MLB Player News

Ober gave up one run with seven strikeouts and no walks over three innings in Saturday's spring training loss to Philadelphia. He reached a carer-high 94.8 mph with his fastball, and Ober said he hopes to gain more velocity from offseason workouts, MLB.com reports.

Ober, however, also reached 94 mph with his fastball last spring, according to the report, but averaged just 91.4 mph during the regular season. Still, his outing Saturday shows he's nearly in midseason form. While Ober may not have an overpowering fastball, it's offset by his outstanding control (5.0 percent walk rate) and above average off-speed pitches (slider, curve ball, change-up). He's set to be a vital part of Minnesota's rotation.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said in an interview with MLB Network on Thursday that the team is now "looking at June" for the return of Scherzer (back).

Bochy noted that the June timetable for Scherzer is "a little earlier than we thought." When Scherzer underwent surgery in mid-December to repair a herniated disc in his back, the Rangers said at the time that the veteran righty could be back in June or July. It's not clear what exactly Scherzer is currently able to do during his rehab, but evidently the club is optimistic he can make it back on the early side of its initial timeline. It's still very early in the process, of course, and Scherzer's age (39) won't help him.

Boyle looks to be in the driver's seat for the fifth spot in the Athletics' rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Boyle has impressed in his first two Cactus League outings, yielding just one earned run with a 5:0 K:BB over 5.1 innings of work. The big right-hander's stuff has never been in question, but he's sported an ugly 18.7 percent walk rate in the minors. However, Boyle walked just five in 16 frames during a late-season audition with the A's, and the improved control has carried over into spring training this year. He has plenty of bat-missing upside if he can keep the walks to an acceptable level.

Eder experienced soreness in his right shoulder Saturday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Eder is slated for a side session Sunday, and the White Sox will determine next steps after he's thrown. The 25-year-old southpaw spent most of last season in Double-A, accumulating a 6.70 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 47 innings.

Heaney allowed one hit and struck out five over three innings in an intrasquad game Friday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Heaney upped his pitch count to 44 pitches (30 strikes) in what amounted to his second significant appearance this spring. He made a Cactus League start last Sunday, which got off to a rocky beginning with a four-pitch walk and a hit batsman.

Giolito allowed four runs on two hits and three walks while striking out one over 2.1 innings in Friday's spring start against the Twins.

Giolito retired seven of the first nine batters he faced before running into trouble in the third inning, when he allowed a single and two walks and was removed after 48 pitches. Unfortunately for his pitching line, reliever Jordan DiValerio gave up a grand slam. Giolito told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that he believes getting up-and-down a third time was a factor in the third inning. "My stuff felt pretty good, especially the slider," Giolito said. "But in the third inning, I kind of got ahead of myself and got out of sync." This was his second start of the spring after he threw two scoreless innings his first time out.

Manoah felt soreness in his shoulder during a bullpen session Friday and will not start Sunday against Boston, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah said he didn't recover properly following his last spring training start and had to end Friday's session early due to the discomfort in his shoulder. An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage, which lowers the risk of a long-term absence, but the Blue Jays will push back Manoah's next Grapefruit League appearance and approach his injury on a day-to-day basis.

Eovaldi allowed one run on two hits and struck out five over three innings in Thursday's spring start against the Brewers.

Despite the blemish of giving up a run, Eovaldi was pleased with his second Cactus League start, per Stefan Stevenson of SI.com. "My fastball command was a lot better this time around," Eovaldi said. "I'm making the mechanical adjustments that I needed to after the [first] outing where I can just repeat my delivery a little bit better." The right-hander, projected as the team's Opening Day starter, threw all four pitches in his repertoire. Eovaldi felt so good that he threw another 12 pitches in the bullpen, upping his total pitch count for the day to 50.

Allen (shoulder) is set to pitch in a split squad game Sunday versus the Cubs, Quincy Wheeler of CoveringThe Corner.com reports.

Allen had his 2023 season end in late September due to left shoulder inflammation, but he looks ready for his spring training debut. Allen had a 3.81 ERA and 1.40 WHIP alongside 119 strikeouts across 125.1 innings as a rookie last season.

Ryan has been working on a new sinker this spring and threw it in Friday's spring training start, MLB.com reports. Ryan gave up two runs with two strikeouts and a walk over two innings Friday against Boston.

Ryan doesn't have great velocity (92.3 average mph fastball in 2023) but has an extremely deceptive four-seam fastball that helped him generate an excellent 29.3 strikeout percentage and 14.2 percent swinging strike rate in 2023. However, his secondary pitches all took a step backward last season, so the development of another pitch could be a significant addition and is something to monitor this spring. He worked on the new sinker at Driveline in Arizona in the offseason.