MLB Player News

Vines gave up one hit and struck out three in a scoreless inning during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.

It's generally foolhardy to draw too many conclusions from the sixth inning of a late February spring training game, but Vines certainly looked the part of a top pitching prospect Saturday as he leaned on his plus changeup to whiff three of the four batters he faced. The 24-year-old right-hander posted solid numbers in Double-A and Triple-A last season and appears poised to make his big-league debut at some point in 2023.

Butto gave up a run on zero hits and two walks over 1.2 innings in Saturday's split-squad game against the Marlins, striking out four straight batters.

The run crossed the plate after he'd left the game in the second inning. Butto touched 97 mph with his fastball, and while the 24-year-old right-hander isn't viewed as an elite prospect, he did post solid numbers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022 before making his big-league debut in late August. The Mets have plenty of rotation depth, but if injuries thin the ranks, Butto could be a factor later in the year if he continues his development and can add a reliable curveball to his fastball-changeup arsenal.

Gore worked a scoreless first inning in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, allowing one hit and striking out one.

The left-hander tossed 13 of 18 pitches for strikes, topping out at 96 mph with his fastball while mixing in his slider and curve and even tossing one changeup to Paul Goldschmidt. Gore hadn't seen action in an MLB game since last July, so the Nationals will bring him along slowly in camp in an effort to keep him healthy, but the 24-year-old is on track to open the regular season in the rotation. He had an impressive start to the 2022 campaign, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 57:17 K:BB in 48 innings for the Padres through his first nine big-league appearances before his elbow began acting up, and the Nats believe he can regain something close to that form after picking him up in last year's Juan Soto trade.

Steele was scratched from Sunday's spring start against the Dodgers due to general arm fatigue, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The left-hander hasn't been shut down from throwing and is scheduled for a bullpen session within the next couple days, but it's still a concerning development early in spring training. If Steele's bullpen goes well, he could take the mound in Chicago's next turn through the rotation.

Nelson allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one over one-plus innings in Saturday's spring game against Colorado. "I think the fastball felt good, fastball command felt good," Nelson told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. "I threw some offspeed pitches I really liked, [but] I think there's still consistency with [offspeed pitches] that can be better."

Nelson gave up a pair of run-scoring doubles in the first inning, then was removed after he allowed the first two batters to reach base in the second. Those runners eventually came around to score while Eric Yardley was on the mound. Nelson is one of two leading candidates, along with Drey Jameson, to fill the fifth-starter job this season. Jameson allowed a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings in a split-squad game against the Athletics.

Keller allowed one hit and no walks while striking out two across two scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Keller performed well in his spring debut while facing a mix of Toronto's regulars and reserves. Per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, Keller also debuted a new pitch that is a cross between a slider and cutter. Keller took a step forward in 2022, posting a 3.91 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, and he will be relied upon by the Pirates as a key part of their rotation throughout the upcoming campaign.

Taillon changed the grip on his slider over the offseason, making the pitch more of a "sweeper," Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Last season, Taillon used his slider just under 19 percent of the time, making it his second-most popular pitch behind the fastball. The righty also mixed in a curve, a cutter, a sinker and a changeup, giving him a fairly deep arsenal. The Cubs liked what they saw, inking Taillon to a four-year, $68 million contract back in December. He figures to slot in as the No. 2 pitcher behind Marcus Stroman once the regular season gets underway.

Rogers added a sinker to his repertoire this offseason while also focusing on cleaning up his mechanics, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

"I'm in a lot better spot mechanically and mentally than last year," Rogers said Thursday. "I really went into the offseason kind of fixing a few mechanical problems that I was honestly searching all year for last year. ... Going through what I went through last year, it really helped me as far as my mental game [goes], being at rock bottom, [which was] something I had never gone through before." After a rough 2022, the southpaw is looking to regain the form that saw him post a 2.64 ERA and 20.1 percent K%-BB% over 133 big-league innings in 2021. Rogers is expected to begin the season in the Miami rotation, but his leash could be a short one if he stumbles out of the gate.

The Pirates are planning to use Oviedo as a starter in 2023, Rob Biertemptfel of The Athletic reports.

Oviedo has gotten most of his big-league experience as a reliever, though he made seven starts in Pittsburgh to close out 2022 after being acquired by the team at the trade deadline. He posted a solid 3.23 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 30 innings in that span, and he is likely to make starts at some point in 2023. For the time being, he's on the outside looking in for a regular rotation spot, but he should be among the top candidates to fill in if injury or poor performance requires the rotation to be shuffled.

Sanchez (shoulder) is not expected to be ready for game action until the summer, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Sanchez underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in October, and has seen his development stalled by injuries -- particularly over the last couple of seasons. He's expected to start throwing bullpens soon and also reportedly got in significantly better shape over the offseason, but Miami is going to take things slowly with the 24-year-old. There's still reason for optimism in the long term, but Sanchez offers just as much risk as he does reward for 2023, if not more.