MLB Player News

Rocker allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one over one inning in Saturday's spring start against the Cubs.

This was Rocker's second Cactus League start and looked very much like his first, when the right-hander gave up four runs in an inning. The main difference in the two starts is that Rocker was pulled early in the first inning and once again an inning later Saturday. He entered camp in the mix for a rotation spot but owns a 36.00 ERA through two starts.

Manager Brandon Hyde said Saturday that Povich is currently considered the Orioles' seventh starting pitcher, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Assuming everyone stays healthy throughout spring training, Baltimore's five-man rotation of Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano is set, while Hyde labeled Albert Suarez as the No. 6 starter. Povich appears poised to begin the campaign at Triple-A Norfolk, but he's off to a strong start in spring training with seven strikeouts over five scoreless innings through two starts. The left-hander made 16 starts for Baltimore as a rookie last year and had a 5.20 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 69:34 K:BB across 79.2 innings, and it's likely just a matter of time before he receives another look in 2025.

Cantillo allowed four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two over one inning in Saturday's spring start against the Cubs.

Cantillo was dialed in during his first Cactus League start, but the left-hander struggled to command his fastball the second time out and kept falling behind hitters. He was eventually pulled with one out in the first inning before coming back to start the second. He then walked three batters and left his second frame with two outs. It was a stark contrast to Cantillo's first spring outing, when 18 of his 21 offerings landed in the zone.

Bello (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session Monday, and manager Alex Cora said the organization is "still shooting for him to be on the Opening Day roster, but obviously it's March 2 now," Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander was briefly shut down at the start of camp due to shoulder soreness, so he's a bit behind in his preparations for the start of the regular season. Bello still has more than four weeks to ramp up ahead of Opening Day and has a realistic chance to be available -- especially since he probably wouldn't be pitching in the first couple games of the season anyway -- but he may need a clean buildup the rest of the way to avoid an IL stint to begin the campaign.

Giolito (elbow) will make his first start of spring training Thursday against the Blue Jays, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Giolito has been building up early in camp in simulated settings but is now on the cusp of making his first Grapefruit League start for the Red Sox. The right-hander missed the entirety of last season while recovering from an internal brace procedure, but it appears he'll be ready to claim a spot in Boston's season-opening rotation.

Arrighetti recorded two shutout innings while striking out three and not allowing a baserunner in Saturday's Grapefruit League game.

Arrighetti was shaky in his opening spring outing, handing out three free passes in two innings of work. Saturday's appearance showed improvement, as he threw 17 of his 29 pitches for strikes. Arrighetti will have high expectations in 2025 after maintaining a 3.18 ERA across his final 65 innings to close last campaign.

McCullers (forearm) threw live batting practice to three teammates Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers threw a total of 20 pitches and managed to hit 94.7 mph with his fastball. He also mixed in his curveball, sinker and changeup. McCullers still plans to complete at least three more live batting practice sessions, but his stated goal is to appear in a Grapefruit League game.

Thorpe (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday and is experiencing less soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Thorpe continues to ramp up in his return from surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow. He spoke after the session and said he experienced less soreness than the previous week, though it's still unclear exactly when he'll be ready to pitch in game action.

Festa gave up four earned runs on five hits and a walk but struck out five over 2.1 innings in Saturday's spring training loss to Boston.

It's early in the competition for the final two spots in the Minnesota rotation, but Festa took a step back. It was also notable that he was used as the third pitcher in the game. He threw two scoreless innings in his first outing but now has an 8.31 ERA this spring along with a 7:1 K:BB ration in 5.1 innings. Festa is competing with Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews for the final two spots in the rotation.

Ober gave up two runs with six strikeouts and one walk in three innings in his first spring start Saturday.

Ober gave up a home run, but the six strikeouts show he's in good form as spring begins. After recording 12 wins and 191 strikeouts over 178.2 innings with a 3.98 ERA and 1.00 WHIP last season, he's set to be a dependable part again of the Minnesota rotation.