MLB Player News

Gray was removed from Monday's Grapefruit League start versus the Nationals in the second inning with an apparent injury, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gray was facing his fifth batter of the game but was pulled after appearing to injure himself on a pitch to Nick Senzel. He walked off the field after a visit from the trainer, manager Oliver Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake. Gray yielded one hit and struck out one over 1.2 scoreless frames before exiting. The Cardinals figure to update his condition soon.

Iriarte was optioned to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres on Sunday.

Iriarte was added to the Padres' 40-man roster over the offseason and impressed during his time in big-league camp, yielding just one unearned run over three innings. The 22-year-old had seemed in contention for a roster spot, but the team needing to make some early cuts because of its March 20-21 series versus the Dodgers in South Korea probably didn't help Iriarte's bid. He's put himself in position for a promotion at some point this season, however.

Quintana is the likeliest candidate to get the Opening Day start for the Mets, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

With Kodai Senga (shoulder) set to miss the first month of the season or more, Quintana should be the next man up for New York to kick off the season. "It would be an honor. It's a dream for any starting pitcher," the veteran southpaw said last week. "Big crowd, a lot of energy. It's a gift." Quintana has thrown 100 or more innings only once in the last four seasons, but he's healthy headed into the spring and the Mets believe he can handle a much larger workload than the 75.2 innings he tossed in 2023 during a campaign that didn't begin until after the All-Star break due to rib surgery.

Sale gave up three hits and two walks over 2.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out five while also throwing a wild pitch.

That's nine Ks and a 0.00 ERA in 4.2 innings for Sale as he gets ready for his first campaign with Atlanta. The 34-year-old lefty hasn't made 25 starts in a season since 2019, and injuries have left his numbers somewhat volatile since he crossed over into his 30s, but he appears to be 100 percent healthy in camp and could be poised for a rebound. At the very least, he could take a run at double-digit wins for the first time since 2018 with one of the most potent offenses in MLB at his back.

Anderson is throwing long toss from 120 feet, and he's on schedule in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old right-hander underwent surgery in April 2023 and is targeting a midseason return to the mound. Atlanta may not have room for him in its big-league rotation once he's ready for game action however, especially if Anderson can't regain the form that saw him produce a 3.58 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 124:53 K:BB through 128.1 innings in 2021, before a rough 2022 may have provided an early signal that his elbow wasn't 100 percent. Anderson still has a minor-league option remaining, so it wouldn't be surprising if he spent the second half of 2024 at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Ynoa has resumed long-toss after being shut down for a bit with right elbow soreness, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Ynoa is coming back from Tommy John surgery and had been throwing bullpen sessions early on in camp before the elbow soreness cropped up. Atlanta doesn't appear overly concerned about the righty, as Ynoa could resume mound work in a few days. Ynoa already had seemed likely to begin the season back in the minors as he knocks some rust off, and this setback should cinch that.

Wheeler signed a three-year, $126 million contract extension with the Phillies on Monday, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

Wheeler had been in line to reach free agency after the upcoming season, but now he'll remain in Philadelphia for a while longer. The average annual value of the deal is a Phillies record and also the largest-ever AAV for a contract extension. The veteran right-hander has collected a 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 21.3 K-BB% across 101 starts during his time with the Phillies and will turn 34 in May.

Rodriguez allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings in Sunday's spring start against Milwaukee.

The Brewers ambushed Rodriguez early, taking a 3-0 lead three batters into the game. The left-hander had base traffic in all three innings but managed to avoid further damage with the help of infield defense. The results look similar to his first Cactus League start, when he gave up four runs in an inning, but Rodriguez told Michael McDermott of SI.com that he felt better Sunday. "I threw three innings today, I feel great," Rodriguez said. "I feel I'm on a really good pace for the start of the season." While a 15.75 ERA over four innings might cause concern, it should be noted that spring games are less about results than for getting pitches in shape, working on command and building up pitch counts.

Darvish tossed 3.1 innings against Seattle in a Cactus League game Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out six batters.

Darvish served up a two-run homer to Cade Marlowe in the second inning, but he was otherwise pretty sharp, throwing 30 of 46 pitches for strikes and punching out six batters. All three of the hits he surrendered aside from the long ball were singles, one of which was a pop-up that was lost in the sun and another that didn't leave the infield. Darvish has fanned nine hitters without issuing a walk over 5.1 frames this spring, and he looks to be on track to face the Dodgers in one of two contests in South Korea that will open the MLB regular season March 20-21.

Frasso (shoulder) was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Frasso is still recovering from procedures on his shoulder and hip, and he's not expected to be ready to pitch until late in the season. Once healthy, he'll likely return to the mound with Oklahoma City, where he produced a 3.26 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 13 strikeouts over 19.1 innings in four starts last season.