MLB Player News

The White Sox traded Cease to the Padres on Wednesday in exchange for Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, Steven Wilson and Samuel Zavala, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After recent pushes from the Rangers and Yankees to acquire Cease, the right-hander will ultimately end up in San Diego, giving a much-needed boost to a Padres rotation that lost Blake Snell, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo during the offseason. Following his brilliant 2022 campaign, Cease took a big step back in 2023 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 33 starts, though he still was able to rack up 214 strikeouts in 177 innings. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove have already been penciled in as the Padres' starters for their season-opening series versus the Dodgers in South Korea next week, but Cease could make his Friars debut when the team return to North America for its first domestic series with the Giants from March 28 through 31.

Garrett (shoulder) is expected to throw a live batting practice session as soon as this weekend, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Garrett has been slowed since the beginning of camp with left shoulder soreness, but he threw an extended bullpen session Wednesday and is days away from live BP. It would be the first time he's faced hitters this spring. Garrett will begin the season on the injured list and it's unclear how much time he might miss, but he's trending in the right direction.

Senga (shoulder) will begin a throwing program on March 22, one week later than initially projected, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza insists the delay for Senga "doesn't mean he's having any setback" as he works his way back from a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder. Rather, the club just wants to make sure Senga is as strong as possible before he resumes throwing. It does slightly delay Senga's potential return, which had been roughly pegged for late April or early May.

The Mets announced Wednesday that Quintana will start the team's season opener March 28 versus the Brewers at Citi Field.

Quintana became the logical choice for the Opening Day nod after Kodai Senga (shoulder) went down with an injury earlier in spring training that will likely cost him at least the first month of the season. Though he'll be functioning as the de facto staff ace to begin the campaign, the 35-year-old Quintana profiles as more of a mid-rotation or back-end arm at this stage of his career. The southpaw missed all of the first half of the 2023 season with a fractured rib, but he was a dependable innings eater upon returning after the All-Star break, pitching to a 3.57 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 60:24 K:BB across 75.2 frames.

Gray (hamstring) will throw another bullpen session Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Depending on how Gray comes out of the session, he's expected to then advance to either live batting practice or a game. The veteran right-hander has made a quick recovery from his mild right hamstring strain and might have an outside shot to be ready for his first start of the season, though a short stint on the injured list still seems more likely than not.

Perez was pulled from Wednesday's start against the Nationals with an apparent recurrence of the broken nail on his right middle finger, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The nail has been an ongoing issue for Perez since the beginning of camp. While the potential for a long-term absence seems minimal, it's certainly a concern that the issue continues to linger. The Marlins should have more on Perez's condition following Wednesday's game.

The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Phillips has a 5:3 K:BB over six scoreless innings this spring but nonetheless finds himself sent to minor-league camp. The talented 22-year-old could still wind up making a decent number of starts for the Reds this season, but there are currently others ahead of him in the pecking order.

Gore allowed one run on two hits and three walks over 5.2 innings during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out two.

Fatigue may have played a factor in the walk total, as Gore didn't issue his first free pass until the fourth inning, at which point he walked Pete Alonso, Ji-Man Choi and Starling Marte to load the bases before escaping the jam with a double play. Control remains the biggest obstacle between the 25-year-old lefty and a breakout campaign after he posted a 25.9 percent strikeout rate against a 9.8 percent walk rate in 2023, and Gore's 9:4 K:BB through 10.2 spring innings suggests he may still have some work to do in that area.

Miley (shoulder) will throw a simulated game Wednesday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The left-hander got through a 30-pitch bullpen session Monday and will now progress to facing hitters. Miley hasn't made any Cactus League appearances because of left shoulder soreness but hasn't yet been ruled out for Opening Day.

Quintana allowed two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He struck out two.

Facing a Washington lineup that included CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas and Joey Gallo, Quintana cruised through another sharp spring outing. The veteran southpaw has a 9:4 K:BB through 8.2 Grapefruit League innings as he prepares for an Opening Day assignment in the absence of Kodai Senga (shoulder). Quintana didn't make his 2023 debut until July 20 due to rib surgery but pitched well in the second half, posting a 3.57 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 75.2 innings.