MLB Player News

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Tuesday that Moreta's elbow injury is still being evaluated, but the right-hander is expected to miss some time, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old suffered the elbow injury during Sunday's spring game against the Orioles, and while the specifics of the issue aren't yet know, it appears he'll begin the season on the injured list. Moreta was a reliable bullpen piece for Pittsburgh last season with a 3.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB across 58 innings.

Matsui (back) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Matsui developed some back spasms following his first appearance of the spring but has progressed since then and is ready to try things from the bump again. Padres manager Mike Shildt expressed optimism Tuesday that Matsui will have time to ramp up for Opening Day as long as he continues to trend in the right direction. Matsui fanned the side in his lone Cactus League appearance and is in the mix to close for San Diego.

Beck will be shut down from throwing for eight weeks after undergoing vascular surgery Monday to address the aneurysm in his upper right arm, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

He'll face a long ramp-up period after that, so Beck probably won't be ready at least until around midseason if all goes well. The right-hander has already been placed on the 60-day injured list.

Scott failed to record an out and walked four batters, getting charged with three runs in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

The Marlins closer tossed only nine of 25 pitches for strikes before leaving the mound. It's too early to be worried about Scott, especially after he delivered career-best numbers in 2023, but he has walked a disturbing five of the 10 batters he's faced to begin the spring. If the control issues are a warning sign of a bigger issue, it's not clear who might step into the ninth inning for Miami.

Hjelle will be shut down for a couple weeks after being diagnosed with a right elbow sprain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Hjelle had been in position to win either a long relief job or potentially even a spot in the rotation, but now he has what could be a long-term injury. He'll be re-evaluated following the shutdown period, presumably at which point a decision will be made as to whether he needs surgery.

McCaughan was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville by the Marlins on Tuesday.

McCaughan had a couple scoreless appearances this spring, but that wasn't enough to prevent him from being an early roster cut. Acquired via trade from the Mariners last month, McCaughan will likely be part of Jacksonville's rotation.

Antone allowed two runs on four hits and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning in Monday's spring game against the Athletics.

Antone has been through an ordeal the last three years, recovering from a second Tommy John elbow surgery, then overcoming a forearm issue that limited him to five September appearances at the big-league level in 2023. He told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that he's "becoming more of a pitcher instead of a thrower." Indeed, the right-hander that once toiled in the upper 90s is down in the 91-95 mph range this spring. In three spring outings, the 30-year-old Antone has allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out five over 2.2 innings.

Diaz allowed two runs on two hits and struck out one over one inning in Monday's spring game against Oakland.

Diaz made his second Cactus League appearance, entering to start the fourth inning. He's one of a handful of closers deemed to have a high degree of security, so it will take more than one deleterious spring outing for the Reds to be concerned. Diaz recorded 37 saves (40 chances) in 2023.

Through King's first two Cactus League appearances this spring, he's allowed no runs on two hits over five innings while posting a 4:0 K:BB.

King's first spring appearance came in relief, and he pitched two scoreless frames against Cleveland after entering in the third inning. He then started against San Francisco in his second outing and breezed through three frames, allowing just one hit while striking out three batters. King came over from the Yankees in December in the trade that sent Juan Soto to New York, and the right-handed hurler is set to start for the Padres from the outset of the campaign. His final three seasons with the Yankees were impressive, as he tallied a 2.88 ERA (3.13 FIP), 1.15 WHIP and 255:72 K:BB over 219 frames, but only 15 of his 105 appearances during that span came as a starter.

Vines was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Monday.

Vines has tossed five scoreless innings this spring, which gives you an idea what his odds of earning a roster spot were coming into camp. He'll be part of Gwinnett's rotation and should make some starts for Atlanta in 2024.