MLB Player News

McGough allowed one walk and struck out three over a scoreless fifth inning in Wednesday's spring game against Texas.

Wednesday's base on balls is the lone blemish for McGough, who has yet to allow a run or hit over four Cactus League innings. "He has the ability to mix his pitches and throw them all for strikes. And the ability to understand when he needs a swing and miss moment and when he needs to bury a pitch," manager Torey Lovullo told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The 33-year-old right-hander pitched the last four seasons in Japan, serving as the closer for the Yakult Swallows. The Diamondbacks signed him to compete for a role in late-game situations, and McGough has shown himself capable.

Chafin is experiencing groin tightness and is getting a few days off.

Chafin has appeared in three Cactus League games, allowing four runs on four hits and five walks while striking out two over 2.2 innings. He's part of the relief crew that could pick up saves in what manager Torey Lovullo describes as a "fluid" closer role.

Pint (oblique) is getting closer to throwing off a mound but has no official timetable to return, MLB.com reports.

Pint suffered an oblique strain early in camp and has yet to throw since. He was added to the 40-man roster over the winter and entered the season with an outside chance to earn a role in the team's bullpen. This injury all but ends those hopes, though it sounds as if Pint should return to the mound shortly.

Hand is planning to introduce a cutter to his arsenal this season, Jack Magruder of MLB.com reports.

Hand signed with the Rockies on Saturday and should immediately fill a high-leverage role out of the bullpen. He's relied on a combination of his fastball and slider for the last several seasons, though he's now prepared to add a third pitch to that mix. Hand reportedly worked on the cutter in bullpen sessions during the 2022 campaign, but he did not throw any in game action.

Stephenson (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, according to MLB.com.

Stephenson is slated to throw one more bullpen session before being re-evaluated. Conceivably, he could be ready for a Grapefruit League appearance at that point, which would hopefully give him enough time to get ready for Opening Day. If healthy, Stephenson projects as a primary setup man for Pittsburgh.

Almonte (elbow) will face hitters Wednesday for the first time this spring, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Almonte missed much of the second half last season with a right elbow injury, so the Dodgers have eased him into things this spring. It's not clear at this point when he might be in game-ready shape, but the club expects him to be available for the start of the season. Almonte was quite a find for the Dodgers in 2022, sporting a 1.02 ERA over 33 relief appearances.

Hudson (knee/ankle) will face live hitters Wednesday for the first time this spring, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hudson has been eased along this spring after requiring surgery last June to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. He's not expected to be ready for Opening Day but could join the Dodgers' bullpen by the middle of April if all continues to go smoothly with his rehab program.

Soto (personal) officially arrived at Phillies camp Wednesday.

Soto was delayed in getting to the Phillies' spring training complex in Florida due to visa issues and had to bow out of an opportunity to pitch for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. However, he can now work on playing catch-up from this point forward and should serve as a high-leverage bullpen option for the reigning NL champs come Opening Day. The 28-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Tigers in a January trade.

The Reds reassigned Busenitz to minor-league camp Tuesday.

Busenitz was one of seven players cut Tuesday as the Reds reduce their group at big-league camp to 61 men. The right-handed reliever previously made 51 appearances in the majors with the Twins between 2017 and 2018 before spending the last four years overseas with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

The Pirates placed Kranick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Mark Mathias, whom the Pirates acquired from Texas on Wednesday. Kranick isn't expected to return until late in the season, if at all, as he recovers from June 2022 Tommy John surgery.