MLB Player News

Abbott struck out one over two scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League start against Seattle.

Abbott tossed two perfect innings and was done after 22 pitches. The right-hander was so efficient that he needed additional pitches in the bullpen following his departure. Of note, Abbott's fastball consistently hit 94 mph (and touched 95), a development he said has never come this early in spring, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Abbott's main focus for 2024 is being more consistent with his curveball and changeup and getting deeper into games. He walked 3.6 batters per nine innings in 2023, so landing those two pitches in the zone should help extend outings. The 24-year-old also worked on conditioning and weight training, which he hopes will keep him stronger throughout the season. Abbott fell off in the second half last year, posting a 6.42 ERA over his final 11 starts.

Rodriguez will make his spring debut against the Rangers on Tuesday.

Rodriguez had been scheduled to start the Diamondbacks' opener last Friday, but the team changed plans and had the left-hander throw live batting practice on the back fields. He's expected to serve as the No. 3 starter once the regular season begins.

Gallen will not start Friday's Cactus League game against the Reds, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

Gallen had been scheduled to make his spring debut March 1, but the Diamondbacks will opt to have the right-hander throw a simulated game on the back fields instead of making the trip west to Goodyear. There's no word yet on who will slot into Gallen's place for a spot start Friday.

Butto gave up three hits over two scoreless innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He struck out one without walking a batter.

The 25-year-old right-hander got his spring off to a good start as he battles for an Opening Day spot with the Mets. Butto looked good at the end of last season in the majors, posting a 3.29 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 28:9 K:BB over five starts and 27.1 innings, but his 5.93 ERA and 1.63 WHIP at Triple-A Syracuse in a larger sample (91 innings) are concerning. He's battling with Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi and others in camp for one of the team's open rotation jobs.

Gomber (back) is slated to start Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Angels, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

He's expected to work two innings before turning the game over to a cadre of relievers. Gomber didn't make any appearances after Aug. 28 last season due to lower-back inflammation, but he seems to have received a clean bill of health heading into spring training. After agreeing to a one-year, $3.15 million deal with the Rockies in the offseason to avoid arbitration, Gomber's rotation spot should be fairly secure heading into Opening Day.

Gore gave up one run on two hits over two innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. He struck out four without walking a batter.

He did uncork a wild pitch, but Gore's control was impressive this early in the spring, as he fired 21 of 26 pitches for strikes against an experienced Miami lineup that included Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm. The 25-year-old lefty flashed upside last year with 151 strikeouts over 136.1 innings but also posted a 9.8 percent walk rate, so if he can improve his control, 2024 could end up being a breakout campaign for Gore.

Luzardo struck out three batters over two perfect innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

The 26-year-old southpaw got his spring off to a flying start, tossing 17 of 23 pitches for strikes against a patchwork Washington lineup headlined by Joey Meneses and top prospect James Wood. Luzardo threw a career-high 178.2 innings last year, striking out 208 batters with a 3.58 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, and he heads into the 2024 campaign looking to establish himself as a reliable frontline starter.

Yamamoto is listed as the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The Dodgers are expected to have both of their prized offseason acquisitions make their Cactus League debuts within the next two days, as Shohei Ohtani (elbow) is scheduled to serve as a designated hitter Tuesday versus the White Sox before Yamamoto takes the hill Wednesday. Since Yamamoto had been on a once-a-week pitching schedule in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball while winning Pacific League MVP Awards in each of the past three seasons, the Dodgers will move to a six-man rotation in 2024 to help ease the 25-year-old's transition to MLB. The Dodgers are already penciling Yamamoto in to make his first regular-season start during their two-game season-opening series in South Korea versus the Padres on March 20 and 21.

Lowder is scheduled to pitch in one of the Reds' split-squad games Monday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

This marks the first time Lowder will throw to professional batters in game conditions. He threw during Fall Instructs, but the right-hander was already at his innings limit when Cincinnati selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 Draft.

Greene allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four over 1.2 innings in a spring start Sunday against the Angels.

Greene busted out a curveball and split-finger fastball during the outing, adding two new offerings he worked on during the offseason to an arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, slider and a rarely used changeup, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I tried to keep it simple," Greene said. "I feel like I had a good feel for everything. Curveball was a little iffy, but as far as spring I will continue to work on it." The right-hander was exuberant about the state of the new split and will continue to hone it for Opening Day and beyond. He had been scheduled to pitch two innings but reached his pitch limit thanks to a long first inning that included two walks and three strikeouts.