MLB Player News
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Connelly Early SP | BOS
Red Sox's Connelly Early: Strong showing Friday
Early allowed two hits and walked one while striking out four over 3.2 scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Tigers.
Early made his second Grapefruit League start and third appearance overall. The left-hander threw 51 pitches (31 strikes) and showcased a fastball that touched 96.2 mph and averaged 94.8, nearly one tick higher than it averaged in 2025. While nominally still in the competition for the final spot in the rotation, Early is expected to open the regular season at Triple-A Worcester. He's allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight over 8.1 spring innings.
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Brandon Young SP | BAL
Orioles' Brandon Young: Optioned to minor-league camp
The Orioles optioned Young to minor-league camp Saturday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
Young made 12 starts for Baltimore last season, pitching to an unsightly 6.24 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 57.2 innings. He was always a long shot to break camp given the Orioles' pitching additions over the offseason. The right-hander will presumably stay stretched out as starting depth at Triple-A Norfolk.
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Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Good spring continues
Williams allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out five over 3.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the Angels.
Williams had early trouble in the first inning but settled down after that in his third Cactus League start. He increased his pitch count to 56 (41 strikes) and didn't issue a free pass for the second straight outing. Walks were an issue for the right-hander in 2025 (4.5 BB/9), but thus far, Williams has issued just one walk through eight spring innings.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Averages 89.9 mph in spring debut
Ober threw two perfect innings with one strikeout in Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. However, his fastball averaged just 89.9 mph and topped out at 91.1 mph, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
The results look good, but he was essentially facing Atlanta's "B" lineup, and notably the velocity Ober showed earlier in camp was not there. While he's never been a particularly hard thrower, a significant bounce-back from his 5.10 ERA last season may prove difficult if he can't find a little more zip on the pitch he throws more than one-third of the time. Ober figures to make three more spring starts before slotting in behind Joe Ryan in the Twins' season-opening rotation.
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Cameron Schlittler SP | NYY
Yankees' Cam Schlittler: Fans four in spring debut
Schlittler pitched 2.1 scoreless innings against Tampa Bay in a Grapefruit League game Friday, allowing two hits and issuing one walk while striking out four batters.
Schlittler dealt with a back injury during the early part of spring training but appeared fully recovered Friday. He tossed 39 pitches and showed good velocity, topping out at 99.6 mph on his fastball. With his spring debut now in the books, Schlittler seems like he'll be ready for Opening Day, though he may be on a pitch count for his first few starts as he works to get fully ramped up.
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Reid Detmers SP | LAA
Angels' Reid Detmers: Posts best spring start so far
Detmers completed four innings in a Cactus League contest against Cleveland on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters.
Detmers gave up a pair of runs in the second inning but ended his start by retiring the final seven batters he faced. The southpaw threw 39 of 64 pitches for strikes and got a healthy 11 whiffs. Detmers had given up five runs over 4.2 frames across his first two appearances this spring, so Friday's outing was a step in the right direction. He's locked into a role in the Angels' rotation to begin the campaign, but given his success as a reliever last year, the team could opt to move him back to the bullpen at some point if the return to starting doesn't go well.
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Trey Yesavage SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage: Limited workload to start season
Yesavage could face a workload restriction to begin the season, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The Blue Jays have been pitching Yesavage in live batting practice sessions rather than games so far this spring, and there's no timeline for when he will appear in a Grapefruit League contest. Manager John Schneider noted Friday that "we still view him as a starter," but the righty could be limited to 3-to-4 innings per start early in the season. Toronto is being careful with Yesavage's workload after he threw 139.2 innings across all levels in 2025, including the postseason -- a 46.1-inning jump from his final collegiate season in 2024.