 27 pitches and struck out six of the eight batters he faced, with the other two outs coming on a weak popout into foul territory and a first-pitch groundout. His velocity also appeared right in line with pre-surgery levels, with Strider topping out at 98 miles per hour on a first-inning strikeout of outfield prospect Roman Anthony. Since Strider will still need to get stretched out over the course of multiple starts, he remains on track to open the season on the 15-day injured list, but his dominant performance Monday makes a mid-to-late April debut increasingly realistic and is likely to send his ADP soaring.

Henderson is a "leading contender" to make starts for the Brewers in April following the injury to Tobias Myers (oblique), Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Henderson was cut from major-league camp last week, but he will be back to make a start Monday against the Padres and it appears he might be ahead of Tyler Alexander in the rotation pecking order. The 23-year-old Henderson has spun 5.2 scoreless frames with an 8:1 K:BB during Cactus League play. Myers could be back before the end of April and Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) might be ready around then, too, so Henderson's stay in the rotation -- if he is indeed part of it -- could be brief.

The Athletics announced Monday that Severino will start their March 27 season opener versus the Mariners in Seattle, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Severino became the obvious choice to take the hill for the Athletics on Opening Day the moment he signed a three-year, $67 million contract in December, the largest guaranteed deal in franchise history. After injuries limited him to fewer than 20 starts in each of his final five seasons with the Yankees from 2019 through 2023, Severino proved to be durable in his lone campaign with the Mets in 2024, turning in a 3.91 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 31 starts. The Athletics are banking on the 31-year-old Severino avoiding the pitfalls on the health front that plagued him throughout his twenties and emerging as a capable innings eater at the front of the rotation in 2025.

Scherzer said after starting in a minor-league game Monday that his right thumb still "hurts," Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. "It hurts to grip the ball," Scherzer said, adding that the thumb has been giving him problems once he gets to around 50 pitches in spring outings.

The pitcher also noted that the thumb is "absolutely critical to your arm health" and implied that he's had problems with it "since 2023." What this all means for Scherzer's outlook is not yet clear. He is working with a hand specialist, doctors and trainers and expects to know more about his status within the next couple days. If Scherzer needs time on the injured list to begin the season, Yariel Rodriguez could step into the Blue Jays' rotation.

Senga is expected to make his first start of the season April 1 in Miami, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

That would be the Mets' fifth game of the year, after the team opens the season with a three-game set in Houston. The decision to hold Senga back is a strong sign New York will continue to monitor his workload in 2025, but the 32-year-old says he's felt good this spring and hasn't had trouble bouncing back from any of his outings. "I have a growing understanding of where my body is and what I can do and can't do at this point," Senga said after Friday's start. The Mets need him to regain his 2023 form, when he produced a 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 202:77 K:BB over 166.1 innings in his North America debut.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Rodriguez (elbow) will play catch Tuesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The right-hander will begin his throwing progression as he works his way back from elbow inflammation. Rodriguez is essentially going to be rebuilding his arm strength from scratch, so the plan is for his throwing progression to be slow and steady. A timetable for his season debut could be available in the coming weeks.

Canning is expected to start the third game of the Mets' season-opening series in Houston, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

That would line the right-hander up to face the Astros on March 29 after Clay Holmes and Tylor Megill work the first two games of the series, with David Peterson and Kodai Senga rounding out the initial rotation. Canning has yet to give up an earned run this spring with a 7:1 K:BB over 5.1 innings, and the Mets have adjusted his pitch mix to emphasize his slider and sinker over his mediocre four-seam fastball -- a pitch that generated a 14.8 percent whiff rate and 44.1 percent hard-hit rate last year along with a minus-12 run value. Canning could have a small window in which to establish himself with Sean Manaea (oblique) potentially returning in mid-April.

Megill is expected to start the second game of the Mets' season-opening series in Houston, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

That would line the right-hander up to face the Astros on March 28 after Clay Holmes gets the nod Opening Day, with Griffin Canning, David Peterson and Kodai Senga following in the rotation. Megill has looked good this spring, posting a 13:2 K:BB over 11.2 innings, and he should get a few turns through the rotation to establish himself as a reliable option with Sean Manaea (oblique) not set to return until at least mid-April, and Frankie Montas (lat) on the shelf into May.