MLB Player News

Spiers allowed three hits and struck out four over two scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the Guardians.

Spiers, who served dual roles as a starter and reliever in 2023, opened the Cactus League schedule for the Reds as a starter. The performance was an encouraging outing for Spiers, as two of his four punchouts came against players that rarely strike out -- Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez. It would be a surprise if the right-hander wins a rotation spot, but a strong spring could keep Spiers on a starter's trajectory and put hm atop the list of depth starters.

Megill gave up a run on two hits and struck out three over two innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

After a shaky first inning that saw him plunk Brendan Donovan to lead off the game before uncorking a wild pitch, Megill breezed through a 1-2-3 second frame. The right-hander came into camp looking to win the Mets' No. 5 starter role, but Kodai Senga's shoulder strain has opened up a second spot in the Opening Day rotation. Megill endured a rough 2023, but he worked on adding a splitter to his arsenal in the offseason and could offer more strikeout upside than the likes of Joey Lucchesi and Jose Butto, his main competition in the rotation battle.

Roby was scratched from his scheduled spring start Monday due to back tightness, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Any spring injuries are concerning, but it doesn't appear to be a serious issue since Roby is still in consideration to start later in the week. The 22-year-old righty is one of the organization's top prospects and could make his big-league debut sometime in 2024 with a strong showing in the minors.

Nelson allowed two hits and struck out five over two scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rockies.

Nelson's 33-pitch performance was the talk of the post-game discussion. The right-hander threw mostly fastballs and sliders and induced eight swing-and-misses. "The velocity looked like it was spiking," manager Torey Lovullo told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "He started mixing in a really quality secondary pitch with that slider, I know that was something I've been emphasizing. I know he's been working hard on it and he got a ton of swing-and-miss." It was an impressive showing for Nelson, who logged a 15.5 strikeout percentage (sixth percentile per Statcast) and 6.0 K/9 in 2023. It was also a timely response after Tommy Henry's impressive Cactus League debut Friday. Nelson and Henry are seen as the main competitors for the final spot in the rotation.

Senga (shoulder) received a platelet-rich-plasma injection Sunday and will be shut down from throwing for the next three weeks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 31-year-old was diagnosed with a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder Thursday, and he's now received the necessary treatment. Senga will require a significant buildup period following the multi-week shutdown and seems likely to be sidelined for at least the first month of the regular season.

Strider struck out four batters over two scoreless innings in his first Grapefruit League action of the spring Saturday against the Rays.

The right-hander allowed one hit and and one walk, and per David O'Brien of The Athletic, he was already hitting 98-99 mph with his fastball even though it isn't even March yet. Strider also incorporated the curveball he's been working on, throwing three of them and liking the results. "I think every time [the curve] was effective," Strider said after the start. "And it's a pitch that, similarly to the changeup, is an effective pitch any time I throw it, regardless of what the outcome is. Because my strengths are my fastball and my slider. So everything I'm doing is trying to help those pitches. And so that's how today was very educational, starting to see the sequencing and the feedback from hitters in a competitive environment." Strider threw his fastball and slider almost 93 percent of the time in 2023, and while that likely isn't going to change significantly this season, having another pitch he trusts in his repertoire could allow the 25-year-old ace to become the first pitcher to record 300 strikeouts in a season since Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander both reached that mark in 2019.

Perez (finger) is scheduled to start Monday's spring game against the Cardinals.

The right-hander suffered a laceration on his middle finger during a session of live batting practice Thursday, but it appears that won't affect his availability for his first spring start. Perez is coming off a rookie campaign during which he had a 3.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 108:31 K:BB across 91.1 innings, though an innings restriction for 2024 will cap his ceiling a bit after he totaled 128 frames between the majors and minors last year.

Garrett (shoulder) threw his first bullpen session of the spring Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins are still taking things slow when it comes to Garrett's throwing program, but manager Skip Schumaker was encouraged by Garrett's performance Friday, calling it "one of the better bullpens he's thrown." It's unclear how long it will be before Garrett is able to pitch in a Grapefruit League game, but he should be ready to go by Opening Day.

The Marlins placed Alcantara (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Alcantara underwent Tommy John surgery in October and is in line to miss the entire 2024 campaign. He will surrender his roster spot as he moves to the IL, creating room for Tim Anderson, who officially signed with Miami on Saturday.

Wicks got the start in Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, allowing one run on two hits across 1.2 innings. He struck out one.

Wicks wasn't in the game long enough to really make an impression one way or the other as he competes for the final spot in Chicago's rotation. The young lefty will look to pitch deeper into the game and make a strong showing in his next spring appearance. Wicks is likely competing with the likes of Javier Assad, Drew Smyly and Hayden Wesneski for the No. 5 role.