MLB Player News

Knack was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Knack made two appearances, including one start, this spring, allowing two earned runs on one hit and a walk while striking out seven batters over four innings. The right-hander produced a 2.93 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 43 frames in 10 starts with Oklahoma City last year, and if he repeats that production, he'll likely earn a shot in the majors sooner rather than later.

Sanchez is introducing a cutter to his repertoire this spring, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Sanchez debuted back in 2021 but got his first extended run in the rotation in 2023, finishing with a 3.44 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 18 starts and one relief appearance. Backing up those marks was a strong set of peripherals, as his strikeout rate (24.2 percent), walk rate (4.0 percent) and groundball rate (57.0 percent) all beat league average by a wide margin in the latter two cases. He lines up as the Phillies' fifth starter (barring a potential late free-agent addition) and will look to maintain or improve on those numbers of a full-season workload. Given that he threw only three pitches (sinker, changeup and slider) last season, the addition of a fourth weapon could help him do just that, particularly as it could make the Phillies more comfortable asking him to go deeper into games.

Gibson allowed three runs on three hits and struck out two over two innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance of the season.

Gibson was tagged for two home runs in his first spring start. The veteran starter had a 4.73 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 157:55 K:BB over 192 innings for the Orioles last season before signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals in November. Gibson can still eat innings to an extent, but the results are likely to be mediocre -- his ERA has been over 4.50 in four of the last five seasons.

Rom allowed a walk and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings in his first Grapefruit League appearance.

Rom was projected to pitch Sunday versus the Marlins, but that game was rained out. The 24-year-old lefty has long odds to make the Cardinals' rotation, even if the team begins the year with six starters. Rom should be expected to open the year at Triple-A Memphis, and he'll likely stay stretched out should the Cardinals need reinforcements in the summer.

Giants GM Farhan Zaidi said Sunday that Cobb (hip) could be available "relatively soon into the year," Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's not exactly an explicit return timeline, but it's still a major improvement on the mid-summer return that was the previous expectation. Cobb underwent surgery on his left hip in late October, and his recovery has apparently gone better than anticipated. The 36-year-old has already resumed throwing off a mound and could soon be cleared to face live hitters.

Ashby (shoulder) retired one of the six batters he faced and gave up four runs (three earned) on two hits and one walk Saturday in the Brewers' 11-3 loss to the Dodgers in Cactus League play.

Ashby is getting the chance to compete for a spot in the Brewers' Opening Day rotation after he missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from the left shoulder surgery he underwent last April. Though he was deployed in relief in his spring debut, Ashby still saw a healthy workload Saturday, as he tossed 24 pitches (12 strikes) while facing six hitters. Unsurprisingly, Ashby looked rusty while pitching in a competitive setting for the first time since October 2022, but the Brewers are hoping that he'll be able to iron out the kinks over his subsequent spring appearances. Ashby still has two minor-league options remaining, so the Brewers could send him to Triple-A Nashville to begin the 2024 campaign if they're not confident that he's ready to pitch effectively at the big-league level by late March.

Lodolo is throwing a bullpen session Sunday and will see a specialist Monday for testing on his left tibia, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

It's an interesting situation for Lodolo, who continues to throw off a mound despite ongoing discomfort around his left tibia, where a stress reaction caused him to miss much of last season. The 26-year-old's outlook for Opening Day should receive some clarity once the results of Monday's testing are announced.

Gray struck out five and walked two over three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, allowing one run on two hits.

That's now 10 strikeouts in five innings for Gray to begin the spring, and the right-hander fanned Trevor Story and Triston Casas twice each during Saturday's outing. His strikeout rate sagged to 20.5 percent last season, down from 23.7 percent in 2022, so Gray will need to get more swing-and-miss out of his arsenal if he's going to take another step forward in his development. The Nationals are counting on the 26-year-old to be one of the pillars of their rotation, but as yet he hasn't put it all together in the majors, with his career-best 3.91 ERA last year masking a 1.46 WHIP and 4.93 FIP.

Sanchez struck out one in a perfect inning of relief during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

The one-time top prospect didn't face any of New York's top hitters during his stint, but he did strike out DJ Stewart to end the inning. The fact that he was even on a mound at all was a huge step for Sanchez, who has had his career derailed by injuries and hasn't pitched in the majors since 2020. Per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com, Sanchez topped out at 95.3 mph with his fastball -- a big step down from the 97.6 mph he averaged the last time he wore a Marlins uniform, but still impressive for early March given his long road back. The best-case scenario for the 25-year-old might be a low-leverage role in the Opening Day bullpen, but if Sanchez shows enough this spring, Miami might be willing to give him one more chance.

Waldrep walked two and struck out two without giving up a hit over two scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

One of Atlanta's top pitching prospects had a good showing in his spring debut, entering the game in the fifth inning and promptly fanning Danny Jansen. Waldrep wound up tossing 19 of 34 pitches for strikes, and improving his control will be a point of emphasis for the 22-year-old right-hander this season after he posted a 41:16 K:BB in 29.1 innings across four levels last season in his pro debut. While he almost certainly won't break camp on the Opening Day roster, Waldrep appears poised to see action with Atlanta at some point this summer after being the 24th overall pick in the 2023 Draft.