MLB Player News

Cavalli is focused on not giving hitters too much credit and learning to trust his stuff this season, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

The 23-year-old top prospect tore through High-A and Double-A last year before hitting a wall at Triple-A, posting a 7.30 ERA over 24.2 innings for Rochester and seeing his strikeout rate plummet while his BABIP soared, but the issue for Cavalli seemed to have been overthinking things rather than fatigue or mechanical issues. "He'd want to [throw the perfect pitch] and then the count would be 3-2," said Michael Tejera, the pitching coach at Triple-A Rochester last year. "He'd give hitters too much credit -- without needing to." Cavalli acknowledged that he needed to start thinking more like a pitcher than a hitter, as he was a two-way player in college, and at Triple-A he found himself trying to anticipate what pitch the hitter was expecting rather than sticking to the game plan. Cavalli's stuff is more than good enough for him to thrive in the majors, and once he shows that he's learned from his mistakes last season he could be ready to make the jump into Washington's rotation.

Anderson will stretch out as a starter this spring, but he could serve as a bulk reliever early in the regular season, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers signed Anderson on Friday following a 2021 campaign during which he posted a 4.53 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 134:38 K:BB across 167 innings. The southpaw started in all 31 of his appearances last season, but that doesn't mean he'll be handed a spot in the rotation for Los Angeles. The Dodgers' top three starting spots are set in stone between Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias, leaving the remaining slots to be filled by two of Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Tony Gonsolin, Mitch White and David Price. The team could make a decision on which hurlers start the season in the rotation based on their spring training performances.

Woodford will compete to be the Cardinals' fifth starter, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Woodford and Drew VerHagen appear to have the inside edge for the fifth spot in the rotation after news broke of Jack Flaherty (shoulder) being unavailable for Opening Day. In his second major-league season, Woodford started in eight of his 26 appearances. He posted a steady 3.99 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 50:25 K:BB across 67.2 innings. He lacks velocity with an average fastball of 91.7 mph last season, and it's likely the right-hander bounces between the rotation and the bullpen throughout 2022.

Keller isn't dealing with anything worse than a bruised thigh after getting hit by a comebacker Saturday against the Tigers, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Keller exited the game after getting hit, but that seems to be nothing more than a precautionary measure, as the Pirates had little reason to risk anything during a Grapefruit League game. Keller is merely considered day-to-day and had already thrown 18 pitches, so the incident should have minimal impact on his readiness for the upcoming season.

Keller was removed from Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers after he was hit in the right thigh by a comebacker in the top of the second inning, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Keller tossed 18 pitches prior to his departure and allowed two hits and no walks while striking out one in 1.2 innings. He likely wouldn't have pitched much longer even if he wasn't hit by a comebacker, and it's not clear whether his thigh injury will impact his training regimen during camp.

Smyly signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Cubs on Saturday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Smyly spent time with four teams across the last three seasons, and he'll now join the Cubs' pitching staff ahead of the 2022 campaign. He made 29 appearances (23 starts) for Atlanta last year and posted a 4.48 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 126.2 innings. The southpaw will be in the mix for a back-end rotation role heading into the regular season, but he's also demonstrated an ability to serve as a middle reliever.

Nelson allowed one run on three hits while striking out two and walking none over four innings in Friday's spring game against the Rockies.

Nelson, the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2021, has been throwing since minor-league camp opened last month, so it's natural for him to be up to four innings at this stage of spring. Drafted as a reliever in the second round of the 2019 draft, Nelson is being groomed as a starter for now. He went a combined 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 22 starts for High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo in 2021.

Alcantara struck out one over three perfect innings in Friday's Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals.

The right-hander is expected to make his third straight Opening Day start for the Marlins this season, and Alcantara looked like he was nearly in midseason form already as he took the mound for the first time this spring for game action. Alcantara set career highs in wins (nine), innings (205.2) and strikeouts (201) in 2021, and with more offensive support the 26-year-old's fantasy value could take another step forward this season.

Gallen (shoulder) threw his second bullpen session of camp Friday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Gallen said he felt no issues with the shoulder following the session. The right-hander's next step will be facing hitters in a live batting-practice session. He's behind the other starters and may not be ready for Opening Day.

Carrasco threw 30 pitches over two innings in a simulated game Friday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander may not be ready for Opening Day as he works his way back from elbow surgery in October to remove a bone chip, but Carrasco doesn't appear to be too far behind the rest of the Mets' rotation. "It's really encouraging to see Carlos making progress," manager Buck Showalter said after Carrasco's sim game. The 35-year-old has made only 12 starts in each of the last three years, stumbling to a 6.04 ERA and 1.43 WHIP last season, and given that he hasn't pitched more than 80 innings in a campaign since 2018, Carrasco's workload could be carefully managed in an effort to keep him healthy.