MLB Player News

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.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are each expected to start a contest in the team's season-opening two-game set in Korea that begins March 20, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Glasnow and Yamamoto were both acquired in the offseason as part of a major overhaul of the team's pitching staff, and it appears that both hurlers will get a chance to make their regular-season Dodgers debut in Korea. It isn't yet clear which of the two will get the ball first, but Glasnow may be the slight favorite given that Yamamoto hasn't yet thrown an MLB pitch. Los Angeles has a unique opening schedule in that it plays three exhibition contests in California following the Padres series before resuming the regular season against St. Louis on March 28. With that in mind, it's possible that both hurlers could pitch twice within the team's first four regular-season contests.

Milwaukee placed Woodruff (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday after he finalized a two-year contract with the club, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Woodruff will be guaranteed $17.5 million in the deal, which includes a $20 million mutual option or a $10 million buyout for the 2026 season. Just over four months removed from right shoulder surgery, Woodruff said that he began throwing program last week. He noted that the operation went better than expected and that he feels completely normal now, but the rehab process will be slow and steady and a potential return before the end of the 2024 season will be decided by doctors. In all likelihood, Woodruff won't get on a major-league mound again until 2025.