MLB Player News

Lodolo (tibia) is expected to be ready to make his season debut April 10 against the Brewers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Lodolo is behind schedule after he reported that his leg still didn't feel 100 percent entering spring training, which led to the team ordering another round of scans. Nothing new turned up, and despite still not feeling at full strength, the left-hander has cruised through his two Cactus League starts (one run, five strikeouts in 4.2 innings). The tibia will remain a lingering concern given a recurrence of the injury ended his 2023 season, but Lodolo looks on track to be ready relatively early on in 2024, barring a setback. Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson (shoulder) are competing to fill Lodolo's rotation spot to begin the campaign.

Reds manager David Bell said Monday that Williamson (shoulder) is competing with Andrew Abbott for the fifth spot in the rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Bell also added that Williamson is feeling better after having to exit an appearance Sunday with a sore left shoulder, although it's not clear when he might be cleared to pitch again. Whoever wins the fifth spot might just be keeping the seat warm for Nick Lodolo (lower leg), who could be back by April 10.

Reds manager David Bell said Monday that Abbott is competing with Brandon Williamson (shoulder) for the fifth spot in the rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Frankie Montas, Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Nick Martinez are locked into the first four rotation spots, leaving Abbott and Williamson to battle for the final slot. It might be only temporary, though, as Nick Lodolo (lower leg) could be ready for his season debut by April 10. Abbott has been roughed up this spring, giving up seven runs on 14 hits and a walk over eight innings. The lefty also faded badly down the stretch last season with a 6.09 ERA in his final 10 starts.

Butto has touched 97 mph with his fastball this spring and shown a slider and cutter to go along with his changeup and curveball, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The deeper and stronger arsenal has led to good results -- Butto has allowed only one earned run over 10 Grapefruit League innings with a 9:2 K:BB. The 25-year-old has also been more aggressive in attacking the strike zone, a sign of his confidence in his new repertoire. "A light switch went off in the middle of [last] year, and he's really turned into a monster on the mound and an aggressive, come-at-you, want-to-get-you-out type of guy," pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said of Butto earlier this spring. After posting a 3.29 ERA and 28:9 K:BB over five September starts and 27.1 innings in 2023, Butto is behind Tylor Megill in the battle for the one available spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation, but he's likely to be the next man up should a starter get hurt or falter.

Garrett (shoulder) threw live batting practice Sunday to Jazz Chisholm and Jake Burger and showed no issues, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw sat 90-92 miles per hour with his fastball and gave Chisholm fits with his slider and changeup. Garrett won't be ready for Opening Day, but the shoulder soreness he reported at the beginning of camp appears to be gone, and he can begin to ramp up in earnest. He's expected to miss the first few weeks of the regular season, dealing another blow to a Miami rotation that will be without Sandy Alcantara (elbow) throughout 2024 and could also be down Edward Cabrera (shoulder) and Eury Perez (elbow/finger) to kick off the campaign.

The Diamondbacks optioned Walston to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Walston was dispatched to minor-league camp along with right-handers Slade Cecconi and Corbin Martin after all three pitchers fell short in their bids for spots on Arizona's Opening Day roster. Unlike Cecconi and Martin, Walston has yet to make his MLB debut, but the Diamondbacks saw enough potential in him to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft this winter and add him to their 40-man roster. The 22-year-old southpaw will be returning to Reno, where he posted a 4.52 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 149.1 innings while pitching mostly in hitter-friendly venues in the Pacific Coast League.

The Diamondbacks optioned Cecconi to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Cecconi's dismissal from big-league camp leaves Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry and Bryce Jarvis as the likely candidates for the fifth and final spot in Arizona's Opening Day rotation. While making seven appearances (four starts) for the big club in 2023, Cecconi submitted a respectable 4.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB in 27 innings. He should open the upcoming season as a member of Reno's rotation and will likely be on the short list for a call-up if Arizona requires a spot starter or a pitcher capable of covering multiple innings out of the bullpen.

Strider struck out seven over 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits and three walks in Sunday's split-squad game against the Orioles.

The 25-year-old right-hander leads all pitchers with 29 strikeouts this spring, to go along with a pristine 0.00 ERA over 18.2 innings, and the players he fanned Sunday included Gunnar Henderson (twice) and Cedric Mullins. Strider is on schedule to take the mound for Atlanta on Opening Day against the Phillies, which would line him up for one more spring appearance Friday, but that could come on a back field rather than in Grapefruit League action.

Winn (elbow) yielded one run over 1.2 innings Sunday in his Cactus League debut versus the Rockies.

Winn permitted two hits and a walk and also plunked a batter but did record three strikeouts. The right-hander got in additional work in the bullpen after the appearance in order to get more stretched out, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. While an elbow issue delayed Winn's spring debut, he remains on track to begin the year in the Giants' rotation, perhaps making his first start against the Dodgers in the second series of the season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts informed Stone on Monday that he'll open the season as the team's No. 5 starter, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Stone was told he officially won the job after he struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced during an exhibition appearance versus the Korean national team Monday in Seoul. The young right-hander also impressed during Cactus League action, allowing just one run with a 9:1 K:BB over 9.2 innings of work. Stone struggled mightily during his time with the big club last season, but a 32.6 percent strikeout rate in the minors points to his upside. He'll be available out of the bullpen for Los Angeles' two-game, season-opening set with the Padres in Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, but his first start will likely come at home versus the Giants in the Dodgers' first series of April.