MLB Player News

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.

Pepiot tossed one scoreless inning in a Cactus League contest against San Diego on Monday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter.

While the Dodgers' five-man rotation appears set, the team doesn't yet have a clear option for its long-reliever/sixth-starter role. Pepiot is among the candidates to fill that slot, and he no doubt helped his case with a strong spring debut during which he threw 16 of 21 pitches for strikes and touched 94 mph with his fastball, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. The right-hander did fine over 36.1 innings in his first taste of the majors last season, posting a 3.47 ERA and 26.3 percent strikeout rate, but his 1.46 WHIP and 16.9 percent walk rate were less encouraging. He'll need to improve his command to be a successful big-league starter, so Monday's outing was a step in the right direction, though a one-inning appearance at the start of spring shouldn't be overhyped.

Pfaadt allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless innings in Monday's spring game against the Cubs.

Pfaadt made his Cactus League debut and told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he was "a little antsy" making his first start in the main stadium at Salt River Fields. He averaged 94.3 mph with his fastball, generating two swings-and-misses on the pitch. His whiffs came on a slider and curve. The Diamondbacks' top-ranked pitching prospect is a fringe candidate for the final rotation spot.

Steele (arm) said he's scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The Cubs scratched Steele from his planned Cactus League debut this past Saturday against the Giants, citing general arm fatigue. Fortunately for Steele, the issue doesn't appear to be anything more significant, as he'll likely get the green light to make his first spring start later this week if the bullpen session goes according to plan. The southpaw already says that he feels like he can cover 2-to-3 innings, despite missing his first turn through the spring rotation.