MLB Player News

Gray gave up three hits and struck out one over two scoreless innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Facing a young St. Louis lineup that gave prominent spots in the batting order to the likes of Nolan Gorman and top prospect Jordan Walker, Gray breezed through the first two frames after needing only three pitches to strike out Brendan Donovan to lead off the game. The right-hander hasn't given up a run through his first three spring innings and is locked into a rotation spot for the Nationals, but Gray will need to find a solution to his long-ball woes -- he's served up 57 homers in 219.1 big-league innings so far in his career -- if he's going to become a reliable fantasy asset.

Flaherty (illness/calf) will not pitch Sunday against the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty has been battling flu-like symptoms and some muscle irritation in his left calf, so the Cardinals will again delay his Grapefruit League debut -- now to Monday. The hope is that these are minor issues, but the 27-year-old right-hander might soon fall behind. He logged only 36 innings (eight starts, one relief appearance) at the MLB level in 2022 because of shoulder trouble.

Gallen is on track to make his spring debut Tuesday against the Athletics, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Gallen, the Diamondbacks' projected No. 1 starter, has already thrown three innings in a simulated game and could throw up to four when he eventually pitches in a Cactus League contest.

Kelly is experimenting with a slider this spring, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Kelly used the new pitch six times. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo believes Kelly's existing repertoire works but thinks the slider could be another option to get early-count outs or swing-and-miss strikes against right-handed hitters. "I think good pitchers and good players are always making adjustments. It was definitely something he brought into camp. He embraced it. We're going to watch him continue to work on it," the manager said. Kelly's existing arsenal consists of four-seam and two-seam fastballs, a curveball, a changeup and a cutter.

Pfaadt allowed one hit and one walk while striking out four over three scoreless innings in Saturday's spring start against the Padres.

Pfaadt has thrown zeros through two Cactus League starts, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings. The right-hander's fastball averaged 94.6 mph and topped out at 96.8, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Carson Kelly, who caught both of Pfaadt's starts, referred to the hurler's four-pitch mix as "unique" and was impressed at how the 24-year-old attacks major-league batters. Pfaadt, the club's top-ranked pitching prospect, has an uphill battle to become Arizona's fifth starter, so it's likely he returns to Triple-A Reno, where he tossed 61.1 innings over 10 starts in 2022.

Taillon tossed three scoreless innings in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed one hit and struck out four.

This was an improvement from Taillon's spring debut, when he allowed two runs on three hits across 1.2 innings of work. The Cactus League stats aren't particularly important for the righty, as he should be locked in as the Cubs' No. 2 starter after signing a four-year, $68 million contract in the offseason. Taillon will just want to get himself ready for the regular season, where he'll look to follow up the strong 3.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP he posted across 177.1 innings with the Yankees in 2022.

Steele (arm) tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Angels. He allowed no hits or walks and did not record a strikeout.

Steele was scratched from an earlier spring start due to arm fatigue, but he looked good in his Cactus League debut. While the lefty didn't have any strikeouts, he recorded 126 of them across 119 innings last season, so he should start to pick up more strikeouts as he gets rolling. Steele will be looking to build on his 2022 breakout as Chicago's No. 3 starter this year behind Marcus Stroman and Jameson Taillon.

Peterson will undergo X-rays after being struck on his left foot by a batted ball in Saturday's exhibition contest, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Peterson tossed two innings in Saturday's contest, but he also picked up the injury along the way. Expect the Mets to release another update on his status after the results of his exam are available.

Flaherty is dealing with calf discomfort and flu-like symptoms, which may prevent him from pitching Sunday versus the Mets, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Flaherty was initially scratched from Saturday's start versus the Nationals, and it's now possible he's pushed back again. The calf discomfort is the bigger concern here, as it's unclear how long it might keep him off the mound. He has logged time in simulated games this spring, but he has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut. Denton adds that it's believed to be a minor issue, but given Flaherty's lengthy injury history, the Cardinals will likely approach this situation with caution.

Cueto has coughed up 11 earned runs in 3.2 innings through his first two Grapefruit League starts, allowing 11 hits and a walk while striking out two.

The 37-year-old righty had a surprising bounce-back campaign with the White Sox in 2022 and parlayed it into a one-year, $6 million deal with the Marlins this winter that contains a team option for 2024. Cueto's early spring efforts are far from encouraging, but he'll get a chance to put them behind him while pitching for Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, and as yet his spot in the Opening Day rotation for Miami doesn't seem to be in jeopardy.