MLB Player News

Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray gave up two runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings in his first start of spring training Tuesday. Gray admitted he was a bit too amped up.

"I was definitely excited; there's no doubt about it," said Gray to MLB.com. "I think that's kind of why I threw a little simulated game last week, because Bob [Melvin] and Curt [Young] know I get really excited out there. And that's another thing, I gotta learn how to slow down again and execute pitches instead of being a crazy bull out there."

Manager Bob Melvin said he thought Gray's command was just fine.

"The command may not be the best we're used to seeing it, but for me, he threw some crisp curveballs, some good sliders, good life on his fastball, so all good," he continued. "I'm just looking for life. He gets pretty excited that first time out there, and it's more about seeing the action on his pitches, and all of them were good for me."

Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson is trying to maintain the velocity he currently has on his fastball, reports The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"I really would like to stay right around there, and I think I can," Gibson said. "I can throw 94, 95 [mph] and it'll still sink."

Justin Masterson earned his first win of hte spring with three perfect innings for the Red Sox on Tuesday. 

Masterson struck out four and hasn't given up a run in five innings this spring. 

"With each outing Justin is making for us, we're seeing more sink to his fastball, the ability to make the adjustment more readily from pitch to pitch, and just a pitcher who is more aggressive and feeling good about himself physically," manager John Farrell told the Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato.

Drew Smyly continued to make progress in his recovery from left shoulder tendinitis. Rays manager Kevin Cash told the media that Smyly was able to do a sock throw, which uses a weighted sock held in the hand instead of a ball to go through a pitching motion. 

"He was very optimistic with the day," Cash said. 

The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that pitcher Marcus Stroman will miss the entire 2015 season after suffering a torn ACL.

Stroman suffered the knee injury during a bunt drill Tuesday, Sportsnet reports. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said that the pitcher was "crushed" by the diagnosis. Anthopoulos also indicated that the team is expected to fill the vacant rotation spot internally. Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris and Marco Estrada, who were battling for the final spot in the team's rotation, will likely have the chance to win two spots. It's possible Johan Santana could factor into the team's rotation plans once he's ready for regular-season action.

Stroman will seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, MLB.com reports.

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco surrendered one run in three innings during Cleveland's 4-3 win over the Mariners on Monday. 

Carrasco allowed two hits and struck out two batters. 

"I feel aggressive and I attack the hitter, and that's what I learned last year," Carrasco said, per MLB.com. "I learned that from [Corey] Kluber last year. Every time he pitched, I watched everything he did. That's something I wanted to bring to Spring Training, and I found out today that it's there."

In 2014, Carrasco posted a 2.55 ERA and had a 140/29 K/BB ratio in 134 innings.

Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman was on the hill for the second time this spring Monday against the Astros. He threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks.

Stroman hit one batter and struck out three. He has allowed one unearned run in 4 1/3 innings, while striking out four.

Monday marked the first time this spring Stroman worked with catcher Russell Martin in a game.

"I'm trying to get to learn him as much as possible and he's trying to learn me," Stroman said, per MLB.com. "It's not an easy process, I throw a pretty good amount of pitches, so getting on the same page is going to take a bit of time.

"It was pretty good for the first time, him catching me in a game. We were pretty much on the same page and just looking forward to developing that relationship and getting to the point where we're in sync with each other."

Though Rays pitcher Drew Smyly hasn't begun throwing yet, manager Kevin Cash said he has "ramped up his exercises," according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

Smyly has left shoulder tendinitis, though the club isn't too concerned with it at this time. However, there is a contingency in place just in case he does have issues and is out for longer than expected. With Smyly's work load increasing, Cash said it was a "good sign" that he'll be able to get into baseball activities soon. 

It's still possible that Smyly misses the start of the 2015 season. 

Yankees starting pitchers Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi combined for five scoreless innings during Monday's spring game against the Rays.

Pineda, who was making his spring debut, opened the game with two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and racked up two strikeouts.

"I like the command and my offspeed pitches," said Pineda, who threw 17 of 25 pitches for strikes, per MLB.com. "My changeup and my slider are very good today. I'm excited because the command is there and everything is good."

Eovaldi, who was making his second spring outing, pitched three innings in relief. He allowed three hits, but he also recorded five strikeouts. Eovaldi lowered his ERA from 4.50 to 1.80.

"I felt like I did pretty good," Eovaldi said. "I ran into some trouble in the second inning, but I was able to get out of a jam. I felt good for the most part. It felt like I was rushing a little bit on some of my offspeed pitches, but other than that, I felt pretty good."

Twins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco made his first spring start Monday against the Pirates. He allowed one run on two hits, while striking out three in two innings. 

Nolasco retired the first two batters before allowing back-to-back doubles to Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker. He limited the damage to one run by striking out Starling Marte. 

Nolasco was much better in the second inning, striking out the first two batters and retiring the side in order.

"It was good," Nolasco said, per MLB.com. "Everything felt sharp. The sinker was running pretty good. I threw a couple sharp breaking balls. I wanted to get a lot of fastballs in early, and I was able to do that.

"I feel strong. It's not like I wasn't last year, but I just made a different approach to it this year. I feel strong and that my legs are under me. So it was a good first day."