MLB Player News

Corry signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Thursday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

Corry, 25, was a borderline top-100 prospect a few years ago but has had his career sidetracked by injury. He threw 34 innings over four stops in the Giants' system last season, posting a 5.03 ERA and 52:18 K:BB.

Reds manager David Bell said Thursday that Lodolo (tibia) is slated to face live hitters in his next throwing session, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lodolo avoided offseason surgery to address a stress reaction to his left tibia, an injury he suffered in August while on a rehab assignment. The young southpaw is seemingly healthy again for the early stages of spring training, but the Reds have been taking it slowly with him following a lost season in which he was limited to just seven starts with the big club. Lodolo has thus far been pain-free during his bullpen sessions, and facing hitters without any discomfort will be the final hurdle he needs to clear before he's integrated into the Cactus League pitching schedule. He's still tracking to be part of the Reds' Opening Day rotation, though any setback with his leg or any other sort of health concern that crops up would likely result in him beginning the season on the injured list.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Thursday that Keller will serve as the club's Opening Day starter March 28 in Miami, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Shelton's announcement was seemingly a foregone conclusion after Keller signed a five-year, $77 million contract extension -- the largest for a pitcher in franchise history -- just hours earlier. Though Keller is the Pirates' No. 1 starter, he likely profiles as more of a depth arm for most fantasy pitching staffs after he went 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 210:55 K:BB in 194.1 innings over his 32 starts a season ago.

Abbott is scheduled to make his first Cactus League start Monday in a split-squad game versus the Mariners, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Though his performance faded over the second half of the season, Abbott still submitted a promising rookie campaign in 2023, compiling a 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 120:44 K:BB over 109.1 innings. While Cincinnati beefed up its starting depth in the offseason with the additions of Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez -- in addition to the expected return of Nick Lodolo (tibia) from injury -- Abbott's spot in the Reds' Opening Day rotation still seems to be fairly secure.

Butto will be among those competing for the final spot in the Mets' rotation following the injury to Kodai Senga (shoulder), Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

He'll be going up against Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi and Max Kranick for the gig. Butto, who turns 26 next month, held a 3.64 ERA and 38:23 K:BB over 42 frames covering seven starts and two relief appearances for the Mets in 2023. He posted a 5.93 ERA in 19 starts during his time at Triple-A Buffalo.

Lucchesi will be in the mix for the fifth spot in the Mets' rotation following the injury to Kodai Senga (shoulder), Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lucchesi fared well in nine starts for the Mets last season in securing a 2.89 ERA, although that came with a 1.31 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB across 46.2 frames. Tylor Megill is likely Lucchesi's chief competition for the gig, with Jose Butto and Max Kranick also in the mix.

Megill will be among the competitors for the fifth spot in the Mets' rotation following the injury to Kodai Senga (shoulder), Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Adrian Houser appear locked into the first four spots, leaving Megill, Joey Lucchesi, Jose Butto and Max Kranick to fight for the final one. Megill offers arguably the best upside of the bunch, but he struggled in 2023, collecting a 4.70 ERA and 105:58 K:BB over 126.1 innings.

Keller agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Pirates on Thursday, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com report.

Keller avoided arbitration for 2024 with a one-year, $5.44 million contract last month, but the new deal cancels out that agreement and will take effect beginning this season, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. The deal is worth $77 million in total and will buy out what would have been the first two years of Keller's free agency. Keller, who turns 28 in April, is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he won 13 games while posting a 4.21 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 210:55 K:BB across 194.1 innings covering 32 starts.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Thursday that Senga has been diagnosed with a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Senga will begin the season on the injured list and will be shut down from throwing "until symptoms subside and strength returns," per Stearns. A more specific timetable won't be known for a while, but the absence does figure to be a fairly lengthy one. The Mets will need to dip into their rotation depth while Senga is on the shelf, with Adrian Houser, Tylor Megill, Jose Butto and Max Kranick all in the mix to see starts.

Ashcraft added a changeup to his repertoire during the offseason, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Ashcraft busted out the new pitch during a live session last Saturday, throwing four of them. The right-hander said he's working on the pitch in camp and is not ready to use it in games. The change adds a fourth pitch to his arsenal, which includes a cutter, slider and sinker. "If I can throw the two-seamer for strikes and the slider for the strikes, I think everything else will take care of itself," Ashcraft said. While the Reds are delaying his Cactus League debut, the club maintains Ashcraft is on track for Opening Day.