MLB Player News

Lauer has allowed five earned runs over three innings through two appearances this spring.

Lauer and the Brewers are hoping he will bounce back from a rough 2020 season in which he allowed 16 earned runs over 11 innings, but he has not shown any signs of a turnaround early on. He will have a few more opportunities to right the ship, but the Brewers can still option him, so he is going to have to show some results to avoid opening the regular season in the minors.

Martinez, who allowed six earned runs on four hits, three walks and a hit batsman over 1.2 innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Astros on Thursday, still sounded a confident tone following the outing, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. "I know the result wasn't the result I wanted, but I feel good," Martinez said. "I feel good with all my pitches. I know I can be better in the next couple starts."

The right-hander is pushing to become a prominent member of the starting rotation once again this spring, but if Martinez doesn't improve considerably, he could be fighting merely to hold onto a roster spot. Manager Mike Shildt backed up Martinez's confidence in his stuff prior to the game, lauding the veteran for coming to camp in great shape and going about his business in a positive fashion following a difficult, COVID-impacted 2020. Shildt still praised the way the ball was coming out of Martinez's hand following the outing and added, "Carlos is going to be just fine."

Kim didn't elicit any concerns from manager Mike Shildt or catcher Andrew Knizner despite struggling during his first Grapefruit League start Wednesday, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports. "I want to say his stuff was almost too good," Knizner said. "I think it was actually moving more than he probably wanted to. ... When you're throwing pitches with that much late movement, it's on the plate, and then it's off. I don't think it was anything to panic about or anything like that."

It would be easy to wince at Kim's final line -- four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks over 27 pitches across two-thirds of an inning -- but Knizner and manager Mike Shildt felt Kim was much better after getting a chance (under spring-training rules) to come back for the second inning following a discussion with rotation mate Adam Wainwright about mechanics between frames. Kim was in fact able to record one of his two strikeouts in that second frame, but the southpaw seemed a bit thrown by the 87.9 mph average velocity on his fastball. "All of my pitches were out of control and also my velo was low," Kim said. "I don't know why the reason is, but I'm trying to find out."

Anderson allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out three batters in two scoreless innings against Atlanta on Thursday.

He labored through 43 pitches, though he threw 31 for strikes and didn't issue a walk. The lefty figures to serve in the back end of the Pirates' rotation. Anderson limits hard contact (31 percent career rate) but has never struck out more than 22.3 percent of opposing batters in five MLB seasons. At 31 years of age, the organization is looking for him to eat innings and help its young pitching staff.

Williams has been working on his slider grip during spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Williams is seeking to add variation to his slider, shaping the pitch differently based on his matchup. He generated some swings and misses with the new version of the pitch in his spring debut with the Cubs. Williams has a chance to claim the fifth starter role with the club to begin the regular season.

Peterson allowed one hit and hit a batter across two scoreless innings Thursday against the Nationals.

Peterson threw 26 pitches in his spring debut and was largely sharp. He labored a bit in the first frame -- hitting a batter and then allowing a two-out double -- but got out of the jam. Peterson then rebounded in the second inning to retire the side in order. Though he's the favorite to begin the season as the Mets' fifth starter, Peterson will have to beat out Joey Lucchesi, Sean Reid-Foley and Jordan Yamamoto for the role.

Wright will make his second start of spring training Friday against Minnesota, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Max Fried (COVID-19 protocols) was scratched from the start, so Wright will take the mound in his place. Depending on the status of Mike Soroka (Achilles), Wright could be in the mix for a rotation role to start the season. He struggled in his first spring appearance, allowing four hits and three earned runs while walking one and striking out one across 1.1 frames.

Gore recorded two strikeouts and walked three across 2.0 innings Thursday against the Rangers.

Gore labored in his opening frame, walking three of the first five batters he faced. As a result, he failed to record three outs when the inning was rolled over. However, he rebounded to retire the side in the second inning on just nine pitches. Reports indicated that Gore was sitting between 94 and 96 miles per hour with his fastball and also mixed in two curveballs for called strikes as well.

Woodruff (back) successfully faced hitters Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Woodruff was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday due to back stiffness, but his live batting practice session Thursday went as planned. Manager Craig Counsell said that Woodruff's next step will be pitching in a Cactus League game, although it's not yet clear when that will occur. As long as he doesn't experience any setbacks, he should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said that Fried won't make his scheduled start in Friday's Grapefruit League game with the Twins due to COVID-19-related concerns, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

According to Snitker, Fried didn't test positive for COVID-19, but the Braves fear he had "potential exposure" to an infected person. Fried is expected to remain away from camp for at least a couple of days, but if he continues to test negative while in quarantine, he could return to the team facility at some point next week. Assuming that ends up being the case, Fried's availability for the start of the regular season shouldn't be in any jeopardy.