MLB Player News

The Guardians optioned Nikhazy to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Nikhazy wasn't very effective this spring, giving up seven earned runs on five hits and six walks, though he impressively struck out 12 batters in 8.2 innings. He'll look to get back on track with Columbus, and he could be a candidate to debut at some point this year after posting a 2.87 ERA in Triple-A last season.

Gilbert will start Opening Day, March 27 against the Athletics.

Gilbert hasn't been as effective this spring compared to his usual self, giving up four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out eight batters over 5.1 innings. However, he's been the epitome of consistency on the mound for Seattle, making at least 32 starts in each of the last three seasons and finishing last season with career highs in innings (208.2) and strikeouts (220). He'll have a chance to ease into the new season by making his first start against an Athletics squad that finished 2024 with a .694 OPS (20th in MLB).

Festa gave up six runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks in Friday's loss to Baltimore. He has an 11.91 ERA and 11:3 K:BB in 11.1 innings this spring.

Festa is competing with Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews for the final two spots in the rotation. He's been performing the worst of the four in spring training and looks set to begin the season at Triple-A at this point.

Bello (shoulder) is set to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Bello will not be ready for Opening Day and will begin the 2025 regular season on the injured list. With Bello, Kutter Crawford (knee) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) expected to open on the IL, Quinn Priester, Richard Fitts and Cooper Criswell are candidates to be part of the rotation in the early weeks of the regular season.

Crawford (knee) is scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Tuesday and Friday of next week, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Crawford has thrown a few low-intensity bullpens this spring to avoid aggravating the knee, but next week's sessions will be at normal effort. Given the amount of time he'll need to build up, Crawford is expected to miss the start of the regular season and likely all of April.

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

Against San Diego's potential Opening Day lineup, Rocker showed slight improvement from his first two Cactus League starts, when he allowed eight runs over two innings. His 22.85 spring ERA suggests a rotation spot is a long shot, but events elsewhere Friday improved Rocker's chances. Jon Gray suffered a fractured wrist during a split-squad game against the Rockies which contributed to the unsettled nature of Texas' rotation. Gray will join Cody Bradford (elbow) on the injured list to open the season, potentially opening up spots for both Rocker and Jack Leiter.

Maeda won't pitch as scheduled in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies due to an illness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The veteran right-hander was set to pitch behind Tigers ace Tarik Skubal but will instead be unavailable due to a stomach ailment. Maeda is competing for the No. 5 spot in Detroit's rotation and should be back on the mound after taking a couple days to recover.

Carrasco pitched 3.1 innings in a Grapefruit League start against Philadelphia on Friday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out six batters.

Carrasco gave up a second-inning run but retired five of the six batters he faced after that runner crossed the plate. He did hit a pair of batters, but overall this was another positive performance by the veteran righty. Carrasco has posted a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB over 11 innings so far this spring. He's in camp on a minor-league deal and wasn't expected to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he's now a candidate for some early season starts due to injuries to Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Luis Gil (lat). It remains to be seen, however, if Carrasco will break camp with the big club or be asked to accept a minor-league assignment to begin the campaign.

Kikuchi has added a sweeper to his pitch mix, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Kikuchi has worked with a four-pitch arsenal over the past two campaigns, but it appears he'll have another offering to attack hitters with this season. Bollinger notes that the lefty's new sweeper averages 81 mph with 16 inches of break, so it should give him a much different look than when he uses his traditional slider, which averages 87 mph with two inches of break. Kikuchi excelled in his second start of the spring Friday against the Royals, allowing one run on five hits while issuing three walks and striking out eight batters over 4.1 innings. He indicated that he'll take the mound one more time before the regular season kicks off, but the appearance will be either in a minor-league game or in a simulated setting. Kikuchi has been announced as the Angels' starter on Opening Day against the White Sox on March 27.

Littell allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two across two innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins.

This marked Littell's second official spring appearance as he continues to compete for a rotation spot to begin the regular season. He didn't help his cause with his results, as he was pulled in two separate innings before returning to build up his pitch count. Following the game, Littell chalked the performance up to simply a bad outing, while manager Kevin Cash expressed optimism that Littell would bounce back, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Perhaps the lone positive was that Littell did reach 72 pitches, suggesting he'll be fully stretched out by Opening Day. Drew Rasmussen, Littell's presumed primary competition, is set to start Saturday's game against the Yankees.