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Carlos Carrasco RP | ATL
Guardians' Carlos Carrasco: Will open in Cleveland rotation
Carrasco will open in the Guardians' rotation and make his season debut Sunday against the Athletics, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
The presumption after it was announced Carrasco had made the team was that it would be as part of the rotation, and that has now been confirmed. His stay in the rotation could be a brief one, depending on how quickly Gavin Williams (elbow) makes it back, but Carrasco should log at least a couple starts. The 37-year-old held a 6.80 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 66:38 K:BB over 90 innings (20 starts) for the Mets last season.
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Carlos Rodon SP | NYY
Yankees' Carlos Rodon: Healthy heading into season
Rodon pitched 19.1 innings over five starts in Grapefruit League action, posting a 4.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB.
Rodon made just one appearance last spring before suffering a forearm injury that significantly cut down his season, so the fact that he made it through the exhibition slate without any health issues this spring is a positive development. Per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Rodon dropped weight in the offseason and looked to be in better shape in camp as he aims to put last year's injury-plagued and largely forgettable performance in the rearview mirror. While the southpaw's spring stats weren't overwhelming, Kuty reports that Rodon's fastball sat in the mid-90s, which is in line with where it has been during recent campaigns. The Yankees may need Rodon to step up as the team's ace with Gerrit Cole likely out for at least the first two months of the regular season due to an elbow injury.
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Jake Odorizzi SP | TB
Rays' Jake Odorizzi: Pitching in Tuesday's game
Odorizzi will pitch in Tuesday's game versus the Tigers rather than a minor-league game Wednesday as initially scheduled, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Rays decided Tuesday's contest would be a truer test as to how close the veteran right-hander is to being ready to pitch in a regular-season game with the big club. Odorizzi missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and will begin 2024 in the minors. However, if he looks sharp, he could join the Rays sooner rather than later, particularly since there is a need in the rotation with Shane Baz (elbow) or Taj Bradley (pectoral) out.
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Michael Lorenzen RP | TOR
Rangers' Michael Lorenzen: Set for bullpen Tuesday
Lorenzen will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Dave Sessions of MLB.com reports.
Lorenzen, who signed with the Rangers last Wednesday, is expected to eventually be part of the rotation. "We're building him up," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Monday, noting that Lorenzen is "a candidate" for the Opening Day roster. "He's been throwing a lot, but the plan is to see where we're at [Tuesday] when he gets a nice bullpen." Given the need to build up Lorenzen's pitch count, it may be safe to assume that Cody Bradford will make at least one start.
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Ryne Nelson SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson: Earns rotation slot
Nelson will begin the season in the rotation, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Nelson earned the No. 5 starter job with an impressive spring training, during which he pitched to a 2.66 ERA while striking out 26 over 20.1 innings. His primary competition for the job, left-hander Tommy Henry, will also be part of the rotation early on, as he will replace Eduardo Rodriguez (lat). Nelson was knocked around over 27 starts in 2023, but he showed improved strike-throwing ability during Cactus League competition.
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Tommy Henry SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Tommy Henry: Opens in rotation
Henry will be part of the rotation to start the season, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Henry, who appeared to fall behind Ryne Nelson in bid for the fifth starter job this spring, enters the rotation due to an injury to Eduardo Rodriguez (lat). Arizona manager Torey Lovullo did not have a timetable for Rodriguez's return, but given the latter's need to build up once he's ready to begin throwing, Henry should get multiple starts in April. Henry pitched six scoreless innings in Monday's exhibition against Cleveland, which came on the heels of his final Cactus League turn when he threw 3.1 scoreless frames.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Dodgers' Walker Buehler: Fires four sim innings
Buehler (elbow) threw four simulated innings before Monday's exhibition against the Angels, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Buehler won't be ready for Opening Day, but he continues to move in a promising direction. Manager Dave Roberts noted that the right-hander is "close" to being sent out on a rehab assignment, though he'll need to bounce back well from Monday's outing and toss a side session later in the week before a decision is made on when that might be. "He's been through the rehab process, facing his own hitters, the simulated games quite a bit over the last year," said Roberts. "I think he's sort of over it." The team should know more about the next steps for Buehler once he throws his next bullpen.
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Ken Waldichuk SP | WAS
Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Progress encouraging
Waldichuk (elbow) is progressing "great" according to manager Mark Kotsay, but the left-hander remains without a timetable to begin throwing off a mound, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.
The 26-year-old southpaw appears to be nearing the back end of his recovery from October surgery for a UCL sprain and flexor tendon damage, but this report indicates he's not quite there yet. A mid-February report had indicated there was a possibility Waldichuk would be ready to throw bullpen sessions by the end of spring training, and while that hasn't come to pass, it appears Kotsay is encouraged by the pace of Waldichuk's progress and the absence of setbacks.
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Luis Medina RP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Medina: Playing catch, but limited
Medina (knee) has begun playing catch but is doing so on one knee, per manager Mark Kotsay, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.
Kotsay added that the right-hander is still "a ways away" in his recovery. Medina suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee on March 4 against the Reds, an injury that scuttled his chances of earning a spot in the starting rotation to open the season.