MLB Player News

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.

Steele said his goal for 2024 is to make at least 30 starts and log 180 or more innings for the first time in his career, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Steele made exactly 30 starts in 2023 and tossed a career-high 173.1 innings. It was a decent jump from the 119 innings he recorded in 2022, but the southpaw didn't seem bothered by the larger workload, as he recorded a strong 3.06 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, which were both improvements from the previous season. Steele is likely in line to start on Opening Day for the Cubs, and if he can stay healthy this year, another big performance could be in store for the emerging ace.

Greene allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings in Saturday's spring start against the Rockies.

Greene walked two batters for a second straight Cactus League appearance and has allowed four free passes in 4.2 innings. Cincinnati manager David Bell made note of the control issues to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "In spring training, he continues to work on things," Bell said. "Too many balls right now, he's walking a few. He's got to work towards cleaning that up." The manager added that Greene isn't missing by much and pitchers honing in during spring training is all part of the process.

Contreras allowed one hit and walked three while striking out one across scoreless 2.1 innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.

Contreras managed to work his way out of trouble, but he walked a batter in all three innings he pitched. Per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Contreras also averaged 94.3 mph on his fastball, down around two ticks from the top velocity he's shown in the majors. He's now walked four batters across 4.1 innings of work this spring, which won't help his chances of securing a rotation spot to begin the new campaign.

Groome was optioned to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres on Saturday.

Groome didn't make any Cactus League appearances for the Padres before being given the pink slip. The left-hander is coming off a dreadful 2023 season with El Paso, having posted an 8.55 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and 137:112 K:BB over 134.2 innings.

Lynn is penciled in to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday versus the Nationals, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Lynn has been working on the back fields so far, giving the Cardinals an opportunity to evaluate other pitchers in spring games. Lynn will don the Cardinals' jersey for the first time since 2017 after signing a one-year deal with the team in November. The right-hander endured the worst season of his career in 2023, posting a 5.73 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 44 home runs allowed over 183.2 innings between the White Sox and the Dodgers. He'll play most of 2024 at age 37, so it's unclear how much he'll be able to bounce back, though he'll at least have his home games in a pitcher-friendly stadium.

Liberatore is in competition with Zack Thompson for the last spot in the Cardinals' rotation, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Liberatore is lagging behind in results with three runs allowed over five innings across two spring starts so far. There's a chance both Liberatore and Thompson could make the rotation -- Steven Matz is being brought along slowly this spring after an injury-riddled 2023. Liberatore started half of his 22 outings last season, pitching to a 5.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 46:25 K:BB over 61.2 innings. He'll need to show better to avoid a trip to Triple-A Memphis.

Perez exited his start Saturday against the Mets due to a broken nail on his right middle finger, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Perez had been dealing with a cut on the same finger earlier during camp, but his removal Saturday was unrelated. Perez said after his start that he felt no pain from the broken nail, and he doesn't expect it to become an issue going forward. The 20-year-old righty lasted 2.1 innings against New York, striking out two batters and walking one.

Perez was removed from his appearance during Saturday's spring training game against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Perez called a trainer out to the mound during the third inning of Saturday's game to take a look at his hand. Perez recently had problems with a cut on his right middle finger, so it's possible he aggravated the injury during the game. The Marlins should offer more information on Perez's condition in the near future, but his status for Opening Day likely won't be affected.