Rocker is competing with Jack Leiter to fill the spot in the Rangers' rotation vacated by Cody Bradford (elbow), Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The former college teammates and current pro teammates will go head-to-head for the right to serve as the Rangers' fifth starter while Bradford recuperates from left elbow soreness. Rocker has been blasted for eight runs over two innings in his two Cactus League starts this spring, but he threw three hitless frames in an intrasquad game last weekend. Leiter, meanwhile, has pitched much better with a 2.53 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 10.2 innings, although he was shaky his last time out. It's unclear which of the two righties might have the current edge, but with the injury history of some of the other Rangers starters, there's a decent chance both Rocker and Leiter will wind up spending a significant portion of the season in the Texas rotation.

Manager Joe Espada said Thursday that Whitley has a bone bruise in his left knee and will hold off on throwing for a couple of days, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Whitley reportedly suffered the injury during his appearance Saturday against the Yankees. There's currently no telling if his injury will prevent him from being ready for Opening Day, though a timetable could be established once he's cleared to begin throwing. The 27-year-old righty had been having a solid camp prior to getting hurt, allowing one earned run in five innings while striking out five batters and walking four.

Leiter is competing with Kumar Rocker to fill the spot in the Rangers' rotation vacated by Cody Bradford (elbow), Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Manager Bruce Bochy announced Thursday that Bradford would begin the season on the injured list with a sore left elbow. While it seems there's hope that it won't be a long-term absence, his spot will likely need to be filled at least a couple times. Leiter could be the favorite if the team goes mostly on spring training results, as he's allowed just three runs with a 13:6 K:BB over 10.2 innings. He was wild in his last outing, however, walking five over 2.2 frames while throwing more balls than strikes. Control has often been an issue for Leiter, but his stuff has ticked up this spring and he has looked dominant at times. It's a competition that could go down to the wire.

Mahle (forearm) allowed three runs on six hits and no walks over for innings in a start versus minor leaguers Thursday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Mahle threw 55 pitches in the outing and additional 10 pitches in the bullpen afterward. The right-hander was scratched from a scheduled Cactus League start earlier this wee due to right forearm soreness, but an MRI came back negative and it appears Mahle is back on track.

The Rangers optioned Garabito to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday.

Garabito received his first taste of MLB action last year, logging a 4.78 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 26.1 innings. He'll end up missing the cut for the Rangers' Opening Day bullpen despite giving up just two earned runs in 5.2 frames this spring, but he's a likely candidate to be promoted to Texas during the regular season.

Gray has made two starts this spring, tossing five scoreless innings with a 3:0 K:BB.

There were reports earlier in the offseason that the Rangers might consider using Gray as a reliever and potentially, a closer. However, while it's possible the team might revisit the idea down the line, it fully intends to open the season with Gray as a member of its rotation. Gray posted a 4.47 ERA and 86:28 K:BB over 102.2 innings covering 19 starts and four relief appearances in 2024.

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.