MLB Player News

Detmers pitched 1.2 innings in a Cactus League start against San Diego on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out two batters.

Spring training is generally a time to shake off rust, so Detmers' struggles shouldn't be read into too deeply. Still, it wasn't a promising performance from a hurler who is trying to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 campaign. Detmers' 9.3 percent walk rate last season was in the 35th percentile leaguewide, and improving upon that number could be key in allowing him to reach the potential the Angels assessed when selecting him 10th overall in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. His next opportunity to pitch this spring will likely come Wednesday.

Lopez gave up two runs with two walks and three strikeouts over three innings in his second spring outing to raise his Grapefruit League ERA to 7.20. However, Lopez says he's been experimenting with different pitches rather than focusing on results, including throwing a rare 0-2 sinker to a lefty (Matt Olson), the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "It didn't work out. He hit it like 600 feet to center," Lopez said.

Lopez has already been named Minnesota's Opening Day starter March 28 against Kansas City, so he has no worries about his performance this spring. He's healthy and working on different pitches and looks sharp early in the spring. The right-hander's first season in Minnesota was the best of his career, with Lopez collecting a 3.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 234:48 K:BB over 194 innings.

Medina left Monday's Cactus League game against the Reds due to a right knee sprain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Medina allowed one run on no hits and one walk over 1.1 innings while striking out three before leaving the game. The status for his next start is up in the air while the team monitors how he recovers over the next few days. The right-hander entered spring training gunning for a spot in the Athletics' rotation. Medina had a 3-10 record over 17 starts with a 5.42 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 106:57 K:BB over 109.2 innings in 2023, his first season in the majors.

Wacha has allowed one run on three hits and struck out three without walking a batter over three innings across his first two Cactus League starts.

Wacha's doing just fine in spring training. The veteran right-hander will need to stay healthy to be an effective starter, but he's logged 20-plus starts in each of the last three seasons while keeping his ERA under 3.50 in the last two years. The Royals' pitching staff was a weakness in 2023, and signing Wacha to a two-year deal addressed that concern. He'll likely continue to offer solid control and an ability to keep the ball in the yard, but he may regress in the surface stats in his age-32 season.

Suarez tossed two scoreless frames Monday versus the Rangers in his Cactus League debut after overcoming a dead arm phase, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Suarez has been behind other starters in Angels' camp while battling through dead arm issues, but it looks like he's over the hump. The left-hander currently appears on the outside looking in for a spot in the Halos' rotation, but he's out of options, so he could settle into a long relief role initially.

Bibee gave up two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three over 1.2 innings versus the Giants on Sunday.

Bibee's spring debut was forgettable, though the strikeouts were a bright spot. The right-hander ended last season on the 60-day injured list due to right hip inflammation and started slowly in spring training. Unless he has a truly awful Cactus League slate, Bibee figures to open the season in the Guardians' rotation.

Burnes has allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over 2.2 innings in Grapefruit League play.

On the bright side, Burnes has struck out five batters. Spring struggles aren't really a concern for a veteran like Burnes, who projects to be the ace of a potentially very strong Baltimore rotation this season. Even in a down year in 2023, the right-hander posted a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 200:66 K:BB over 193.2 innings with the Brewers.

Crawford allowed two hits and struck out four over three scoreless innings in Sunday's spring start against the Blue Jays.

Crawford made his second Grapefruit League start in a quest to be part of Boston's rotation. He's the early favorite for the No. 4 spot and has allowed one run on five hits (zero walks) while fanning five over five innings. The trick for Crawford, who averaged 77.4 pitches over 23 starts in 2023, is to be able to extend outings past the fifth inning.

Dunning said Sunday the new pitch he's working on this spring is a forkball, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Dunning talked about a new pitch following his first spring outing but did not reveal what type of pitch. Statcast recorded the offering as a splitter during Dunning's second start, last week against Arizona, but the pitcher says it's a forkball. "I threw some good forkballs [Sunday], so that was fun," Dunning said. "I had some good swings and misses on them. I think I threw four or five of them, all of them came in the third inning." The right-hander allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while striking five over three innings Sunday, his third Cactus League start.

Muller, who struggled to a 1-5 record, 7.60 ERA and 1.96 WHIP across 77 innings in his Athletics debut campaign in 2023, made several changes to his mechanics this offseason, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Muller has had only one opportunity to show off the new look in game action thus far this spring, allowing an earned run on a walk and two hits over two innings while recording three strikeouts in a start against the Dodgers on Feb. 25. However, Gallegos notes Muller's modifications have been noticeable any time he's picked up a ball during camp, with the big right-hander having raised his arm slot and adjusted his windup rotation from east-to-west to more of a north-south orientation, per the recommendations of the team's baseball operations department. The mechanics closely mirror those Muller utilized while toiling in Atlanta's minor-league system in 2022, and the young hurler noted after his first outing that he could already see the changes paying dividends in the form of more swings and misses on his fastball.