MLB Player News

Hader recorded two outs and allowed two home runs in his first appearance of the spring Wednesday. He struck out two batters and walked one.

Hader was working on his offspeed stuff Wednesday, throwing "quite a few" changeups, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, the two homers came off fastballs. Hader worked almost exclusively fastball-slider the last three seasons, but it appears he is attempting to bring back the changeup that he used from time to time during his 2017 rookie season. That's likely in an effort to keep the ball in the park, as he gave up 1.7 HR/9 over the last two years. Of course, he also struck out 169 batters in 94.2 innings during that same span.

Floro has been dealing with soreness and has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game, although he has thrown live batting practice sessions, Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald reports. "Dylan had just a little bit of soreness, and we wanted to make sure we got him back on track, and he is," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said last week.

Acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason, Floro's name has come up in the closer discussion for Miami, but he hasn't yet gotten a chance to show his new team what he can do on a mound. There's still enough time for the right-hander to get ready for Opening Day, but his role in the bullpen remains undetermined.

Ottavino allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning in Wednesday's spring game against Atlanta.

Ottavino made his spring debut in Grapefruit League play, following starter Matt Andriese in the fourth inning. He's competing to be Boston's closer along with Matt Barnes, who was impressive in his spring debut earlier this week. Ottavino has 19 career saves over 460 relief appearances and briefly served as a closer for a couple of stretches with Colorado in 2015 and 2016. Boston manager Alex Cora reiterated to Ian Browne of MLB.com that a closer will not be named until later in spring training, but the manager said Ottavino will be given the ball for clean innings, facing both righties and lefties.

Lopez is the scheduled starter for Thursday's game against the Reds, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Lopez, who pitched two perfect innings against Cleveland last Saturday, is vying for the final spot in the rotation. He's competition for the job is Carlos Rodon, who has not yet appeared in a Cactus League game.

Lamet (elbow) will pitch another simulated game later this week, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Lamet looked good in his first sim game of the spring Sunday, hitting 98 mph and throwing 20-25 pitches. His next opportunity to throw will come later this week, when he'll hurl multiple innings for the first time. Should that outing go well, Lamet could then get into a Cactus League game sometime next week. It remains to be seen whether the right-hander's progression will allow him to ramp up to a starter's workload in time for Opening Day.

Wilson retired only one batter (via strikeout) in Wednesday's Grapefruit League appearance versus Pittsburgh, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits.

It's safe to assume that this isn't how Wilson anticipated his first outing of the spring to go. He struck out the first batter he faced, then allowed a solo home run to Jared Oliva. The next three batters reached base (one via error) before Brian Goodwin ended Wilson's appearance with a grand slam to right field. Despite the rough start, the southpaw has a firm hold on a bullpen spot for the Yankees, especially with fellow left-hander Zack Britton out for an extended period due to elbow surgery.

Graterol threw a bullpen session Wednesday, during which he threw only fastballs, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Graterol has been ramping up slowly this spring following an offseason that featured inconsistent throwing. Manager Dave Roberts indicated that Graterol touched 96 mph with his fastball during his first bullpen session of the spring and that he is expected to throw another one in the coming days. Assuming that plan holds, Graterol should be ready to go by Opening Day.

Morejon is a candidate for a rotation role to begin the campaign, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

There is some question about whether Dinelson Lamet (elbow) will re ready by the start of the campaign, which could open the door for one of the Padres' young pitchers to temporarily claim a rotation spot. Morejon might be the favorite in that scenario given that his theoretical competitors for the role (MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers) have each yet to throw a regular-season big-league inning. Morejon has thus far allowed only one run over four innings this spring while racking up five strikeouts, though his six walks are a concern.

Weathers has a legitimate chance to open the season on the big-league roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Weathers has held his own thus far in Cactus League play, allowing a pair of earned runs and striking out three over four innings. The Padres may have a need for a a fifth starter to open the campaign if Dinelson Lamet (elbow) needs more time to ramp up, and Weathers has been mentioned as a candidate for the role (along with fellow prospect MacKenzie Gore and Adrian Morejon). Even if he isn't tabbed as a temporary starter, Weathers could still open the campaign on the big-league roster as a multiple-inning reliever.

Farmer allowed four runs on three hits and a walk while retiring just two batters in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out one.

Farmer allowed two home runs, and he now has a 30.86 ERA across 2.1 innings this spring. The righty is potentially in the mix to close, though he likely projects as more of a setup option. A sluggish performance in the Grapefruit League won't help him move up the bullpen pecking order.