MLB Player News

Marquez (hamstring) threw a two-inning live batting practice Tuesday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Marquez has been dealing with soreness in his left hamstring, but after facing hitters Tuesday, the right-hander could be ready for Cactus League action "within days." At this point, Marquez looks in little danger of missing any time during the regular season, but fantasy managers will want to keep track of his progress over the next few weeks of spring training.

Davies allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the White Sox.

Davies was the first member of the projected rotation to debut in the Cactus League. The right-hander made 27 starts for the Diamondbacks last season, posting a respectable 4.09 ERA over 134.1 innings, which was aided by a low BABIP (.257). The 30-year-old doesn't overpower hitters and won't strike out many. He currently projects as fourth in the rotation behind Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly (who starts Friday) and Madison Bumgarner.

Steele (arm) is expected to make his Cactus League debut sometime this weekend, Tony Andracki of the Marquee Sports Network reports.

Steele was scratched from a scheduled Cactus League start this past Sunday due to arm soreness, but he made it through a bullpen session without issue Tuesday in Cubs camp. As long as everything goes more smoothly from this point forward, the 27-year-old left-hander should be ready to open the 2023 campaign as a mid-rotation starter on the North Side of Chicago.

Chandler was told by the Pirates on Monday that he will work exclusively as a pitcher this year, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Chandler was selected as a two-way player in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but the Pirates want him to focus solely on his mound work in 2023 after he struggled to a .184/.284/.290 batting line in 32 games (88 plate appearances) last summer at Low-A Bradenton. He posted a 2.61 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 41.1 innings between Bradenton and the rookie-level Florida Coast League.

Walker is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut Friday against the Tigers, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Walker signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Phillies back in December and is now set for his first sort of close-up with the reigning National League champions. The 30-year-old right-hander worked to a solid 3.49 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 132:45 K:BB across 157.1 regular-season innings (29 starts) with the Mets last season.

Fried gave up two hits and struck out four without walking anyone over two scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

Facing a Toronto lineup mostly made up of minor leaguers, Fried didn't have much trouble carving it up in his first game action of the spring. The 29-year-old southpaw is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign that included a career-best 4.4 percent walk rate, and he's in the mix to take the mound Opening Day for Atlanta.

Gray threw nine pitches in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Mets, and five of them were cutters, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The right-hander added the pitch to his arsenal this winter after managing a 5.17 ERA and brutal 2.34 HR/9 through his first 219.1 big-league innings over the last two seasons. Gray's strikeout rates still offer plenty of optimism that he can develop into a quality pitcher, but the 25-year-old has a lot to prove before he can be considered a reliable fantasy option.

Senga is set to make his Grapefruit League debut Sunday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Senga had some issues adjusting to the larger MLB ball and steeper MLB mound in the early part of Mets camp, but he has apparently looked much sharper in recent live workouts. Now his stuff will be on full display in probably a two-inning outing Sunday afternoon against the Cardinals. The 30-year-old Japanese right-hander inked a five-year, $75 million contract with New York in December after registering a 1.94 ERA in 144 innings last season with the Softbank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Padres manager Bob Melvin said Tuesday that Musgrove (toe) won't be able to resume throwing for a minimum of two weeks, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Musgrove suffered a left big toe fracture during a weight room mishap Monday. He's going to work with the Padres' training staff to keep his arm strong throughout the healing process, but the toe injury is obviously a significant setback that will make it difficult for him to be ready for the start of the regular season. He'll almost certainly be placed on the 15-day injured list ahead of Opening Day and could wind up missing most -- or all -- of the first month of meaningful games.

Musgrove suffered a fractured left big toe during a weight room incident Monday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

A timeline for Musgrove's return isn't known yet, but this will certainly lead to him beginning the season on the injured list. It's obviously a big blow to the Padres and to fantasy managers who have used a pick on Musgrove in early drafts. San Diego had been slated to start the season with a six-man rotation and still conceivably could, although it's possible this news might change its plans.