MLB Player News

Pallante permitted one hit and struck out a pair over three scoreless frames in Tuesday's Grapefruit League outing against the Mets.

The bottom line was much improved from Pallante's first spring start when he allowed four runs and walked two in an inning of work. However, Pallante has yet to find the pep on his fastball this spring, with the velocity on his four-seamer down 1.7 mph from last year and the velocity on his sinker down 2.4 mph. It's not overly worrisome yet in early March, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Morgan may get squeezed from the Cubs' Opening Day roster and start the season at Triple-A Iowa instead , Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Morgan was effective last year for Cleveland, posting a 1.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 42 regular-season innings, though he still has a minor-league option remaining and could be the odd man out as a result. Even if the righty begins the year in the minors, he has enough talent to be a valuable addition to the Cubs' bullpen at some point, but he likely won't see save opportunities with Ryan Pressly and Porter Hodge around.

Diaz has been held out of Cactus League play after tweaking his hamstring during pitchers' fielding practice about a week ago, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Diaz said Monday that he feels "great" now and expects to be ready for his Cactus League debut this weekend. If he is indeed ready to pitch later this week and can avoid setbacks, Diaz should have enough time to be ready for Opening Day. The righty is expected to open the 2025 season as Cincinnati's closer, though he could be on a relatively short leash after posting a 3.99 ERA and just a 22.7 percent strikeout rate in 2024.

Lopez threw 44 pitches (25 strikes) in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees, allowing one hit and two walks over 1.2 scoreless innings. He struck out one.

The right-hander has yet to give up a run this spring, posting a 3:3 K:BB over 3.2 scoreless innings in two starts. Lopez had a breakout 2024 in his return to a starting role, delivering a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 148:42 K:BB in 135.2 innings for Atlanta, and he's aiming to handle a 200-inning workload in 2025.

The Pirates claimed Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies on Monday, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Lawrence posted a 6.49 ERA and saw his strikeout rate dip to just 16.1 percent and sinker velocity fall to 94.6 mph on average in 2024. However, he had an above-average 24.4 percent strikeout rate from 2022 to 2023 and his sweeper has been a very effective pitch at times. Lawrence is under team control through 2028 and the Pirates felt he was worth a roll of the dice.

Miami reassigned Tarnok (ankle) to minor-league camp Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Tarnok had been attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he never made a serious run for a spot on Miami's season-opening roster after injuring his left ankle last week. Once healthy, the right-hander will likely serve as a swingman for Triple-A Jacksonville.

Faucher has tossed three scoreless innings across his three Grapefruit League appearances, allowing one hit and hitting another batter while striking out two.

Though the sample size is small, Faucher's excellence thus far in spring could give him an early leg up on emerging as the Marlins' preferred option at closer heading into Opening Day. While his ratios over his 53 total appearances with Miami in 2024 aren't eye-popping (3.19 ERA, 1.40 WHIP), he shined after the All-Star break with a 2.75 ERA (2.10 FIP) and 21.2 K-BB% before spending most of September on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement. Now healthy again, Faucher has resembled the dominant reliever he was over his final two months of the 2024 campaign.

Cronin (knee) is scheduled to make his second appearance of Grapefruit League play Monday versus the Astros, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.

In his first season with Miami in 2024, Cronin submitted a 4.35 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 72:25 K:BB across 70.1 innings over 56 relief appearances, but he didn't pitch in the final week of the campaign after landing on the injured list due to left knee tendinitis. The injury doesn't seem to have delayed him in spring training, but Cronin may need to close camp on a high note to ensure he clinches a spot in Miami's Opening Day bullpen. He lacked command in his first spring outing Thursday against St. Louis, recording two outs while allowing two earned runs on two hits while also hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.

Neris signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Monday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Neris served as the Cubs' closer for most of 2024, logging 18 saves in 59.1 innings. However, he'll settle for a minor-league deal after logging a 1.40 WHIP and 13.8 K-BB% -- his worst such marks since the 2020 season. Neris could make the big club in a mid-leverage role.

Graveman experienced tightness in his back while throwing a bullpen session Saturday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Graveman will be sent to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo described the issue as "nothing too alarming." Graveman signed with the Diamondbacks after camp opened and has yet to appear in a Cactus League game.