MLB Player News

Cease allowed one earned run on two hits while striking out five and walking none across three innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Brewers.

Cease threw 21 pitches in his second spring appearance and was regularly hitting 96 mph with his fastball, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. The only run against him came on a solo home run, but he was otherwise sharp in the outing. Cease is set to start Opening Day against the Tigers on March 28.

Maeda threw 50 pitches across three innings in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The outing marked Maeda's second of spring training and it featured both positives and negatives. Positively, he increased his pitch count from 30 to 53, which should allow him plenty of time to ramp up to a full workload before the regular season. On the other hand, Maeda's velocity and spin rates were both down. While it would be reassuring to see him throwing closer to his peak, there's still plenty of time for him to improve his form before meaningful games begin.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that the club hopes Gausman (shoulder) will be ready to throw off a mound by Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

That date would mark 17 days before Opening Day, which doesn't give Gausman a ton of runway to get ramped back up if he wants to start that day. The veteran right-hander does appear to be trending in a positive direction as he works his way back from right shoulder fatigue and will look to take another step forward early next week.

McKenzie struck out two batters, walked none and allowed one hit over two scoreless innings Wednesday versus the Brewers.

McKenzie was a little delayed in making his spring debut, but it was an encouraging start. The right-hander is projected to be near the front of the Guardians' rotation in 2024. He pitched just 16 innings in 2023, posting a 5.06 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 16:13 K:BB while battling shoulder and elbow injuries. That health history is a concern, but McKenzie was good enough in 2022 (2.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) to be a fascinating option for fantasy managers.

Kent was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock by the Rangers on Thursday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Kent was never a real candidate to break camp with the team, anyway, but he didn't help himself in posting a 12.27 ERA in three Cactus League appearances. The 26-year-old will open 2024 in Round Rock's rotation and hope to debut at some point this year with the Rangers.

Bello agreed to a six-year, $55 million contract extension with the Red Sox on Thursday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports. The deal includes a $21 million club option for 2030.

Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican relays that Bello will receive a $1 million signing bonus as part of the deal. Bello wasn't yet eligible for salary arbitration, but he's now under club control through what would have been his first year of free agency, and potentially a second year, if Boston exercises the club option. The 24-year-old had a solid first full season with the Red Sox in 2023, collecting a 4.24 ERA and 132:45 K:BB over 157 innings.

Manoah's scheduled bullpen session Thursday was canceled while he continues to experience right shoulder soreness, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Manoah had done some flat-ground throwing but is not feeling up to getting back on the mound just yet. An MRI last week showed no structural damage in Manoah's shoulder, and though the Blue Jays are continuing to evaluate him on a day-to-day basis, he realistically would seem to be a longshot to be ready for Opening Day. Bowden Francis and Mitch White are candidates to fill Manoah's spot in Toronto's rotation, and it's possible both are needed if Kevin Gausman (shoulder) is unavailable.

Lyles (back) will long toss Thursday before throwing a bullpen session Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

If the bullpen session goes well, Lyles will progress to a live batting practice session Monday. Lyles felt some lower-back tightness in a "B" game earlier this week but did some conditioning work without issue Wednesday and will look to continue his throwing progression. If healthy, he's the favorite to open the season as Kansas City's fifth starter.

Heaney allowed four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over three innings in Wednesday's spring start against the Rockies.

Heaney had an off first inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk but also struck out three. The left-hander didn't get settled in until a 1-2-3 third frame. He told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News that he was mechanically off and acknowledged being a "slow starter" early in seasons. The outing was his second Cactus League start, but he's also thrown three innings during an intrasquad game.

Bradley threw three scoreless innings while allowing two hits and striking out one in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Bradley is expected to be in the Rays' Opening Day rotation, as Shane Baz (elbow/oblique) is expected to be brought along slowly. Bradley helped his cause with his spring debut, particularly because the Yankees had most of their projected starters in the lineup. In addition to posting three scoreless innings, Bradley touched 98 mph with his fastball and generated four swings-and-misses on 43 total pitches.