MLB Player News

Perez reported soreness in his elbow Thursday following his appearance in Wednesday's spring game against Washington, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Perez had to leave his appearance Wednesday after experiencing discomfort with the broken nail on his right middle finger. Now, Perez's elbow issue poses another threat to potentially delaying his start to the regular season. Perez will undergo further imaging and testing over the next few days to determine the severity of his injury, but it appears increasingly likely that Perez will miss the beginning of the regular season.

Ynoa (elbow) is available to make his Grapefruit League debut Saturday against the Pirates in relief, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Ynoa missed the entire 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of 2022. He started throwing bullpen sessions in mid-February, but was downgraded to long tosses while dealing with right elbow soreness.

Williams gave up two runs on seven hits over five innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out five.

Only one of the hits off Williams went for extra bases, an opposite-field solo shot for DJ Stewart in the first inning, and the veteran right-hander built up to 68 pitches (48 strikes). Williams has been hittable this spring, but his 6.30 ERA in 10 innings is backed by a sharp 11:0 K:BB. He seems on track for a spot at the back of the Nationals' rotation to begin the season.

Houser allowed four runs on four hits over five innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The ball was carrying to left field at Clover Park, and Luis Garcia was able to slice a solo shot over the fence in the first inning before Lane Thomas clubbed a three-run blast in the fifth. Otherwise Houser had little trouble with the Washington lineup, firing 44 of 64 pitches for strikes. The former Brewer has been sharp this spring, posting a 14:1 K:BB through 12 innings, and he's on track to open the season in the Mets' rotation after producing a 4.12 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 96:34 K:BB over 111.1 innings last year and earning a one-year, $5 million contract with New York in January.

Weathers gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk over 4.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out four.

The 24-year-old southpaw is competing for an Opening Day rotation spot with the Marlins potentially down Eury Perez (finger), Braxton Garrett (shoulder) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder) to begin the season, so while Weathers' overall results Friday weren't all that impressive, the most important takeaway is that he built up to 79 pitches (50 strikes). Weathers has overall had a strong spring, posting a 21:4 K:BB through 18 innings, and the solo shot he gave up to Jose Fermin in the fourth inning Friday has been the only homer he's allowed.

Glasnow tossed 5.1 scoreless and hitless innings in a Cactus League contest against San Francisco on Tuesday. He struck out eight batters and allowed one walk.

A day after being named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter for their March 20 matchup with the Padres in South Korea, Glasnow finished his spring slate in dominant fashion, retiring 16 of the 17 batters he faced and tossing 70 pitches while holding the Giants without a hit. The right-hander looked every bit like an ace this spring, allowing just one run on four hits while posting a 14:3 K:BB over 10 frames. Glasnow may not be quite ready for a full workload in the regular-season opener given that the Seoul Series is taking place over a week earlier than Opening Day for teams besides the Dodgers and Padres, but he otherwise appears to be in fine form as he embarks upon his first campaign with Los Angeles.

Priester allowed one earned run on three hits and no walks while striking out five across 4.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees.

Priester is vying for the final rotation spot in Pittsburgh but has struggled to get outs the second time through the order throughout spring. That changed Friday, as he served up a solo home run in the fourth frame but was otherwise successful pitching deeper into the game. Priester also threw his slider 40 percent of the time and maintained increased velocity relative to the 2023 season. The Pirates have added Domingo German and Eric Lauer in recent days to muddy Priester's path to the rotation on Opening Day, but he'll almost certainly contribute at some point during the campaign.

Lowder struck out two over two scoreless innings in Thursday's Spring Breakout game against Texas.

Lowder was the star of the day, according to Keith Law of The Athletic, who remarked how efficient the right-hander was. The Reds' 2023 first-round pick showcased his fastball (94-95 mph), a plus changeup (86-89) and a plus slider that Law said had more bite that it did last spring at Wake Forest. The only batter that reached base did so on an error. Outside of the breakout game, Lowder has made two other spring appearances, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out two over three innings.

Gray (hamstring) will face hitters in a simulated session Sunday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Gray will pitch to hitters before Sunday's Grapefruit League game as the next step in his rehab process, but the hitters will not be permitted to swing. If all goes well, the right-hander may move on to throwing batting practice or a full simulated game. Gray's status for Opening Day remains uncertain, though the Cardinals are optimistic the 34-year-old will be able to pitch in St. Louis' opening series against the Dodgers.

German signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Friday and was invited to major-league spring training, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Despite throwing the 24th perfect game in MLB history last season, German turned in only a 4.56 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 108.2 innings for the Yankees. The right-hander will be given a chance to prove himself during the final weeks of spring training, and he will make $1.25 million this season if he makes the MLB roster. His new deal also includes a $2.25 million club option for 2025.